Neil El Aynaoui helped Maroc open the Coupe du monde 2026 with a 1-1 draw against Brésil, and he did it in a way that fit the role he has taken so quickly. The 24-year-old has already moved from newcomer to a central midfield option, with Maroc scheduled to face Ecosse at midnight in its second match.
El Aynaoui in Morocco's midfield
He has played at the highest level for three years, but his rise has been faster than that timeline suggests. Neil El Aynaoui plays for AS Rome and has quickly established himself in Maroc's midfield, which is why the opener against Brésil mattered beyond one point on the table.
A likely El Aynaoui-Bouaddi pairing had already been mentioned for the match with Ecosse. That puts his role in plain view: he is not being eased in, he is being used in the middle of the pitch where Morocco wants control.
Thomasson and Leca on Lens
The reaction from former RC Lens figures matched that view. Adrien Thomasson said: "Ça fait plaisir, mais c’est logique. Il est arrivé en 5e milieu chez nous et il est passé numéro 1. Je peux dire que j’ai de la chance d’avoir joué avec lui. Au-delà du joueur, c’est une top personne. Il est arrivé sur la pointe des pieds de Nancy mais il avait un respect pour tout le monde. Et en dépit de sa timidité, il avait une vraie personnalité sur et en dehors du terrain, ça m’a marqué."
Jean-Louis Leca, who saw him arrive from Nancy in 2023, added: "Neil a voulu tout de suite comprendre, apprendre, c’était impressionnant". That is the thread running through his rise: he arrived as a fifth-choice midfielder at RC Lens, then became the first name in the line. Maroc is now using that same acceleration on the world stage.
Coupe du monde 2026 rhythm
The next test comes fast, with Maroc set for its second match against Ecosse at midnight. The question is not whether El Aynaoui belongs in the squad. It is whether the probable El Aynaoui-Bouaddi axis stays in place after a first match that ended 1-1 and already put him at the center of the midfield conversation.
