Xavi expects Frenkie de Jong back in training after break
Netherlands coach Xavi Hernández says Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong should rejoin the group after the international break, with no date set for a return to matches.
Boxing national side
National team · Morocco
«Atlas Lions»
Morocco's football took its shape from a federation whose own birthday is still argued over: CAF dates it to 1955, the federation and most later accounts put it in 1956, and one English-language record narrows it to 26 January 1957. What every source agrees on is 1960, the year FIFA let the country in.
The side plays in red with white shorts and red socks at home, white on the road, and everyone knows them as the Atlas Lions.
Home is now the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, a 69,500-seat ground that opened on 5 September 2025, replacing the long-serving Stade Mohammed V across the country in Casablanca.
The trophy record has an odd chapter in it. Morocco won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1976 and lost the final in 2004, then in 2025 were awarded the title on appeal after CAF disqualified Senegal from the tournament. The CHAN competition, reserved for home-based players, has been a steadier source of silverware: won in 2018, 2020 and 2024. Then came Qatar in 2022, where Morocco became the first African and the first Arab team to reach a World Cup semi-final, finishing fourth.
Off the pitch, the fixture that matters most is against Algeria, a rivalry carried as much by geopolitics as by football, still played out even after the two countries severed diplomatic relations in 2021. Egypt and Tunisia follow some distance behind.
Noureddine Naybet still holds the appearance record with 115 caps, and Ahmed Faras remains the leading scorer with 36 goals, but the face of the side now is Achraf Hakimi, its captain.
| 25 Sep | Africa Cup of Nations - Qualification |
|
2:0 | W |
| 9 Jul | World Cup |
|
0:2 | L |
| 4 Jul | World Cup |
|
3:0 | W |
| 30 Jun | World Cup |
|
1:1 | D |
| 24 Jun | World Cup |
|
4:2 | W |
| 19 Jun | World Cup |
|
1:0 | W |
Group stage · Group E
| # | Team | M | W | D | L | Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 22:2 | 24 |
| 2 |
|
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 11:10 | 15 |
| 3 |
|
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6:7 | 10 |
| 4 |
|
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10:10 | 9 |
| 5 |
|
8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4:24 | 1 |
| 6 |
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
| Metric | Total | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 112 | 67 | 45 |
| Scored | 223 | 139 | 84 |
| Conceded | 61 | 26 | 35 |
| Scored per game | 2.0 | 2.1 | 1.9 |
| Conceded per game | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Difference | +162 | +113 | +49 |
| Number | Player | Position | Age | Matches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goalkeeper | 9 | |||
| 3 | Defender | 28 | 9 | ||
| 24 | Midfielder | 25 | 9 | ||
| 14 | Defender | 9 | |||
| 8 | Midfielder | 9 | |||
| 16 | Midfielder | 8 | |||
| 13 | Defender | 24 | 8 | ||
| 9 | Forward | 30 | 8 | ||
| 25 | Defender | 8 | |||
| 23 | Midfielder | 8 | |||
| 2 | Defender | 8 | |||
| 10 | Forward | 27 | 8 | ||
| 11 | Midfielder | 8 | |||
| 18 | Defender | 8 | |||
| 26 | Defender | 7 | |||
| 6 | Midfielder | 7 | |||
| 4 | Defender | 7 | |||
| 12 | Goalkeeper | 7 | |||
| 20 | Forward | 7 | |||
| 15 | Midfielder | 7 | |||
| 22 | Goalkeeper | 6 | |||
| 19 | Defender | 6 | |||
| 4 | Midfielder | 6 | |||
| 17 | Forward | 6 | |||
| 21 | Forward | 6 | |||
| 7 | Midfielder | 6 | |||
| 17 | Midfielder | 4 | |||
| 18 | Midfielder | 24 | 2 | ||
| 28 | Defender | 21 | 2 | ||
| 6 | Midfielder | 2 | |||
| 27 | Defender | 1 | |||
| 20 | Midfielder | 17 | 1 | ||
| 7 | Forward | 1 | |||
| 19 | Midfielder | 1 | |||
| 21 | Forward | 1 | |||
| 5 | Defender | 1 | |||
| Goalkeeper | 1 | ||||
| Defender | 1 | ||||
| Defender | 1 | ||||
| Forward | 1 |
Netherlands coach Xavi Hernández says Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong should rejoin the group after the international break, with no date set for a return to matches.
Chelsea are reported to be watching Manchester City's Abdukodir Khusanov after conceding 12 goals in five league games, with a loan seen as City's preferred route.
Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk rejects claims he influenced the World Cup tactics before the Germany game, and Jurgen Klopp defends him against Dutch press criticism.
Jürgen Klopp says he and Xavi Hernández face the same situation as Germany visit the Netherlands in the Nations League on Thursday, both coaches new in post.
Mbappé revealed he came close to joining Liverpool in 2017 after a secret jet meeting with Klopp, but chose PSG to play in his home city first.
The free agent is weighing offers from two Russian Premier League clubs and Spanish sides after turning down a lucrative deal from Libya's Al-Ittihad Tripoli.
Spain's World Cup-winning coach Luis de la Fuente agreed a six-year extension approved unanimously by the Rfef board, covering Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup.
Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen misses Nigeria's qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau and the Russia friendly; Taiwo Awoniyi replaces him in the squad.