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AFCON winners Morocco name first squad under Ouahbi, El Karouani returns

AFCON winners Morocco name first squad under Ouahbi, El Karouani returns
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Souffian El Karouani, the left-back from FC Utrecht, shares second place for assists in the Eredivisie with 10, yet he was excluded from Morocco's team for the Africa Cup of Nations. His latest appearance for Morocco occurred in October 2025, during a 1-0 victory over Congo in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

Youssef En-Nesyri, who plays for Al-Ittihad and previously featured for Fenerbahçe, has been left out of the selection after going goalless in his initial seven outings for the Saudi club.

This inclusion for the defender comes after coach Walid Regragui departed from the RMFF on 5 March due to fatigue issues. Mohamed Ouahbi, once the manager of Morocco's under-20 side, assumed the role the following day, only three months ahead of the FIFA World Cup kick-off.

Morocco will take on Ecuador at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on 27 March, followed by a match against Paraguay at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, France, on 31 March. These represent the last friendlies prior to the FIFA World Cup period in June.

Morocco received the AFCON trophy retroactively on Tuesday, following a CAF decision that Senegal forfeited the final.

"The Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has decided, in accordance with Article 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Regulations, to declare the Senegal national team as forfeiting the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 ('the Match'), with the result officially recorded as 3-0 in favor of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF)," the CAF's statement reads.