Soufiane El-Faouzi's Commitment to the Moroccan National Team

The talented Schalke midfielder Soufiane El-Faouzi has officially committed to representing the Moroccan national team. The 24-year-old, who holds dual citizenship in Germany and Morocco, has been named in Morocco's squad for the qualification matches for the Africa Cup. Earlier this year, El-Faouzi made his debut for Morocco in a friendly against Burundi, where the team secured a resounding 5-0 victory, although he was not selected for the World Cup squad.

With the Moroccan national team's upcoming matches against Gabon on September 25 and Lesotho on September 29, El-Faouzi faces a pivotal moment in his career. Should he participate in these matches, his chances of switching allegiance to the German national team would be eliminated. Prior to Jürgen Klopp's announcement of the DFB squad, El-Faouzi was considered a potential surprise candidate for Germany's lineup. Since joining FC Schalke in the summer of 2025, he has evolved into a key player for the team.

Competition and Future Prospects

Notably absent from the Moroccan squad is Younes Ebnoutalib from Eintracht Frankfurt, who accepted an invitation from national coach Jürgen Klopp. This decision prompted a light-hearted remark from Mohamed Ouahbi, the Moroccan coach, who pointed out that they had been aware of Ebnoutalib's talents since the previous season and had a keen interest in his profile. Ouahbi recounted a conversation with Ebnoutalib where he explained the Moroccan project without making any promises. Although Ebnoutalib might have been deserving of a call-up, he made a different choice. “The matter is settled. We are currently ranked sixth in the world and will continue our efforts,” Ouahbi concluded, in contrast to the DFB team’s ranking of twelfth in the world.

Alongside El-Faouzi, four other Bundesliga players have made it into the 29-member Moroccan squad, which is led by Achraf Hakimi of Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain. The squad includes Ismael Saibari from Bayern Munich, Zakaria El Ouahdi from Hamburger SV, Neil El Aynaoui from RB Leipzig, and Bilal El Khannouss from VfB Stuttgart. The matches on September 25 in Rabat against Gabon and four days later in Bloemfontein, South Africa, against Lesotho are crucial for the qualification process for the Africa Cup 2027. Additionally, a friendly match against Ghana is scheduled for October 4 in Tangier, offering another opportunity for team development.

As reported by waz.de.