Morocco relies on Munir, En Nesyri, Bono to reach Qatar 2022
The Moroccan national team continues to build towards the World Cup in Qatar in the winter of 2022. Newcomer Vahid Halilhodžić's team faces a tough group with Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Sudan. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualification system awards five direct places after three rounds involving all 54 teams from the African continent between September 2019 and March 2022.
Morocco advanced directly to the second round, which is made up of 40 teams divided into 10 groups of four teams. After six matches, the leaders of each group will advance to the third and final round in March 2022 where they will be paired in five two-legged ties. The winners of each group will have a ticket to Qatar 2022.
The three Sevilla players called up for the first two matches of the second phase will add to the quality of the Atlas Lions, who are growing with the arrival of Achraf Hakimi at PSG, the European champion with Chelsea, Hakim Ziyech and other players from Premier League and LaLiga teams.
Yassine Bounou will have a tough year at Lopetegui's Sevilla. He was able to unseat Tomas Vaclik, who left the club last summer, and now he will face Marko Dmitrovic to defend the goal of a La Liga title contender. So far, Bono has made one appearance in the Andalusian side's win over Getafe.
Munir El Haddadi has already made a name for himself in Morocco after FIFA unblocked his international status. The Spanish-Moroccan made his debut for Spain in 2014 in the final minutes against North Macedonia in Valencia. Del Bosque's decision disqualified him from representing another national team as it was an official qualifier for Euro 2016. The Moroccan federation considered that he was still eligible for his parents' country as he had not reached the age of 21 for that match. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) prevented him from changing national team, but FIFA upheld the Alawites' appeal in a landmark decision that opened the door for other players not to have to pay for the ambitions of the federations.
The striker has already played four games for Morocco, two friendlies and two official matches, and scored the winning goal against Burundi. He now has the responsibility of leading his country on the road to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Youssef En-Nesyri continues to make European football history. Sevilla have managed to keep their star striker on their books despite attempts from the Premier League to sign him. In the 21-22 season he has already scored a goal in his team's win over Rayo Vallecano and has played every minute. With Morocco his record stands at 35 games played since 2016 and 11 goals. En-Nesyri and Munir have the goals that Halilhodžić's team needs to be one of the five African teams that will play in the next World Cup. Tunisia, Egypt, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire will be their future opponents in the knockout rounds.
Oussama Idrissi is Morocco's cover for the future. Another striker and another Sevilla player bought from AZ Alkmaar in 2020 for 12 million euros. Idrissi has been on loan at Ajax, but has returned to the Sánchez Pizjuán this season. In the first two league games he played 70 minutes and provided an assist. After playing for the Netherlands from the age of 16 to 21, he moved to Morocco in 2019 where he has made seven appearances.
The Atlas Lions complete their international set-up with two important players. Achraf Hakimi, the former Real Madrid player was one of PSG's big signings last summer. He made 36 appearances for Morocco, scoring four goals. In defensive midfield will be Ziyech, the Chelsea player has recovered from a shoulder injury and will continue to earn more caps after 35 appearances and 16 goals for his country.
