From Yassine Bounou’s penalty shootout heroics to Sofyan Amrabat’s midfield dominance and Youssef En-Nesyri’s historic winner against Portugal, Morocco’s stars captured the headlines during their historic World Cup run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
It is the time of the year when another set of players from Africa and even some of those from Morocco’s semi-final landmark at the Qatar 2022 World Cup are expected to light up the atmosphere in North America and help their team match or surpass the feat attained by the Atlas Lions four years ago.
From experienced stars seeking to build on the exploits in Qatar to a new generation eager to announce themselves globally, expectations are rising for another memorable African campaign, with some players among their peers expected to spearhead this charge for their teams.
Sadio Mane
The 34-year-old is the main figure in the Senegal national team and is expected to be one of Africa’s standout players in North America, given his wealth of experience in the sport. Mane has consistently shown that he can be counted on whenever he wears the jersey of the Lions of Teranga. He has scored 51 goals in 94 appearances for the national team since making his debut in 2012.
Despite his age, the former Liverpool player remains an impressive player on the pitch. He scored 14 goals and provided nine assists in the just-concluded season to help Al Nassr win the Saudi Pro League for the first time in seven years.
Antoine Semenyo
Semenyo is another player whom fans are eyeing to shine when the World Cup begins. The expectation from the 26-year-old definitely increased following his £65 million move from Bournemouth to Manchester City in January. He has also proved himself to be a player who can be called upon to deliver incredible performances for his team, having scored 10 goals and three assists in 26 appearances as City clinched the Carabao Cup and FA Cup titles.
Brahim Diaz
Despite limited success at the club level so far, Diaz showed at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations that he is an important player for the Morocco national team, dominating the tournament held between December 2025 and January 2026.
The 26-year-old scored five goals to emerge as the top scorer of the tournament, in which Morocco lost to Senegal in a controversial final in Rabat. He is one of the African players to watch out for in North America. The tournament will be Diaz’s first World Cup experience with Morocco.
Mohamed Salah
Salah had a rocky year with Liverpool this season, following limited minutes in the just-concluded season, but the 33-year-old is still one of Africa’s most revered stars who will feature at the World Cup. He, however, still managed to record 12 goals and 10 assists across all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign, his final season with Liverpool.
The Egyptian national team have not reached the round of 16 of the World Cup since the 1934 edition in Italy. Salah will be needed by his teammates to be at his best and help end Egypt’s knockout drought.
Ronwen Williams
The 34-year-old is arguably the best goalkeeper in Africa. He is a player capable of making the difference for his team, and South Africa will depend on him to be as reliable a goalkeeper as North America if they want to go as far as possible. Williams became famous for his ability to make unexpected saves and was even more dependable in penalty shootouts. He made one of those penalty saves on May 24 as Mamelodi Sundowns beat AS FAR to win the CAF Champions League.
Yan Diomande
Diomande is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most sought-after young talents and has attracted interest from several top clubs, including Liverpool.
The 19-year-old enjoyed an impressive 2025–26 campaign, scoring 12 goals and registering eight assists for RB Leipzig as they secured a third-place Bundesliga finish and a return to the UEFA Champions League. His standout performances earned him the Rookie of the Season award.
