Hakimi leads nine returning Morocco players from Qatar 2022 at World Cup

Coach Ouahbi drew heavily on the country’s diaspora in Europe where majority of the 26 players he selected were born.Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi was among nine players from Morocco’s history-making 2022 World Cup squad named for the 2026 tournament in North America.Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who was only hired in March, drew heavily on the country’s diaspora in Europe, where the majority of the 26 players he selected were born.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Puskas to Pele: Ten greatest FIFA World Cup heroeslist 2 of 4World Cup dark horses: Can Japan finally break last 16 barrier and go far?list 3 of 4Scotland fans book 20 school buses for games at ‘inaccessible’ US World Cuplist 4 of 4World Cup dark horses: Haaland leads Norway’s hopes after 28-year absenceend of listOuahbi was himself born in Belgium, while Hakimi and Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz are among five players in the squad born in Spain and whose family ties make them eligible for Morocco.Three of Morocco’s squad – Fulham defender Issa Diop, PSV Eindhoven defender Anass Salah-Eddine and 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi – had their change of national eligibility approved by FIFA in the past nine months. Diaz has played for Morocco since 2024 after previously representing Spain.Morocco will be based in New Jersey where it opens against Brazil on June 13 in East Rutherford. The Atlas Lions then play Scotland in Massachusetts and finish Group C against Haiti on June 24, in Atlanta. The top two in the standings go directly to the round of 16, and the third-place team also could advance.At the 2022 World Cup, when it was coached by Walid Regragui, Morocco made history as the first semifinalist at the tournament from Africa.Morocco topped its group ahead of Croatia and Belgium, then shocked Spain and Portugal in the knockout rounds before an injury-hit team lost to France.Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who impressed in Qatar, returns for his third World Cup at age 35.