Bouaddi chooses Morocco after Deschamps ruled him out of France's World Cup squad

Ayyoub Bouaddi will not wear the France shirt at the 2026 World Cup. The 19-year-old midfielder, trained in France and holder of ten caps with the U21s, has officially opted for Morocco, which selected him for the World Cup after Didier Deschamps chose not to call him up during his final spell in charge of the national team.

Deschamps had closely monitored the Manchester City player, publicly acknowledging his freedom to choose between the two nations. “He has that freedom to choose. I haven’t spoken with him, that’s not how I operate. We follow his performances. There is very strong competition,” he said during the March gathering. Despite the enthusiasm of Technical Director Hubert Fournier, who had called him a “unique talent”, the former coach believed Bouaddi was “not quite ready yet” for the pressure of a World Cup final tournament, preferring more experienced profiles.

The decision did not go unnoticed among French supporters. “I will never forgive Didier Deschamps,” reacted one fan on X in response to a video of Bouaddi’s performance with Morocco against Mali (1-1), Sunday evening in Tangier.

Regrets are amplified by the player’s profile, which precisely matches the criteria of the new France coach, Zinedine Zidane. Unlike his predecessor, Zidane has opted for a three-man midfield with a technical emphasis, a system in which Bouaddi could have found his place. After fourteen years on the France bench, Deschamps stepped down following the 2026 World Cup, leaving behind this case as one of the friction points of the end of his tenure.