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Morocco versus El Salvador friendly match canceled ahead of 2026 World Cup
via Le Matin2 min read
A friendly football match between Morocco's Atlas Lions and El Salvador, originally scheduled for June 3 in the United States, has been canceled. The president of the Salvadoran Football Federation, Yamil Bukele, confirmed the cancellation via a statement on his X account on Wednesday. The primary reason for the cancellation is the inability to assemble the full Moroccan squad on time, as several key players are committed to their clubs until the end of May. Bukele stated that the Royal Moroccan Football Federation informed them it would not have its full squad available from May 29 as planned. To avoid outright cancellation, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation proposed rescheduling the match to June 2 in Morocco, offering to cover all travel expenses for the Salvadoran team. While the Salvadoran federation appreciated the offer, it was rejected due to FIFA regulations prohibiting playing on two different continents during the same international window. Additionally, El Salvador already has two friendly matches scheduled for that period. This cancellation occurs at a critical time for the Moroccan national team, less than two months before the start of the 2026 World Cup. However, the rest of their preparation schedule remains intact, including a confirmed match against Norway on June 7 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Both federations are now seeking alternative opponents to fill the gap in their schedules. The Atlas Lions, current African champions,
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Le Matin.
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