Who is Soufiane El-Faouzi who chose Morocco over Germany?

Morocco coach Mohamed Wahbi has made his decision regarding Soufiane El-Faouzi, the Schalke midfielder, after including him in the final squad for the Atlas Lions in preparation for the first and second rounds of the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations 2027.

Morocco begins its qualifying campaign by hosting Gabon on September 25 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in the capital Rabat, before visiting Lesotho on the 29th of the same month in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Soufiane El-Faouzi has been called up following his strong start with Schalke, who have recently returned to the German top flight after three seasons spent in the second division, where the midfielder has caught attention with his performances since the start of the season.

Soufiane El-Faouzi could have represented the German national team, as he holds both German and Moroccan nationalities, but the player made his decision early on and chose to defend the colors of the Moroccan national team.

Soufiane El-Faouzi began his career in Germany, joining his local team at the age of seven and progressing through various age categories before having an experience with the German team Siegen for under 19.

He then moved to the youth academy of SC Paderborn, where he represented the team for two seasons before deciding to transfer to Fortuna Düsseldorf.

In 2025, Soufiane El-Faouzi joined Schalke for a fee of no more than €200,000, later contributing to the team's return to Bundesliga competition after delivering strong performances during the previous season.

Soufiane El-Faouzi made his international debut with the Morocco national team last May, during a 5-0 friendly win against Burundi. However, the nature of the friendly match left the door open for the possibility of changing the national team he represents according to FIFA regulations.

However, Soufiane El-Faouzi's participation with Morocco in one of the qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations, whether against Gabon or Lesotho, will close the door on the possibility of representing the German national team, according to FIFA regulations.