The last window of friendlies before the final squad announcement for the 2026 World Cup brought important news for Brazil’s opponents in Group A.

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Morocco and Haiti, who will face the Seleção at the World Cup, took advantage of dual citizenship of players born in Europe to strengthen their squads.

The big highlight for Morocco is the arrival of defender Issa Diop from Fulham.

At 29 years old, the French-born defender had played for France’s youth teams, but had never appeared for the French senior team, which allowed him to switch to the African nation due to his ancestry.

In addition to Diop, the Moroccans have brought in other young players born abroad, such as Ismaël Baouf (Belgium), Redouane Halhal, Samir El Mourabet, and Gessime Yassine (all from France).

Unlike the Fulham defender, these athletes had already played for Morocco’s youth teams previously.

Haiti also sought reinforcements in European football, with striker Wilson Isidor, a standout at Sunderland (England), accepting the invitation to play for the Caribbean national team.

Born in Rennes, France, Isidor used social media to express his pride: “I am proud to be able to honor our people. Together, we have the opportunity to make history.”

Brazil’s Path in the World Cup

• June 13: Brazil vs Morocco (New Jersey)
• June 19: Brazil vs Haiti (Philadelphia)
• June 24: Brazil vs Scotland (Miami)

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

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