Will the Moroccan national team be affected by the absence of Ziyech and Akord from the 2026 World Cup?

It has been officially confirmed that both center-back Nayef Aguerd and winger Abdessamad Ezzalzouli will miss the Moroccan national team during the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The names of both Ezzalzouli and Aguerd have been removed from the official list approved by FIFA, and they have been replaced by Amin Sabhi and Marwan Saadan.

Defender Nayef Aguerd has not managed to fully recover, as he has been sidelined with an injury since March. Despite undergoing surgery immediately after the end of the season, he has not been able to reach full readiness to participate in the World Cup.

Similarly, striker "the Lions" Abdessamad Ezzalzouli suffered a knee injury during the match between the Moroccan national team and their Norwegian counterpart in the last friendly match in preparation for the World Cup.

Although initial estimates indicated that Ezzalzouli's absence from the field would not exceed a few weeks, the technical staff of the national team decided to call up Sabhi to replace Ezzalzouli and Saadan to replace Aguerd.

Regarding this development, experts stated that while the absences may relatively affect the performance of the national team led by coach Mohamed Wahbi in the World Cup, the "Lions" roster includes players with enough experience and talent to compensate for this shortfall.

In this context, national coach Kawtar Rida confirmed that the absence of Abdessamad Ezzalzouli and Nayef Aguerd represents a technical loss for the national team, considering the value each adds to the group.

Rida explained, in a statement to Hespress, that Aguerd is one of the key pillars in the defensive line due to his experience and leadership, while Ezzalzouli provides important offensive solutions thanks to his speed and ability to create differences in individual confrontations.