dralii, AnoriQ and skyrix to represent Morocco at the Rocket League Esports Nations Cup

This Tuesday, the Esports Foundation officially revealed the Rocket League lineups that will compete at the Esports Nations Cup in Riyadh this November, including a notable surprise on the Moroccan side. While Andy "Kassio" Landais, coach of the national team, unsurprisingly retained Samy “dralii” Hajji and Marouane “skyrix” Biba, the third member of the roster that competed at the FIFAe World Cup 2025 will not be returning.

As he had previously disclosed to Sheep Esports, Nassim “nass” Bali — winner of the Boston Major with Gentle Mates last February — has opted to represent the Netherlands instead, despite still being registered as a Moroccan player in the FIFAe Nations League.

He will therefore be replaced by Anouar “AnoriQ” El Bouzidi, while Rayane Bennani “ray” Smires has been selected as a substitute. Without nass, Morocco inevitably loses some of its firepower. At the last World Cup, even with the M8 player on the roster, the nation failed to progress beyond the group stage. Without him, the challenge now appears even more demanding. Much will therefore depend on dralii, the other cornerstone of the lineup.

World champion in 2024 with Team BDS, winner of the Birmingham Major and the Esports World Cup — earning MVP honours at both events — in 2025 with Karmine Corp, dralii stands as the undisputed star of this roster. The young prodigy has, however, endured somewhat mixed recent weeks with Team Falcons, who failed to qualify for the Paris Major.

Morocco will likely rely on pre-existing synergy, as skyrix, AnoriQ and ray — who compete a tier below their compatriots and have never attended a Major — already represented the nation together during the opening week of the FIFAe Nations League 2026: Africa. More importantly, the trio won that first stage, albeit against relatively limited opposition. Another good news for Morocco, whose average age stands at just 19, is that the country will bypass the qualifier entirely.

Indeed, twenty-four nations have already secured direct qualification for the main event. Invitations were determined according to the number of points accumulated by each roster member through RLCS-affiliated competitions since the start of the season. With 83 points collected — including 78 contributed by dralii alone — Morocco ranks 20th overall and has already secured its ticket to Saudi Arabia.

It also means, however, that the trio will not have the opportunity to ease itself into the competition through the qualifiers, and will instead immediately face some of the biggest names in international Rocket League. The upcoming weeks of the FIFAe Nations League may therefore serve as valuable preparation if Morroco aligns this roster. Otherwise, all eyes will turn toward November 3.