Moroccan success in attracting dual nationals

The Spanish newspaper “Marca” highlighted the success of the strategy adopted by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation in attracting dual nationality players, stressing that the “Atlas Lions” are now reaping the fruits of long-term work in this field, by attracting prominent talents active in various European leagues.

The same source explained that the Moroccan national team was able, in a short period of time not exceeding 13 days, to include six new players through the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)’s sports nationality change platform, which reflects the effectiveness of the work carried out by the technical administration in tracking and attracting talent.

The same newspaper added that the positive results achieved by the national team in recent years, especially its fourth place in the 2022 World Cup, contributed to increasing the attractiveness of the national shirt to a number of young talents who were candidates to represent European teams, especially Belgium and the Netherlands.

In the same context, “Marca” reported Mohamed Wehbe’s statement that the Moroccan football project is not limited to long-term future benefits, but rather aims to compete at the highest level, starting with the 2026 World Cup, considering that investing in young talent constitutes a basic pillar for achieving this ambition.

The list of players who recently changed their sports nationality included Rayan Bonida and Saif Eddine Lazaar, who came from Belgium, and Benjamin Khediri, Ayoub Warqi, Walid Akujil, and Sami Bouhoudane, who preferred to represent Morocco instead of the Netherlands, in a move that falls within the project of preparing a competitive generation for the future.

The Spanish newspaper concluded its report by noting that Morocco continues to monitor a number of emerging talents in Europe, with the aim of strengthening its ranks with new elements capable of continuing to shine continentally and internationally, and consolidating its position among the top international teams.