When Walid Regragui announced his 26-man roster on Thursday, he took a chance on the health of a few players and made some unexpected selections, including including Hakim Ziyech in the Moroccan World Cup team.
Ziyech is included in the Moroccan squad despite not playing much for Chelsea
Ziyech has only made two starts for Chelsea this year, but he is one of nine players who will be making their second consecutive World Cup appearance after being part of the team in Russia four years ago, when Morocco was ousted in the group stage.
After Chelsea winger Ziyech and Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui were benched for disciplinary reasons last season, there was a dispute between the Moroccan federation and the former coach Vahid Halilhodzic about Ziyech.
Regragui, a former Moroccan international who won the African Champions League with Wydad Casablanca in May, was selected Halilhodzic’s replacement after the former refused efforts from FA chairman Fouzi Lekjaa to reinstate them to the team. Halilhodzic was fired in August as a result.
Regragui also stuck with Sevilla attacker Youssef En-Nesyri and West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd, both of whom have had a difficult year. Aguerd missed the first three months of the season due to an ankle injury.
Uncapped teenage midfielder Bilal El Khannouss, who was born in Belgium but has never played professionally, and striker Walid Cheddira, who was born in Italy but made his Morocco debut in September, were both unexpectedly called up. El Khannouss has helped Racing Genk to a commanding lead in Belgium this season.
At the World Cup, Morocco is in Group F with Belgium, Canada, and Croatia.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Al Wehda’s Munir El Kajoui, Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou, and Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca)
Defenders include Yahia Attiat Allah of Wydad Casablanca, Nayef Aguerd of West Ham United, Badr Benoun of Qatar SC, Achraf Dari of Stade Brest, Jawad El Yamiq of Real Valladolid, Achraf Hakimi of Paris St. Germain, Noussair Mazraoui of Bayern Munich, and Romain Saiss of Bayern Munich (Besiktas)
Midfielders include Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat, Standard Liege’s Selim Amallah, Racing Genk’s Bilal El Khannouss, Wydad Casablanca’s Yahya Jabrane, Angers’ Azzedine Ounahi, and Fiorentina’s Selim Amallah, as well as Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria)
Forwards: Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla), Abde Ezzalzouli (Osasuna), Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al Ittihad), Amine Harit (Olympique Marseille), Hakim Ziyech, Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse), Soufiane Boufal (Angers), Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers), Walid (Chelsea).