Rabat – Moroccan international football star Hakim Ziyech will not be able to play official matches for Wydad Casablanca until January 2026, according to the club’s president, Hicham Aït Menna.
Aït Menna told Moroccan sports channel Arryadia that Ziyech will begin training with Wydad next Thursday, but he will only be eligible to take part in national league games starting from the winter transfer window.
However, the club is working to register him in time for the CAF Confederation Cup, so he could make his debut in that competition before the end of the year.
The announcement comes shortly after Wydad officially confirmed Ziyech’s signing on a one-and-a-half-season contract, a surprising move that made headlines across Morocco and beyond.
A surprise return home
Ziyech’s decision to join Wydad has generated huge discussion among football fans. The 31-year-old winger, who played for top European clubs such as Ajax, Chelsea, and Galatasaray, was expected by many to continue his career abroad.
His return to Morocco marks the first time he will play in the Botola Pro, the Moroccan league, since starting his professional career in the Netherlands.
Wydad supporters see Ziyech’s arrival as a major victory. Fans flooded social media with messages of pride and excitement, calling it a “historic signing” that could boost the club’s performance in both domestic and continental competitions.
Many described his return as “a homecoming,” since Ziyech was born in the Netherlands to Moroccan parents but has always identified strongly with his Moroccan roots.
Some others, however, expressed surprise that a player who once competed in the UEFA Champions League and the World Cup would choose to come back to the Moroccan league so soon.
Hakim Ziyech is widely regarded as one of Morocco’s most talented players of his generation. He is known for his creativity, precise passing, and powerful left foot. He became famous during his time with Ajax Amsterdam, where he led the team to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
He later joined Chelsea FC in 2020, helping the team win the UEFA Champions League in 2021. Ziyech has also been a key player for Morocco’s national team, representing the country in several major tournaments, including the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He played an important role in Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the first African nation ever to reach that stage.
