Morocco Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat Declines 2027 African Cup Qualifiers Amid Coaching Change

Sofyan Amrabat has decided not to play in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, citing disagreement with new coach Mohamed Ouahbi. The 30‑year‑old, who joined Ajax Amsterdam, remains open to future national representation but will skip the upcoming qualification matches in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The decision comes after limited playing time at the 2026 World Cup and a change from former coach Walid Regragui. FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Round of 16 - Canada v Morocco - Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas, U.S. - July 4, 2026 Morocco's Sofyan Amrabat in action with Canada's Niko Sigur IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Maria Lysaker/File PhotoSept 8 - Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has made himself unavailable for Morocco ahead of the start of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this month, saying he will not play under current coach Mohamed Ouahbi but has not retired from international football. Amrabat would not reveal his reasons for the decision but had limited game-time at the recent World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, where he started one of his side's six games as they lost to France in the quarter-finals. "This has been a very difficult decision, but I do not feel able to continue representing the national team under the current head coach," Amrabat said in an Instagram post. "Out of respect for the national team and everyone involved, I prefer to keep the reasons behind this decision private. "I want to be clear: I am not retiring from international football, and I am not closing the door on representing Morocco again. " Dutch-born Amrabat, who recently signed for Ajax Amsterdam, was a key member of the Morocco side that reached the 2022 World Cup semi-finals under former coach Walid Regragui, who Ouahbi replaced in March this year. The 30-year-old said he would remain the team's "biggest fan" as they begin their journey to the Cup of Nations which will be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania next June and July. Morocco host Gabon in their first Group A qualifier on September 25, before a trip to neutral South Africa to face Lesotho in Bloemfontein four days later. REUTERS