Morocco signs Schalke midfielder El-Faouzi – DFB receives rejection

The 24‑year‑old Schalke midfielder Soufiane El‑Faouzi has definitively turned down the German national team and is now in the squad for Morocco for the upcoming international matches against Gabon, Lesotho and Ghana. The DFB must cope with the Bundesliga star’s rejection. He had previously been considered a possible candidate for Jürgen Klopp.

Background and International Decision

Soufiane El‑Faouzi, born in Siegen, is 24 years old and plays in midfield for FC Schalke 04. He was previously regarded as a possible candidate for Jürgen Klopp, who currently manages the German national team.

The player is in the squad of Morocco for the international matches against Gabon, Lesotho and Ghana. This makes him part of an international selection that will contest important qualification matches in September and October.

In May, El‑Faouzi played a friendly for Morocco against Burundi, which was won 5–0. Despite this appearance, he has not yet permanently “committed”.

Frankfurt native Younes Ebnoutalib had accepted the invitation of DFB head coach Jürgen Klopp, but also chose Morocco. Mohamed Ouahbi, Morocco’s national‑team colleague, commented: “He had a profile that was interesting for us.”

Ouahbi added that Morocco has been on the radar since last season and that the team currently sits at position 6 in the world rankings, while the DFB eleven occupies number 12.

In the 29‑man Moroccan squad, alongside El‑Faouzi there are four other Bundesliga players: Ismael Saibari (Bayern Munich), Zakaria El Ouahdi (Hamburger SV), Neil El Aynaoui (RB Leipzig) and Bilal El Khannouss (VfB Stuttgart). The team is led by Achraf Hakimi, Champions League winner with Paris Saint‑Germain.

The qualification round for the Africa Cup 2027 starts on 25 September in Rabat against Gabon, followed by a match on 29 September in Bloemfontein against Lesotho and a friendly on 4 October in Tangier against Ghana.