Why does Bilal El Khannouss play for Morocco?

Birthplace and citizenship

Bilal El Khannouss was born in Strombeek-Bever, Belgium; holds Belgium and Morocco citizenship.

Being born in Belgium normally gives a player the right to represent Belgium too, if he holds that nationality. Representing Morocco instead usually means a parent or grandparent was born there, or that the player lived there long enough to qualify through residency. Public records do not state which connection applied to Bilal El Khannouss, so we do not guess.

International career path

His international pathway, as recorded on Wikidata:

He only played youth football for Belgium U15, Belgium U16, Belgium U17 and Belgium U18. Youth caps do not tie a player to a country, so he was free to choose Morocco for senior football.

• Belgium U15 — under-15 level, 2019 (2 matches, 0 goals)
• Belgium U16 — under-16 level, 2019–2020 (8 matches, 4 goals)
• Belgium U17 — under-17 level, 2020 (2 matches, 0 goals)
• Belgium U18 — under-18 level, 2021 (3 matches, 1 goal)
• Morocco U20 — under-20 level, 2021–2022 (4 matches, 2 goals)
• Morocco U21 — under-21 level, 2022–2023 (6 matches, 0 goals)
• Morocco — senior level, 2022–present (43 matches, 3 goals)
• Morocco Olympic — under-23 level, 2024 (5 matches, 1 goal)

The rules in brief

A player can represent a country if they hold its nationality and have a genuine link to it: birth on its territory, a parent or grandparent born there, or several years of residency. Youth matches do not tie a player to a country. Since 2020, FIFA also lets a player switch once after a small number of senior appearances (no more than three, all before turning 21, none at a World Cup or continental finals) after a three-year wait.

Read our full guide to FIFA eligibility rules →