The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announcement of the final list of nominees for the Best Goal of the 2026 World Cup award sparked a wave of controversy, after it was devoid of any goal by the Moroccan national team, despite the remarkable goals scored by the 'Atlas Lions'.

The list included 12 goals from various stages of the tournament, and FIFA opened the door for public voting to choose the winner of the 'Goal of the Tournament' award.

However, the absence of any Moroccan goal surprised a number of fans and followers, who considered that some Moroccan goals deserved a place among the nominees.

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Criticism focused on the exclusion of goals that fans described as combining collective skill and artistic touch, especially the goal scored by Ismael Saibari against Scotland, his goal also against Brazil, and Azzedine Ounahi's goal against Canada.

Fans on social media platforms launched comments considering that the list does not fully reflect the most prominent attacking moments in the tournament, calling for a review of the criteria for selecting nominated goals, while others saw that the choices remain subject to the evaluation of FIFA's technical committee and that they will naturally spark differences of opinion.

The International Federation of Association Football did not issue an explanation regarding the reasons for excluding Moroccan goals, merely publishing the final list and calling for a vote to choose the most beautiful goal of the tournament.