Key Morocco Players Sidelined for World Cup Qualifiers Due to Injuries

A series of bad news for the Moroccan team. Injured in the cruciate ligament at the end of January, Chadi Riad, the 20-year-old defender of Crystal Palace, will be away from the pitch at least until the end of the season. Romain Saïss, the captain of the Atlas Lions, should also miss the March gathering, after suffering a new tear of the ankle ligaments. Last weekend, Noussair Mazraoui, the Moroccan defender of Manchester United, also injured his knee against Everton in the Premier League (2-2), which compromises his chances of participating in the matches against Niger and Tanzania scheduled for March.

For the moment, Walid Regragui can only count on Nayef Aguerd, the Real Sociedad defender, who has returned to the pitch after a long rehabilitation period following an injury sustained in the match against Leganés in La Liga. The Atlas Lion is in the plans of the Spanish club’s coach, Imanol Alguacil, who has made him a starter for the match against Real Madrid (0-1), played on Wednesday in the semi-final first leg of the Copa del Rey. Aguerd remains the only regular defender of the Moroccan team available for the two decisive matches in March.

According to a source from the technical staff, the Moroccan technician will not suffer from these absences. He will be able to call on other no less talented defenders such as Abdelkabir Abqar of Deportivo Alavés, Ayman Wafi, the talent of Lugano in Switzerland, Mehdi Boukamir, the star of Charleroi in Belgium, the experienced Jawad El Yamiq of Al-Wehda in Saudi Arabia, or other talents he is closely following. What is certain is that the Moroccan technician will fill the absences of the injured defenders before March 13, the date on which he will publish the final list of players called up for the matches against Niger and Tanzania, counting towards the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.