Who are Morocco's players to look out for against Scotland?

ByMatthew Hobbs & Tom McCoy

BBC Sport journalists

After beating Haiti in their opening game, Scotland face a step up in class against Morocco, who are unquestionably a rising force in world football.

The Atlas Lions became the first African and first Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in 2022 and have built on that momentum.

They are ranked sixth in the world and showed that is no anomaly with an impressive display versus Brazil on Saturday, earning a deserved 1-1 draw against the five-time world champions.

BBC Sport takes a look at five key players Scotland need to watch out for.

Club: Lille Age: 18 Position: Midfielder Caps: 4 Goals: 0

The teenage playmaker only won his first cap shortly before this tournament but announced himself on the world stage with a midfield masterclass against Brazil.

He combined effective defensive work and elegant ball-carrying with metronomic distribution, completing 60 of 66 passes and running rings around Casemiro, who was taken off at half-time.

But the performance came as no surprise to head coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who said afterwards: "We knew perfectly well what kind of player he was, that's why we had so many meetings to get him to choose Morocco".

Bouaddi was born in France to Moroccan parents and was playing for Les Bleus' under-21 side only three months ago. He switched allegiance last month.

Though only 18, Bouaddi has already made 96 senior appearances for Lille.

The 6ft 1in player is a prodigy in every sense. He took the equivalent of his A-levels a year ahead of his peers and is combining football with a degree in mathematics, reasoning that keeping his mind alert helps him "understand the game quicker".

Club: PSV Eindhoven Age: 25 Position: Attacking midfielder/Forward Caps: 31 Goals: 10

Morocco had success against Brazil by deploying Saibari as a false nine – a ploy which paid off as he put his side ahead with an intelligent run into space and a nonchalant chip over Alisson.

Whether or not he plays the same role against the Scots, Saibari is a major threat and arrived at this tournament as Eredivisie player of the year after a career-best 19 goals in all competitions in 2025-26.

Though born in Spain, he moved to Belgium at an early age, spending time in the youth academies of several Belgian clubs before making his PSV debut in 2020.

The 25-year-old was involved in a bizarre incident in January's Africa Cup of Nations final, when he and several Moroccan ball boys tried to prevent Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from retrieving a towel to dry his rain-soaked gloves.

He later apologised to Mendy and was given a one-match ban, with another game suspended.

Club: Al Hilal Age: 35 Position: Goalkeeper Caps: 91 Clean sheets: 52

Bounou made several important saves to preserve a point for his side against Brazil, in the process becoming his country's oldest player to feature at a Wo3rld Cup.

Known as 'Bono', he played a key role in Morocco's run to the semi-finals in 2022, saving two penalties in the last-16 shootout win against Spain. He was awarded the prestigious Order of the Throne by King Mohammed VI for his heroics in Qatar.

Bounou was born in Montreal but grew up in Casablanca and made his name during 11 seasons of club football in Spain.

A two-time Europa League winner with Sevilla, the former Girona and Zaragoza goalkeeper joined Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia in 2023-24.

Club: Real Madrid Age: 26 Position: Attacking midfielder/forward Caps: 27 Goals: 15

Diaz's perfectly weighted through ball for Saibari's opener on Saturday was arguably the pass of the tournament, bisecting Brazil's backline in a moment of individual brilliance.

The 5ft 7in player made headlines around the world when he missed a casually-taken 'Panenka' penalty in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal in January - although he had scored five goals in the first five games of the continental tournament.

He was born in Malaga to a Spanish mother, while his father was born in Melilla - a Spanish city on the North African coast - into a Moroccan family.

Diaz joined Manchester City as a 16-year-old in 2015 and made 16 appearances - earning a Premier League winner's medal in 2017-18 - before joining Real Madrid seven years ago.

Club: Manchester United Age: 28 Position: Defence Caps: 45 Goals: 2

The Manchester United full-back has played in six different positions for club and country over the past two years, including an attacking midfield role, although he is most likely to start at left-back for the Teranga Lions.

Mazraoui was a key member of the Morocco side that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2022.

After he was substituted in the last-four defeat to France, it emerged he had been suffering from inflamed heart tissue after contracting Covid-19 during the tournament.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.