Africa qualifiers 2027: El Aynaoui’s injury keeps him out of Morocco’s matches against Niger

Moroccan international player Nael El Aynaoui suffers from a “minor calf injury,” which will prevent him from participating with the “Atlas Lions” in his two matches against Niger in the 2027 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, according to what his German team, Leipzig, confirmed on Thursday.

The Moroccan Federation had previously indicated that the midfielder was suffering from “discomfort at the ankle level.”

Leipzig said, in a statement, that Al-Aynaoui “will return early from his international participation with Morocco due to a minor calf injury,” while the Moroccan Federation indicated that the player “joined the preparatory group suffering from discomfort” and “it became clear that he will not be able to play the next two matches in ideal physical conditions.”

Neither the club nor the university indicated the duration of the player’s absence.

Coach Mohamed Wehbe summoned Samir El Murabit, the French Strasbourg player, to replace El Aynaoui.

Wehbe's squad was marked by other influential absences, led by Bayern Munich's German winger Ismail Saibari and Ezzedine Ounahi, the Greek player for Panathnaikos.

Al-Aynaoui (25 years old) played 8 of RB Leipzig's 9 matches in the German League this season, providing one assist, and also participated in the team's four matches in the Champions League.

Al-Aynaoui (25 international matches, 2 goals) played all of his country’s matches in the North American World Cup, before being eliminated by France in the quarter-finals.

The Moroccan national team hopes to continue its victories when it faces its Niger counterpart on Friday at Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, and then on Tuesday in Rabat in the first group competitions.

The “Atlas Lions” lead the standings with six points from two matches against Gabon and Niger, each with three points, and Lesotho, with no points, are in last place.

American Coco Gauff, Czech Linda Noskova and Polish Maja Swalinska top the list of players participating in the fifth edition of the United Tennis Cup, scheduled to be held from January 1 to 10 in the Australian cities of Perth and Sydney.

The tournament also witnesses the participation of Belgian Elise Mertens, Swiss Belinda Bencic and Canadian Victoria Mpoko.

The tournament brings together male and female players from the World Professional Tennis Association and the World Women’s Tennis Association, with the participation of 18 countries divided into 6 groups, with 9 teams in each of Perth and Sydney, with the competitions being held in a league system of one round within each group.

The winner of each group qualifies for the quarter-finals, along with the best second-place team in each city, while the semi-final and final matches will be held in Sydney on January 9 and 10, respectively.

Each match includes 3 matches, with a singles match for women, another for men, and a mixed doubles match. The two singles matches are held in 3 sets with a tie-breaking system, while the mixed doubles match consists of two sets, with resort to a 10-point tie-break in the event of a tie.

The first group in Perth includes the United States, Croatia, and Kazakhstan, while the third group includes Canada, Italy, and Denmark, and the fifth group includes Poland, Germany, and Switzerland.

In Sydney, the second group includes the Czech Republic, Greece and Hungary, while the fourth group includes France, Australia and Britain, and the sixth group includes Belgium, Spain and Argentina.

The next edition will witness the fifth appearance of the tournament, after the United States won the title twice in 2023 and 2025, while Poland enters the competitions as the defending champion.

The IAAF Awards Organizing Committee announced that the Americans Melissa Jefferson Wooden, Masai Russell, and the Swiss Audrey Ferro have qualified for the final list of the three candidates for the Best Athlete in the World Award for 2026, ahead of the IAAF Awards ceremony scheduled to be held in Monaco.

The selection of the three female athletes came after a vote in which fans, athletes, media representatives and members of the international athletics family participated. They topped a list of 10 female candidates who were previously selected by an international committee of game experts.

Jefferson Wooden achieved a remarkable achievement by winning both sprint races in the Ultimate Championship. She also set the best world record this year in the 100 meters with a time of 10.62 seconds and the 200 meters with a time of 21.41 seconds, which is the third best time in the history of the 200 meters race.

For her part, Russell set a world record in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.09 seconds, and achieved 9 of the 10 fastest times in the race during the season. She also won the Ultimate Championship and Diamond League titles, and ended the season undefeated in this race.

As for Vero, she won titles in the 800-meter race in the Ultimate Championships, the Diamond League, and the European Championships, and broke the Diamond League record three times, before setting the best world record this year with a time of one minute and 53.70 seconds, ranking third in the list of the best numbers of all time.