In 2022, Morocco became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, losing 2-0 to France.
On their run to the final four, Morocco beat Belgium, Canada, Spain (on penalties) and Portugal. It was one of the stories of the tournament.
But what happened to the Morocco players that made it to the semi-finals in 2022? We’ve taken a look at the 14 players who featured in their 2-0 loss against France.
Yassine Bounou
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Age: 34
Yassine Bounou is the most capped goalkeeper for his country, making 80 appearances since his debut in 2013 at 22 years old. Bounou has only conceded 37 goals for Morocco, keeping a whopping 51 clean sheets.
The 34-year-old went on to join Al Hilal in 2023, leaving Sevilla and move to Saudi Arabia, making 108 appearances for the club, conceding 100 goals and keeping 42 clean sheets. Bounou is still playing now, still representing his country as the number one between the sticks.
Achraf Hakimi
- Position: Defender
- Age: 27
Achraf Hakimi is perhaps the most successful Morrocan to emerge from this crop of players. He’s their most-capped international at World Cups with 10 appearances. The 27-year-old made his debut aged 1, back in 2016, going on to make 88 appearances for his country (and counting). He currently sits third in their all-time appearance list.
Hakimi has also had an excellent career at club level. He came through at Real Madrid, going on loan to Borussia Dortmund, then moving to Inter Milan and winning a Scudetto before his move to PSG in 2021. Since the 2022 World Cup, Hakimi has gone on to establish himself as one of the world’s best full-backs, playing a huge part in PSG’s first ever Champions League triumph in 2025.
Achraf Dari
- Position: Defender
- Age: 26
Achraf Dari didn’t make his Morocco senior debut until 2021, being selected the following year for the 2022 World Cup. Dari has only made seven appearances for his country, three of those coming in Qatar.
In 2022, Dari joined Brest in the summer, leaving Wydad AC to join the Ligue 1 side, which then saw him named in the 23-man squad for the World Cup. Since then, Dari has moved to Al Ahly in Saudi Arabia in 2024, making 22 appearances for the club so far.
Romain Saiss
- Position: Defender
- Age: 35
The oldest player of Morocco’s team against France, Romain Saiss made a total of 85 appearances for his country, scoring three goals and providing one assist. The 35-year-old made his debut in 2012, and is currently Morocco’s fifth all-time appearance maker.
Saiss enjoyed a long period at Wolverhampton Wanderers between 2016-2022, leaving England in the summer following the World Cup to play in Turkey for Besiktas for one season. He has since joined Al Sadd, where the 35-year-old is still currently playing now.
Jawad El Yamiq
- Position: Defender
- Age: 33
Jawad El Yamiq has made 38 appearances for his country, scoring four times. The defender was playing for Real Valladolid in Spain when selected for the Moroccan World Cup squad in 2022.
Since then, Yamiq made the move to Al-Wehda FC to play in Saudi Arabia, before moving to Al-Najma in 2025.
Noussair Mazraoui
- Position: Defender
- Age: 28
Another high profile name from the Morocco 2022 squad, Noussair Mazraoui has only made 35 appearances for his country. That’s despite his years playing at the top level of European football for the likes of Ajax, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Mazraoui joined Bayern Munich the summer before the 2022 World Cup, where he played eight of the nine games in the competition. The 28-year-old joined Manchester United in 2024, and has recently found himself back in the Morocco squad.
Hakim Ziyech
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 32
The only other player alongside Hakimi to make 10 World Cup appearances for Morocco, Hakim Ziyech made 64 appearances for his country. He scored 25 goals and provided 12 assists, with only one player netting more for Morocco.
Prior to the 2022 World Cup, Ziyech had a falling out with head coach, Vahid Halilhodzic, leading to his retirement from international football. However, in August 2022, Walid Regragui was appointed as the new manager, who recalled Ziyech to the Morocco squad ahead of the World Cup.
Since then, Ziyech went on to leave Chelsea in 2023, joining Galatasaray where he played for two years. He then made his way to Qatar to play for Al-Duhail, before returning to his home country to play for Wydad AC.
Azzedine Ounahi
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 25
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the tournament, Azzedine Ounahi made a big impression on European clubs with his World Cup campaign, playing all seven games for his country.
Ounahi has made 43 appearances for Morocco (and counting), scoring nine goals and providing seven assists so far. The 25-year-old is currently playing for Girona in Spain, after spending two years at Marseille where he moved in 2023 after impressing in the winter.
Sofyan Amrabat
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 29
Sofyan Amrabat is another who had a superb tournament back in 2022, playing all seven games for Morocco in midfield.
The 29-year-old earned himself a loan move to Manchester United the following summer, before returning to Fiorentina and being loaned to Fenerbahce in 2024. Amrabat made the transfer to Turkey on a permanent basis in 2025, but is now playing for Real Betis on loan.
Sofiane Boufal
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 32
Sofiane Boufal has made 46 appearances for Morocco, scoring eight goals and providing three assists. He made his debut at 22 years old back in 2016, but has not played for his country since the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Boufal was playing for Angers in France when Morocco made the semi-finals of the World Cup, before moving to Al-Rayyan SC in the 2023 summer window. He is now playing his football in Belgium for Union Saint-Gilloise.
Youssef En-Nesyri
- Position: Forward
- Age: 28
Youssef En-Nesyri is the joint fourth-highest goalscorer for his country with 25 goals in 85 games, also making him the fourth-highest appearance maker for Morocco.
En-Nesyri was playing for Sevilla between 2020 and 2024, making the move to play in Turkey in 2024 for Fenerbahce. They paid a club-record fee for the striker. Since arriving, he has scored 38 goals in 76 games, and is still a regular in Moroccan international squads.
Selim Amallah
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 29
Selim Amallah has made 37 appearances for his country. He made his debut back in 2019 as a 23-year-old and played all seven games in the 2022 World Cup.
Amallah was playing for Standard Liege in Belgium between 2019 and2023, before earning himself a move to Real Valladolid in 2023 following his World Cup success. Amallah spent a season on loan at Valencia in 2023-24, and left Valladolid permanently in October to join UAE Pro League side Khor Fakkan.
Yahia Attiyat Allah
- Position: Defender
- Age: 30
Yahia Attiyat Allah has made 22 appearances for Morocco over the years, making his debut in 2022 prior to the World Cup at 27 years old.
Attiyat Allah played for Wydad AC in his native country between 2020 and 2024, then moving to join Sochi in 2024, where he remains.
Abderrazak Hamdallah
- Position: Forward
- Age: 34
Abderrazak Hamdallah has scored seven goals for his country despite only playing 27 times, also providing three assists.
Hamdallah was playing his football for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia prior to the 2022 World Cup, playing there from 2021 to 2024. He made the move to fellow Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab in 2024, where he is still playing now.
Zakaria Aboukhlal
- Position: Forward
- Age: 25
Zakaria Aboukhlal made his debut in 2020 for his country at 20, and has currently made 22 appearances, scoring three times.
Aboukhlal made the move to Toulouse from AZ Alkmaar in the 2022 summer transfer window, just months before the World Cup, where he stayed until 2025. The 25-year-old is now playing for Torino in Italy.
Abde Ezzalzouli
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 23
Abde Ezzalzouli was still at Barcelona when he was selected for the 2022 World Cup squad, making his debut at the tournament at just 20.
Ezzalzouli earned himself a move to Real Betis in 2023, where he has since played 102 times, scoring 20 goals and providing 10 assists. The 23-year-old is showing great promise, and still totting up Morocco caps, currently standing at 26.
