Neil El Aynaoui has left Morocco’s training camp after being ruled out of the country’s two-match World Cup? No, source says CAN 2027 qualifiers. Need avoid error. Let's write.
Neil El Aynaoui has left Morocco’s training camp after being ruled out of the team’s Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying double-header against Niger.
The Leipzig midfielder is suffering from an ankle problem and was given permission by head coach Mohamed Ouahbi to depart, the Federation royale marocaine de football (FRMF) confirmed on Thursday.
Morocco face Niger in Casablanca on 13 November, with the return fixture taking place in Rabat on 17 November. The matches are the third and fourth rounds of qualifying for the CAN 2027.
El Aynaoui’s withdrawal adds to a growing list of absentees for Ouahbi. Ismael Saibari, Soufiane Rahimi, Azzedine Ounahi and Soufiane El-Faouzi were already missing from the original squad because of injuries.
The former Lens midfielder has been replaced by Strasbourg player Samir El Mourabet, who joins the squad at short notice.
El Mourabet was first called up in March and has not missed a Morocco gathering since Ouahbi took charge. He was also included in the squad for the World Cup last summer.
However, he did not play during either the September or October international windows. His next opportunity to feature would be his first appearance for the Lions of the Atlas since 4 July, when Morocco played Canada in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup and lost 3-0.