Morocco defender Zakaria El Ouahdi reportedly faced a visa issue with the United States in June 2026 before being cleared to join the Atlas Lions ' World Cup camp.
The KRC Genk player was the subject of reports claiming the issue centred on his father's beard, but that specific explanation has not been publicly confirmed by US authorities, FIFA, Morocco, Genk or the player.
El Ouahdi later received his US visa and was cleared to join Morocco's camp before their World Cup campaign.
Photo by JOHAN EYCKENS / BELGA MAG / Belga / AFP via Getty Images
Hespress reported conflicting accounts around his sudden exit from Morocco's flight to the United States before the matter was resolved.
The case then drew wider attention after posts on X claimed the initial visa problem related to his father's appearance. A separate post said the reported issue related to his father's beard.
That detail remains unverified by official sources. For that reason, it should be reported as a claim rather than presented as an established finding.
The confirmed outcome is that El Ouahdi was eventually cleared to travel. The reported reason for the delay remains unconfirmed.
El Ouahdi arrived in the World Cup period after a productive club season. FotMob lists him with 34 Belgian Pro League appearances, 2,997 minutes, eight goals and four assists for Genk in 2025-26.
Morocco's Group C schedule placed them with Brazil , Scotland and Haiti , with Brazil first up on June 13, 2026 at New York New Jersey Stadium.
The visa issue also came during wider scrutiny of travel access around the tournament. The World Cup is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico , while NPR reported broader concerns around immigration policies and World Cup access .
El Ouahdi's case appears to have been resolved before Morocco's campaign began. The outstanding point is whether the reported explanation for the initial issue is ever confirmed by an official source.
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