To add to the experience and professionalism factor, the Moroccan squad includes six players who were born in France and were established football-wise in its pitches and academies. Some of them even represented French youth national teams before returning to their roots to wear the red and green jersey. Issa Diop is a key pillar in the Moroccan lineup, having started in all of Morocco's 2026 World Cup matches except for the Haiti match in the final group stage round. The player was born in Toulouse, southern France, in 1997 to a Senegalese father and a Moroccan mother. Notably, his grandfather, Libasse Diop, was historically the first Senegalese player to play in the French league, through the club Diop. Diop graduated from the Toulouse academy in 2015 and played three seasons with the first team in Ligue 1 before moving to England in 2018, where he spent four seasons with West Ham and recently completed his fourth season with Fulham. He chose to represent Morocco despite his Senegalese roots on his father's side, in addition to playing for French youth national teams in 40 matches between 2013 and 2018. Meanwhile, Radouane Halhal, who played alongside Diop in central defense during the win over Canada in the round of 16, was born in Montpellier, southern France, in 2003 to Moroccan parents. He spent six years in the Montpellier academy, represented its second team, and the second team of Atletico Madrid before moving to Mechelen in Belgium in 2024. Similarly, Ayoub Bouaddi is one of the most prominent rising talents in Moroccan football. The 18-year-old played 322 minutes in four World Cup matches, specifically against Brazil, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Canada. He was born in Senlis, northern France, in 2007 to a Moroccan father named Hassan Bouaddi and a Moroccan mother. Bouaddi graduated from the Lille academy in 2023 and made his debut with the first team in October of the same year. He increased his Ligue 1 appearances to 63 by the end of last season, and also represented the team in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. He played his first match with the Moroccan national team last May after representing French youth national teams in 27 matches. The stands of the 2026 World Cup during Morocco's matches witness the presence of Younes El Aynawi, former Moroccan tennis star, who reached the quarterfinals of Grand Slam tournaments on four occasions. He attends to support his son Nayel, who has started in all of Morocco's matches so far in the tournament and played every possible minute except for the last seven minutes of the match against Haiti. Nayel was born in Nancy, eastern France, to a French mother. He joined the Nancy academy when he was eight years old and spent 11 years there before representing its first team, then moving to Lens, and then to Roma in Italy in 2025 for a transfer worth 23.5 million euros. Meanwhile, Samir El Morabit was born in Strasbourg, eastern France, in 2005 to a Moroccan father named Tijani and a French mother. He was raised in the academy of its famous club before joining Strasbourg's first team in 2024, then became an international player last March. Samir participated in four friendly matches preparing for the World Cup and came on as a substitute in all of Morocco's matches in the tournament so far. El Morabit plays alongside his compatriot Jassim Yassine at Strasbourg, who was born in Salon-de-Provence, southern France, in 2005 to Moroccan parents. The player graduated in 2024 from the Marignane Gignac academy and played for Istres and Dunkerque before moving to Strasbourg in the second half of last season. Yassine played his first 2026 World Cup match against Haiti in the third round of the group stage, scoring Morocco's fourth goal, and also played 41 minutes against the Netherlands in the round of 32. The current Moroccan squad includes three other players who have represented French clubs, led by Achraf Hakimi, the team captain and Paris Saint-Germain star; Amine Sebai, former Fath player, who played for four French clubs, most recently Angers; and Azzeddine Ounahi, who played for Angers and Marseille for four seasons before moving to Girona in Spain last season.