The first of our Get German Football News “Bundesliga at AFCON” preview sections takes a look at the hosts of the 2025 tournament. Two Bundesliga professionals (experiencing wildly different form runs at their respective Bundesliga clubs) head down south to try and help the “Lions of the Atlas” capture their first continental championship since 1976. Walid Regragui’s team (currently ranked 11th in the World FIFA rankings) can fell confident that they might replicate the success of 2023 hosts and champions Cote d’ivoire.
The basic template for our GGFN analysis will first reflect a bit on the recent fortunes of the nation. We’ll then take a brief longitudinal look at how the representatives of the country have fared in German football. Finally, updates on the recent form of Bundesliga professionals representing the team will be presented. This first section contains looks at Bilal El Khannouss (VfB Stuttgart) and Eliesse Ben Seghir (Bayer 04 Leverkusen). As noted above, the Bundesrepublik is sending quite the mixed bag over to Regragui.
Morocco: “The Atlas Lions”
Precisely one decade after this country was due to host AFCON, the grand continental showpiece is finally set to take place in Morocco. African footballing enthusiasts found themselves apoplectic when Morocco backed out of hosting the 2015 AFCON. Fears of allowing sub-Saharan Africans into north Africa at the height of the Ebola virus epidemic led to an ugly dispute with the African FA. CAF responded by disqualifying Morocco outright and moving the competition to Equatorial Guinea. At the time, many Africa football lovers (this one included) declared themselves done with this nation.
Interest picked up again when the 2017 and 2019 squads (both coached by legendary French trainer Herve Renard) both made the tournament knockouts. Though Renard’s 2018 World Cup team didn’t escape the group, Renard’s brave and unconventional selection of players genuinely intrigued and led to plenty of football lovers giving the country a closer look. The 2021 quarterfinal team (a decent incarnation put together by longtime Algerian national team trainer Vahid Halihodzic) remains memorable, as does the sold Walid Regragui 2023 squad unexpectedly de-railed by South Africa in the Round-of-16.
One should note that most Germans missed Morocco’s spectacular run to the semis-finals in the 2022 World Cup as we boycotted the tournament entirely. At present, the German World Cup ‘boycotting schedule” does not include the 2030 championship to be partially hosted by the North Africans. We’ll gladly tune in before the 2034 competition in Saudi Arabia kindly lends us a two-month winter break from all things football. For the time being, this semi-constitutional monarchy is just fine.
Notes on Moroccan Football in Germany
Some of the programs most successful players such as Younes Belhanda, Youssef Mokhtari, and Mehdi Benatia played in Germany. Thirty-seven-times-capped Moroccan international Rachid Azzouzi followed up his successful playing career by becoming one of German footballs most respected administrators. Homegrown talent Hamadi Al Ghaddioui put together a respectable career on German soil. Germans still lay claim to squad captain Achraf Hakimi, even though it’s been over five years since he played for Borussia Dortmund. This author also still recalls Aymen Barkok fondly, even if no one else does.
Some other names that still sit in this German footballing mind include Mimoun Azaouagh, Hamza Mendyl, Amine Harit, Nassim Boujellab, and Ayman Akhil. Many of these footballers represented Schalke 04 at some point. Germans remain gutted that one of our personal favorites, former Bayer Leverkusen attacker Amine Adli, didn’t make the team. The reunion with former Bayern München fullback Noussair Mazraoui isn’t a very happy one as it conjures up some dark memories from a couple years back.
Mazraoui and his fellow Dutch Bundesliga professional Anwar El Ghazi both generated controversy over anti-Israeli social media posts in the autumn of 2023. El Ghazi ended up getting his Mainz 05 contract terminated and has been bilking his former Bundesliga club ever since. Mazraoui (being a much higher rated and valued professional playing for a much larger club) only received a warning. Irrespective of what one thinks of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, most can surely agree that this flagrantly unfair double standard based solely on money sickens.
Bundesliga AFCON Representatives, Morocco
Bilal El Khannouss, VfB Stuttgart
The first of our two representatives counts as a genuine superstar within German football. El Khannouss’ performance on the pitch (six goals and four assists in 20 appearances across all competitions) requires no further elaboration. Such stats speak for themselves. The 21-year-old’s unbridled enthusiasm for the German language and footballing culture rendered him an immediate fan favorite. El Khannouss’ ability to jump in and contribute without delay for Stuttgart gave attempts to make him a permanent Bundesliga fixture their own quick “jump start”.
Stuttgart unquestionably snagged an absolute gem near the end of the transfer deadline. Departures of attackers such as Enzo Millot and Nick Woltemade were quickly forgotten as soon as Bundesliga watchers got a glimpse of this youngster’s ability. El Khannouss is agile and creative with both feet and has already mastered the art of a super slick first touch. This Belgian born “Lion of the Atlas” looks to be on track to become a household name after next summer’s World Cup.
Eliesse Ben Seghir, Bayer 04 Leverkusen
From a “transfer top” to a “transfer flop”. The marquee €32m summer signing (meant to partially fill the void created by the departure of Florian Wirtz) still awaits his first scorer point in a Bayer Leverkusen jersey. Ben Seghir simply cannot break into trainer Kasper Hjulmand’s starting XI and heads to AFCON having remained unused on the bench in six of his last seven fixtures across all competitions. Hjulmand has publicly promised that Ben Seghir’s time will come eventually, but the current state of the team leaves one doubtful of that.
The manner in which Hjulmand’s squad is set up leans heavily on pace and combination strength on the left-hand-side. Ben Seghir has never really looked comfortable when inserted there late in matches. The 20-year-old looks plodding, slow, and error prone. Fortunately, a player of his age possesses more than enough time to turn things around. The basic scout on the highly rated youngster holds that he just needs to get back to basics when it comes to passing and duels. Perhaps he can do so here.
