Rabat – On Thursday, Amine Sbai officially registered as part of Morocco’s 26-man squad for the tournament. Morocco open its Group C campaign against Brazil at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday, June 13.
Ezzalzouli, 24, was hurt on June 7 in Harrison, New Jersey, when teammate Chadi Riad landed on his right knee while defending a corner kick. He attempted to play on but was substituted at halftime. Medical checks confirmed he would require several weeks of recovery, ending his involvement in the tournament.
Sbai, 25, had been travelling with the squad in the United States as a standby option following Morocco’s preliminary training camp in late May. He was listed among the substitutes for the Norway friendly but was not part of the official 26-man squad until Thursday’s confirmation.
He earned his first senior cap for Morocco earlier this month against Burundi in a pre-World Cup friendly match, and provided two assists in a 5-0 victory.
Born in Sidi Kacem, Morocco, Sbai moved to France at a young age and spent a decade developing in the academy system of Nîmes Olympique.
Unlike many of Morocco’s stars who emerged through elite academies and youth national teams, his rise came through the lower divisions of French football, spending three seasons at Grenoble in Ligue 2 before a brief spell at Al-Fateh in Saudi Arabia.
A left winger, Sbai returned to France with Angers SCO and contributed three goals and one assist across the 2025-26 season, which proved decisive, placing him back in one of Europe’s major leagues at the right moment to enter Morocco’s international picture.
Now, only days after arriving in the US as a reserve option, Sbai finds himself preparing for football’s biggest stage. This year’s World Cup represents the highest point of his career so far and also the chance to become one of Morocco’s unexpected stories of the tournament.
