Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech has been included in Morocco’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar, two months after ending his 15-month exile from the national team.
The 29-year-old had announced his international retirement in February after falling out with former Atlas Lions boss Vahid Halilhodzic, who was dismissed in August.
But new coach Walid Regragui wasted little time in recalling Ziyech and started him in his first two games in charge, against Chile and Paraguay in September.
Fit-again West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd is also included in the squad alongside Paris Saint-Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi and Bayern Munich full-back Noussair Mazraoui.
However, Spain-born Munir El Haddadi, who battled a five-year international eligibility saga to play for the North Africans, has been overlooked.
The squad, which includes former Southampton forward Sofiane Boufal and Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri, will be captained by ex-Wolves defender Romain Saiss.
Queens Park Rangers’ Ilias Chair is picked, but Adel Taarabt and Hatayaspor striker Ayoub El Kaabi, who scored five times in qualification, have been left out.
Watford midfielder Imran Louza and forward Tarik Tissoudali, who scored in both legs against DR Congo in Africa’s World Cup play-offs in March, had already been ruled out of the finals by injury.
Morocco have been drawn in Group F with Belgium, Canada and Croatia.
The North Africans face Georgia in a friendly in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on 17 November, and begin their World Cup campaign against 2018 runners-up Croatia on 23 November.
Stand-offs and eligibility issues
Ziyech has struggled for regular club games this season under departed Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel and new coach Graham Potter, but retains affections from the football authorities in Morocco.
Before his return to the Atlas Lions squad in September, he had not played since June 2021 after his war of words with Halilhodzic.
The Bosnian was fired after months of tension with the federation (RMFF) over player selection, particularly his frosty relationship with the forward and the non-selection of Mazraoui.
Halilhodzic accused Ziyech of feigning injury to skip mid-year friendly matches and left him out of the World Cup qualifying campaign and this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
A month before parting ways with Halilhodzic, RMFF president Faouzi Lekjaa stated that Ziyech – who had refused to play under the then coach – was still available for selection.
The former Ajax man is now in line to feature at a second World Cup after appearing at the 2018 tournament.
Meanwhile, Getafe forward El Haddadi had seemed set to play at the World Cup four years after he was denied the chance to represent Morocco in Russia.
The 27-year-old, who was born in Madrid and has a Moroccan father, spent years trying in vain to play for the North Africans after initially being prevented from doing so because of a brief competitive appearance he made for Spain in 2014.
But the five-year saga finally came to an end in February 2021 as El Haddadi benefitted from a new rule change around international eligibility, which has earned him 11 appearances for the Atlas Lions.
However, El Haddadi has been restricted to just 226 minutes in La Liga for Getafe this season and remained on the bench for September’s friendlies, with Morocco fans campaigning for Al Ittihad striker Abderrazak Hamdallah, 31, to be called up instead.
Barring a late injury replacement, the player who began his career at Barcelona will have to wait to see if his ambition of playing at the global event will be fulfilled in 2026.
Morocco squad
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla), Munir El Kajoui (Al Wehda), Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca).
Defenders: Nayef Aguerd (West Ham United), Yahia Attiat Allah (Wydad Casablanca), Badr Benoun (Qatar SC), Achraf Dari (Stade Brest), Jawad El Yamiq (Real Valladolid), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich), Romain Saiss (Besiktas).
Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina), Selim Amallah (Standard Liege), Bilal El Khannouss (Racing Genk), Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Casablanca), Azzedine Ounahi (Angers), Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria).
Forwards: Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse), Soufiane Boufal (Angers), Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers), Walid Cheddira (Bari), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla), Abde Ezzalzouli (Osasuna), Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al Ittihad), Amine Harit (Olympique Marseille), Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea).
