Morocco secured a spot at Russia 2018 by topping Group C of the African zone ahead of the Ivory Coast, Gabon, and Mali. Their campaign at the upcoming summer's tournament also poses to be a tough one considering they will find themselves alongside Spain, Portugal, and Iran in Group B.
Coach's Objective
Herve Renard, the man responsible for Morocco's first World Cup appearance in 20 years, has carved a positive résumé for himself as far as international football on the African continent is concerned. Bar his latest achievement, the Frenchman led both Zambia and the Ivory Coast to two separate African Cup of Nations glory. Naturally, his side has been dubbed as underdogs in the midst of favorites Spain and Portugal but his remarkable track record could come in handy in staging an upset in Group B. Progression to the Round of 16 ahead of the aforementioned pair could be really monumental.
New Faces
Top scorer of the African Nations Championship (CHAN), Ayoub El Kaabi once again finds himself in the list after making the cut for March's World Cup warm-up matches against Serbia and Uzbekistan. The 24-year-old who played for Renaissance Berkane – a second-tier side in Morocco - scored a record nine goals to aid his country host and win the CHAN. Sofyan Amrabat and Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti are also among the new additions
Veterans
The skipper of the side Mehdi Benatia, Nordin Amrabat, Romain Saiss, and Younès Belhanda will be at Russia to provide the needed experience for the Atlas Lions.
Absentees
The most notable omission is, of course, Sofian Boufal. It is believed that 24-year-old forward fallout at Southampton has cost him a World Cup spot as Herve Renard is not a fan of players with disciplinary issues. Achraf Bencharki, Oussama Tannane, and Youssef El-Arabi were also not featured in the final list.
Morocco's 23-man final World Cup squad:
GOALKEEPERS: Mounir El Kajoui (Numancia), Yassine Bounou (Girona), Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti (Ittihad Tanger)
DEFENDERS: Mehdi Benatia (Juventus), Romain Saiss (Wolves), Manuel Da Costa (Basaksehir), Badr Benoun (Raja Casablanca), Nabil Dirar (Fenerbahce), Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid), Hamza Mendyl (LOSC)
MIDFIELDERS: M'barek Boussoufa (Al Jazira), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord), Youssef Ait Bennasser (Caen), Sofyan Amrabat (Feyenoord), Younes Belhanda (Galatasaray), Faycal Fajr (Getafe), Amine Harit (Schalke 04)
FORWARDS: Khalid Boutaib (Malatyaspor), Aziz Bouhaddouz (Saint Pauli), Ayoub El Kaabi (Renaissance Berkane), Nordin Amrabat (Leganes), Mehdi Carcela (Standard de Liege), Hakim Ziyech (Ajax).
