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Ez Abde isn’t going home. Not yet, anyway.
The 24-year-old Real Betis winger, one of Morocco’s most dynamic attacking threats, sustained a medial collateral ligament sprain in his right knee during a pre-World Cup friendly against Norway around June 8. Rather than cut him from the roster and call up a replacement, Morocco’s coaching staff has chosen to keep Abde in camp while monitoring his recovery.
What happened and what it means for the group stage
The injury came from friendly fire, which makes it sting a little more. Teammate Chadi Riad accidentally fell onto Abde during the Norway match, causing the MCL sprain in his right knee. The diagnosis came back as moderate, which in medical terms sits in that frustrating middle ground between “he’ll be fine” and “he’s done.”
Recovery estimates put the timeline at 2 to 4 weeks. In English: Abde is almost certainly going to miss the group stage entirely.
Why Abde matters this much to Morocco
Abde was part of the squad that made a historic run to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a tournament where the Atlas Lions became the first African nation to reach the final four.
The 2026 World Cup, hosted across North America, features an expanded 48-team format. That means more games, more rest days between some matches, and a longer tournament overall. The expanded timeline actually works in Abde’s favor. If Morocco navigates the group stage successfully, there could be enough runway for him to return to full fitness before the knockout rounds begin.
The risks of keeping an injured player
Differing reports have emerged regarding the severity of the injury, with some suggesting that a full recovery could take longer than the initial 2-to-4-week estimate.
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