The Moroccan national team roster for the matches against Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup has seen the return of captain Romain Saïss and the exclusion of Real Madrid's young defender Youssef Kdima. Moroccan coach Walid Rekraki considered Saïss' return to the "Atlas Lions" after his absence from the recent March training camp as a natural one, given the player's value to both the national team and his club (Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia).
Rekraki stated on Tuesday during the press conference announcing the Moroccan squad for the matches against Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo: "I explained my position during the March camp. Since I wanted to try young players, it was a resting period for Saïss to focus on his team. I always trust Saïss and his leadership skills and that he will be ready when we need him."
On the other hand, Rekraki did not clarify the reason for Kdima's exclusion, who was on the Moroccan roster for the friendly matches against Mauritania and Angola in March. Morocco will face Zambia at the Grand Stadium in Agadir on June 7, and then meet the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 11 at the Martyrs' Stadium in the capital, Kinshasa, as part of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The Moroccan squad for the two matches is as follows:
- Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou - Munir Mohamedy - Mehdi Ben Obeid.
- Defenders: Achraf Hakimi - Noussair Mazraoui - Yahya Attiat Allah - Romain Saïss - Nayef Aguerd - Shadi Riyad - Abdelkebir Sabir - Mohamed Chibi - Achraf Dari.
- Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat - Osama Al-Azouzi - Amir Richarson - Azzedine Ounahi - Bilal El Khannouch - Osama Tarjaline - Hakim Ziyech - Ismail Sybabri.
- Forwards: Ibrahim Diaz - Sofyan Rahimi - Ayoub Kachkhi - Youssef En-Nesyri - Elias Akhoumach - Amin Adli - Elias Ben Saghir.
