France World Cup squad boosts Morocco hopes as Ligue 1 star Ayyoub Bouaddi reportedly changes allegiance

On Thursday, France announced its final 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Ligue 1 star Ayyoub Bouaddi was not included, a decision that reportedly led him to choose to represent Morocco instead.

“Massive news for Morocco: Ayyoub Bouaddi has decided to represent Morocco as national team over France,” reporter Fabrizio Romano wrote Thursday on his official X account. “Plan confirmed… as Bouaddi did not appear on Deschamps’ list.”

Bouaddi was one of Lille’s standout players during the 2025-26 Ligue 1 season, with the club currently sitting third in the standings with 61 points, behind only champions Paris Saint-Germain and Lens. Lille will close out its league campaign this Sunday against Auxerre.

Across Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the UEFA Europa League, the defensive midfielder made 41 appearances this season and recorded one assist. Those performances, combined with the fact that he is only 18 years old, have made him the subject of transfer rumors ahead of the summer window, with PSG, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich among the reported suitors.

Morocco could add a high-quality player

According to Fabrizio Romano’s report, Ayyoub Bouaddi “will be in Morocco’s World Cup list.” That means that, beyond his personal decision to represent the national team, head coach Mohamed Ouahbi plans to include him in the roster.

Born in Senlis, France, on October 2, 2007, Bouaddi is of Moroccan descent, giving him the option to represent either country under FIFA rules. At the youth level, the midfielder previously played for France’s U-21 team, including appearances in March of this year against Luxembourg and Iceland.

Morocco aiming to make World Cup history again

The addition of Ayyoub Bouaddi would give Morocco even more depth heading into the 2026 World Cup. In recent years, the team has benefited from recruiting talented players with Moroccan roots who were born and raised abroad, particularly in Europe.

Using that formula, Morocco built a competitive squad featuring stars such as Bono, Achraf Hakimi, and Sofyan Amrabat, who helped lead the national team to a historic fourth-place finish at Qatar 2022. More young talents could now join that core, including several players who won the FIFA U-20 World Cup last year. With that combination of experience and youth, Mohamed Ouahbi’s squad is shaping up as a serious contender for this summer’s tournament in North America.