Morocco Coach Assesses Ziyech and Saïss for Potential World Cup Qualifier Return

23 February 2025 – bySylvanus@Bladi · 2 min read

Walid Regragui, coach of the Atlas Lions, and his assistant Rachid Benmahmoud, are in Qatar to observe the attacking midfielder of Al-Duhail SC Hakim Ziyech and the defender of Al Sadd, Romain Saïss, in order to assess their form before finalizing the list of the Atlas Lions for the matches against Niger and Tanzania, counting for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Ziyech and Saïss soon to return to the national team? Walid Regragui and his assistant Rachid Benmahmoud attended the match between Al Sadd and Al Duhail, which took place on Saturday evening as part of the Qatari championship, in order to evaluate the performances of the two Moroccan internationals. Substituted in the 67th minute, Ziyech was unable to shine with Al-Duhail. The match ended in a victory for Al Sadd (2-0) over his club. His compatriot, the Al Sadd defender Romain Saïss, was absent due to an injury sustained the day before the match.

With these performances, Hakim Ziyech and Romain Saïss have little chance of returning to the Moroccan national team. In January, the Atlas Lions coach would have explained to Ziyech that he had to find a new club in order to regain his technical and physical abilities. Otherwise, he will not be able to reintegrate the Moroccan team squad. If he has found a new club, the 31-year-old player is not yet at the top of his form.

The Moroccan team will face Niger and Tanzania on March 17 and 24, 2025, as part of the fifth and sixth rounds of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Walid Regragui should unveil the final list of players who will be called up for the training camp at the Mohammed VI Center in Rabat on March 13, during a press conference.