Last night, Sunday European time, Morocco took to the field with 11 players – but none of them were born in Morocco. That has never happened before in World Cup history.
Morocco opened the championship in the best possible way with a 1-1 draw against Brazil. Along the way, they also made history.
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When Azzedine Ounahi was substituted after 65 minutes, all of Morocco’s eleven outfield players were on the pitch as foreign-born. Never before has a World Cup final had a team without a single home-born player.
The record could be repeated as early as Sunday evening, when Curaçao meets Germany. – A game Germany should win easily despite having Julian Nagelsmann as national team manager.
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Only one player born on the island nation
In Curaçao’s 26-man squad, only one player – Tahith Chong – was born on the island. The rest of the squad was born in the Netherlands.
Here are the Morocco players who set a record – and where they were born:
- Bono – Montréal, Canada
- Noussair Mazraoui – Leiderdorp, Netherlands
- Issa Diop – Toulouse, France
- Chadi Riad – Palma, Spain
- Achraf Hakimi – Madrid, Spain
- Neil El Aynaoui – Nancy, France
- Ayyoub Bouaddi – Senlis, France
- Chemsdine Talbi – Sambreville, Belgium
- Bilal El Khannouss – Molenbeek, Belgium
- Samir El Mourabet – Strasbourg, France
- Ismael Saibari – Terrace, Spain
Did you know this about Morocco?
- Morocco was the first country in the world to recognize the United States as an independent nation, in 1777.
- The city of Fei is home to one of the world’s oldest universities – the University of Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 e.Kr by a woman, Fatima al-Fihri.
- Morocco is the only African country that borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
- The Atlas Mountains in Morocco are home to North African bears – an endangered monkey species that is found few other places in the world.
- During the 2022 World Cup, Morocco became the first African and first Arab team to reach a World Cup semi-final.
The record says something bigger about football today
The fact that Morocco field a team without a single home-born player shows how international top-flight football has become. It’s about migration, about football academies in Europe, and about countries that successfully hunt for players with roots in their home country. For Morocco, the strategy works – they are a team to be reckoned with at the 2026 World Cup.
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