2026 World Cup - Morocco: Sofiane Boufal left out, Mohamed Ouahbi explains

Mohamed Ouahbi justifies his decision regarding Sofiane Boufal

Africa 27 May 2026 at 11:58

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2026 World Cup - Morocco: Sofiane Boufal left out, Mohamed Ouahbi explains

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has explained one of the boldest decisions in his squad selection for the 2026 World Cup: the omission of Sofiane Boufal.

While Sofiane Boufal was hoping to be among the 26 players called up for the 2026 World Cup, he will ultimately not be part of Morocco’s Atlas Lions on football’s biggest stage. Speaking to the media, the Moroccan coach admitted that Boufal’s profile was not excluded due to performance issues.

“Honestly, yes, he deserved it, but if I could take 30 or 40 players… The problem is that I can only take 26,” Ouahbi explained.

🗣️ OUAHBI ON BOUFAL'S OMISSION: 🇲🇦

“Honestly, Sofiane deserved it but I can only take 26 players. [...] During the training camp, I was really impressed with him—he has a great personality. But I was looking for specific profiles on the flanks. That’s part of our game plan.”

An… pic.twitter.com/ZKH7FvfM0A
— Lion Times 🇲🇦 (@LionTimes_) May 26, 2026

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.