Six Moroccan Footballers Set to Face Their Birthplace France

Sports Desk : Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi share a close friendship from their time together at French club Paris Saint-Germain. However, the two friends will now find themselves on opposite sides when France face Morocco in the first quarter-final of the World Cup.

But the France–Morocco clash is not just about the battle between two close friends. Behind the match lies another emotional storyline — six Moroccan players are set to take the field against the country where they were born.

Morocco’s 26-man squad includes six footballers born in France — Redouane Halhal, Gessime Yassine, Samir El Mourabet, Neil El Aynaoui, Issa Diop and Ayoub Bouaddi. All of them have family roots in Morocco. As children of immigrant families from previous generations, they had the opportunity to represent both France, their country of birth, and Morocco, their ancestral homeland. Ultimately, they chose to play for the nation of their heritage.

This is not the first time Morocco have featured players born in the country they are facing. Earlier in this World Cup, Morocco faced the Netherlands in the Round of 32, with three players in their squad born on Dutch soil. Against France, that number has doubled.

Among the six players, Ayoub Bouaddi has attracted the most attention. The 18-year-old talented midfielder was a regular member of France’s Under-21 team earlier this year and even wore the captain’s armband. However, just before the World Cup, he decided to join Morocco’s national team setup.

Morocco’s football federation has successfully implemented a long-term strategy of attracting talented players with dual nationality to represent the national team. Before this tournament, stars such as Sofiane Boufal, Romain Saïss, Marouane Chamakh, Mehdi Benatia and Mustapha Hadji — all born or developed in France — also made their mark wearing the Moroccan jersey.