Morocco’s World Cup Dream Faces Injury Crisis

The names of certain players will not appear on the list of those who will be called up for the upcoming matches of the Atlas Lions that Walid Regragui will unveil on Thursday. This list is likely to be weakened. And for good reason, the coach of the Moroccan national team will not be able to count on the right-back of Manchester United, Noussair Mazraoui, who has suffered an injury whose nature is not yet known to all. "United will be without Noussair Mazraoui," said the official website of the Red Devils, relaying the words of coach Ruben Amorim. This defensive pillar will therefore be absent at a key moment of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. He will miss the friendly against Bahrain at the Moulay Abdellah Complex in Rabat, as well as the match against Congo-Brazzaville.

However, Regragui has several options to make up for this absence. He could bet on Youssef Belammari, the left-back of Raja de Casablanca and champion of Africa in CHAN, who shone in the last two matches against Niger and Zambia, or Souffian El Karouani, who is having an excellent start to the season in the Netherlands, or even on young talents like Adam Aznou and Youssef Lekhdim. In addition to Mazraoui, other key players such as Achraf Dari, central defender of the Egyptian club Al Ahly, and Oussama El Azzouzi, defensive midfielder of FC Bologna on loan to AJ Auxerre, are also officially out due to injuries.

Adam Masina, recently returned from muscle fatigue, may not be certain to be able to play the upcoming matches of the Atlas Lions. On Monday, he remained on the bench during the confrontation between Torino FC and Parma. A particular situation for other players like Brahim Diaz. Facing competitors like Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Rodrygo and the young Argentine prodigy Mastantuono, he sees his playing time reduced. In total, he has played ten matches, mainly as a substitute, providing two assists.

With injured players, elements lacking playing time and confirmed withdrawals, Regragui is facing difficulties.