👀 Keep an eye on them: Brazil’s Copa rivals get reinforcements, here’s why | OneFootball

The last window of friendlies before the final call-up for the 2026 World Cup brought important news for Brazil's opponents in Group A.

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

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

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

In addition to Diop, the Moroccans included 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 represented Morocco's youth teams previously.

Haiti also sought reinforcements from European football, with forward Wilson Isidor, a standout at Sunderland (England), accepting the invitation to represent the Caribbean team.

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

Brazil's Path in the World Cup

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

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