FIFA Clears Fulham and Ajax Players for Morocco's 2026 World Cup Bid

Morocco has received clearance from FIFA to call up Fulham defender Issa Diop and Ajax midfielder Ryan Bounida. They are among seven new players brought into the 2022 World Cup semifinalist squad this month, ahead of the next tournament in North America. This brings the total to 16 new additions since last March, according to the Associated Press. Diop, 29, previously represented France at the U21 level, while Bounida is one of six players aged 20 or under who have switched allegiances to Morocco after playing for the youth national teams of Belgium or the Netherlands.

All these players have direct family ties to Morocco, which, under FIFA regulations, allows them to change their national team representation, typically when they haven't played a senior international match for their previous country. Diop and Bounida have been included in new coach Mohamed Wahbi's squad for the upcoming 2026 World Cup warm-up matches against Ecuador on Friday in Madrid and Paraguay on Tuesday in Lens. At this summer's World Cup, Morocco will compete in a group alongside Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti, with matches scheduled near New York, Boston, and Atlanta, respectively. Morocco will automatically qualify for the 2030 tournament as co-hosts with Spain and Portugal, in addition to separate matches that will be played in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.