Morocco selects Fulham’s Diop and Ajax’s Bounida from the seven players cleared by FIFA to change nationality

Morocco has received permission from FIFA to select Fulham defender Issa Diop and Ajax midfielder Rayane Bounida from the seven players recruited this month by the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists ahead of the next edition in North America, bringing the total to 16 since last March.

Diop, 29, was a French youth and under-21 international, while Bounida is one of six players aged 20 or under who moved to qualify for Morocco this month after playing in youth football for Belgium or the Netherlands.

All have direct family ties to Morocco, which allows them to change national eligibility under FIFA rules, usually if they have not played a senior competitive match for the country they previously represented.

Diop and Bounida are in new coach Mohamed Ouahbi’s squad for the World Cup warm-up matches against Ecuador on Friday in Madrid and Paraguay on Tuesday in Lens, France.

At the 2026 World Cup, Morocco will be in a group with Brazil, Scotland and Haiti, with matches being played near New York, Boston and Atlanta.

Morocco has also secured direct entry into the 2030 tournament as co-hosts alongside Spain and Portugal, with additional matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

READ ALSO: Inter Miami names stand in new stadium after Lionel Messi

The Moroccan Football Federation, led by Fouzi Lekjaa, has been actively recruiting players from the diaspora in Europe.

The team that made history in Qatar as the first African semi-finalist included players such as Hakim Ziyech and Sofyan Amrabat, both of whom represented the Netherlands at youth level yuef.

The eligibility changes approved by FIFA in March include Bounida and Genk midfielder Saif Eddien Lazar, who represented Belgium.

Players transferring from the Netherlands include Benjamin Khaderi and Sami Bouhoudane, both 18 and from PSV Eindhoven, 20-year-old Utrecht defender Oualid Agougil and 18-year-old Feyenoord player Ayoud Ouarghi.

FIFA also approved nine eligibility changes between March and December last year, involving players from France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway.

Published on March 27, 2026