Where is Hakim Ziyech? Why Morocco superstar isn't on World Cup squad

Where is Hakim Ziyech? Why Morocco superstar isn’t on World Cup squad originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Hakim Ziyech’s left foot is capable of magic.

A star winger who represents Morocco at the international level, Ziyech has played on some of the biggest stages in the world. But he won’t be playing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup for his country.

Morocco opens its tournament on Saturday in a marquee matchup with Brazil.

Ziyech isn’t a part of the squad at all.

Where is Hakim Ziyech?

Ziyech simply wasn’t chosen for the roster at this World Cup.

He’s 33 years old now, and he plays professionally in Morocco for powerhouse Wydad AC.

He last represented Morocco in 2024 — in total, he made 64 appearances with 25 goals.

It doesn’t appear he’ll be returning to international football at this point.

Hakim Ziyech career timeline

Ziyech got the biggest notice for himself as part of the Morocco World Cup squads in 2018 and 2022.

The 2022 bunch reached the semifinals, the first African nation to ever do so.

At club level, Ziyech began with three clubs in the Netherlands: Heerenveen, Twente and Ajax.

He then made a major move to Chelsea in the English Premier League.

After playing 64 matches and scoring 14 goals for Chelsea, Ziyech moved on to Galtasaray in Turkey, where things were a struggle.

He had a very short stint for Al-Duhail in Qatar before returning to play in Morocco for Wydad.

Ziyech actually represented the Netherlands at youth level before donning the Morocco kit for his senior international career. Now, though, that part of his journey appears to be over.