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Morocco is one match away from returning to the semi-finals of the World Cup. Their quarterfinal match against France is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinals, and the Atlas Lions look to avenge that defeat. This Moroccan team is talented, and it’s one that includes academy graduates who perfected their football in seven different countries (Morocco, France, England, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain). I can’t think of any other national team with a diverse group of players from these various academies, but it’s worth noting.

Take a look at the Morocco squad for the 2026 World Cup and the academies they played for:

2026 Morocco World Cup Roster and their Academies

Player Name	Academy
Yassine Bounou	Wydad Casablanca
Noussair Mazraoui	Ajax
Issa Diop	Balma SC, Toulouse FC
Redouane Halhal	AS Atlas Paillade, Montpellier HSC
Achraf Hakimi	Ciudad de Getafe, CD Colonia Ofigevi, Real Madrid
Neil El Aynaoui	CF Gavà
Ayyoub Bouaddi	AFC Creil, Lille
Brahim Diaz	UD Mortadelo, CD Tiro Pichon, Malaga, Manchester City
Azzedine Ounahi	Raja Club Athletic Casablanca, Mirofoot Lissasfa, Mohamed VI Football Academy
Bilal El Khannouss	Anderlecht, Racing Genk
Ismael Saibari	KVC Willebroek-Meerhof, KFCO Beerschot-Wilrijk, RSC Anderlecht, KV Mechelen, KRC Genk
Muni El Kajoui	CG Goyu-Ryu, AD Ceuta
Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti	Academie Mohamed VI
Marwane Saâdane	Chabab Mohammedia
Chadi Riad	CD Atlético Rafal, RCD Mallorca, CD San Francisco, FC Barcelona, CE Sabadell FC
Anass Salah-Eddine	Blauw-Wit Amsterdam, Pancratius Youth, AFC Youth, AZ Alkmaar, Ajax
Youssef Belammari	FUS Rabat
Zakkaria El Ouahdi	Beerschot AC, R Antwerp FC, Chase Antwerpen, Zulte Waregem, Berchem Sport, FC Rupel Boom
Sofyan Amrabat	HSV De Zuidvogels, FC Utrecht
Samir El Mourabet	RC Strasbourg Alsace, AS Pierrots Vauban Strasbourg
Amine Sbaï	Nîmes, EP Vergèze, Le Crès
Chemsdine Talbi	Royale Union Tubize-Braine, Club Brugge
Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab	C.F. Voltregà, TuS Eving-Lindenhorst, Rot-Weiss Essen, Arminia Bielefeld
Gessime Yassine	Sp.C. Avignon Montfavet, ACS Morieres les Avignon, US Thoroise, AC Avignonnais, Istres FC, Marignane-Gignac-Côte-Bleue
Ayoub El Kaabi	CH Khadija, Ittihad Lalla Meryem, Club Chaâb de Casablanca, RAC Casablanca
Soufiane Rahimi	Raja Casablanca

Belgian, Dutch, and Moroccan Academies

Out of all the academies represented by the players, these are the academies where multiple players sharpened their football skills on the way to achieving professional career: Ajax, 

• Belgian Academies: RSC Anderlecht, KRC Genk 
• Dutch Academy: Ajax
• Moroccan Academy: Raja Casablanca

This statistic, along with the Moroccan World Cup squad graduating from academies in seven different countries , tells me Morocco has some major pull when it comes to recruiting youth, as they go about recruting the foreign born youth, a lot of which are born in France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium. They are very intentional about it, and other African counties need to get with the times. Morocco is becoming the model for African football in terms of how they go about running their federation, the long term strategic planning, and their competitiveness on the football field. What is neat is that there isn’t an academy heavily represented more than the other. That tells me the scouting department is not lazy and they do their part in finding all kids of players.  

A note on Mohammed VI Football Academy 

Only two players on the squad are products of the Mohammed VI Football Academy (established in 2009). It would have been three if Nayef Aguerd was fit to be part of the squad. But four academy graduates were members of the Moroccan team that advanced to the semi finals in 2022. Famous graduates of the academy include Youssef El Nesyri, Hamza Mendyl, and Nayef Aguerd. Addtionally, four players that started in the 2025 U-20 World Cup were from Mohamed VI Football Academy. Morocco won that tournament over Argentina. 

Can Morocco make it to the semi-finals again? Let’s see.