Morocco includes injured captain Hakimi in the AFCON selection


Morocco included injured captain Achraf Hakimi in a 26-man squad named for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.

The 27-year-old full-back sprained his ankle after making a mistake while playing for Paris Saint-Germain against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League last month.

After the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington last Friday, head coach Walid Regragui said: “We hope he (Hakimi) will be available for our first match against Comoros.”

Host nation Morocco will face Comoros in Rabat on December 21 in the opening match of African football’s biennial showpiece.

Referring to Hakimi, recently crowned African Player of the Year 2025, Regragui added: «He is doing better. He is improving. He wants to be here (Morocco). He is our leader, our captain.»

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Morocco is in group A with the Comoros, Mali and Zambia. The group winner and runners-up automatically qualify for the knockout stages, along with the top four of the six third-placed teams.

Other Atlas Lions stars, including goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Manchester United full-back Noussair Mazraoui, midfielder Sofyan Amrabat and striker Youssef En-Nesyri, have been selected.

Morocco is trying to win the AFCON for the second time. They drew against Guinea in Ethiopia in 1976 and finished first in a tournament consisting entirely of mini-leagues.

Only three of the thirteen AFCON hosts this century – Tunisia, Egypt and Ivory Coast – have been crowned champions.

TEAM

Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal/KSA), Munir El Kajoui (Renaissance Berkane), El Mehdi Al Harrar (Raja Casablanca)

Defenders: Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA, captain), Mohamed Chibi (Pyramids/EGY), Jawad El Yamiq (Al-Najma/KSA), Romain Saiss (Al Sadd/QAT), Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal (Rennes/FRA), Nayef Aguerd (Marseille/FRA), Adam Masina (Torino/ITA), Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester Utd/ENG), Anass Salah-Eddine (PSV/NED)

Midfielders: Oussama Targhalline (Feyenoord/NED), Sofyan Amrabat (Real Betis/ESP), Ismael Saibari (PSV/NED), Neil El Aynaoui (Roma/ITA), Bilal El Khannouss (Stuttgart/GER), Azzedine Ounahi (Girona/ESP)

Forwards: Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid/ESP), Ilias Akhomach (Villarreal/ESP), Chemsdine Talbi (Sunderland/ENG), Youssef En-Nesyri (Fenerbahce/TUR), Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos/GRE), Soufiane Rahimi (Al Ain/UAE), Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Real Betis/ESP), Eliesse Ben Seghir (Bayer Leverkusen/DU)

Standby: Youssef Belammari (Raja), Hamza Igamane (Lille/FRA)

Published on December 11, 2025



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