Hakim Ziyech at Wydad AC: The Verdict Six Months Into a Landmark Move

On 22 October 2025, Hakim Ziyech signed a two-year contract with Wydad AC. CAF described the move as the most important transfer in Botola Pro history. Six months later the picture comes into focus: a fitness file still being written, two league starts, one goal and one assist in the Botola Pro Inwi, a Wydad team sharing first place at the end of April 2026. This is a detailed look at what number 30 has brought to his club so far, and what he still has to prove.

The Context Behind the Transfer

Two separate calculations met in this deal. On one side, a 32-year-old at signing, free after his spell at Al Duhail in Qatar, looking for a project where he could rediscover regular minutes and competitive rhythm. On the other, a Wydad emerging from a frustrating campaign and hunting for a statement that would reset both the sporting and the commercial conversation around the club. Ziyech spoke openly about wanting to play football in Morocco and reconnect with his roots — his father comes from Tafoughalt, a Berber village in the Rif region near Berkane.

CAF welcomed the move as a major gain for the Botola, on the pitch and in the commercial space. The symbolism mattered as much as the football. A player who had passed through Ajax, Chelsea and the Morocco semi-final run at the 2022 World Cup was choosing the Botola Pro Inwi. Nothing of that scale had happened in Moroccan club football before.

A First Half-Season Slowed by Recovery

Ziyech's calendar at Wydad started late. Recruited at the end of October, he completed his rehabilitation through the winter break and did not feature in the AFCON 2025 squad on home soil. His first competitive match for the club came on 25 January 2026, against Maniema Union in the CAF Confederation Cup.

By 2 March 2026, the raw numbers stayed modest: one goal and one assist in five appearances across all competitions. Wydad, however, were ten matches unbeaten in the league — eight wins, two draws, 26 points, second in the table at that stage. The club moved forward without leaning on its marquee signing, and Ziyech's output suggested a higher gear was still ahead.

Current Output and Role in the Eleven

The numbers underline that Ziyech still operates in a managed-load logic. Wydad fight on two fronts — Botola Pro Inwi and the CAF Champions League — and the technical staff have chosen to ration his appearances rather than use him every week. His on-pitch effect goes beyond the raw stat line. Defences position themselves differently when he is in the eleven, central midfielders and strikers find more space, and the team's attacking play recovers a technical authority that had been missing.

At league level, Wydad share top spot with AS FAR Rabat and Maghreb of Fes on 31 points as of 29 April 2026. The Casablanca club has the best attack in the Botola — 26 goals scored, 17 of them at home. A direct cause-and-effect between Ziyech's signing and that scoring efficiency would overstate the case, but his symbolic and tactical contribution feeds genuinely into the team's momentum.

The Bigger Target — National Team Recall

Ziyech's absence from AFCON 2025 clarified his hierarchy in the Atlas Lions setup. Mohamed Ouahbi, appointed as Morocco head coach in March 2026, did not call him up for the first international windows against Ecuador and Paraguay. The clear horizon is the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, where Morocco have drawn Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in Group C.

The path forward for Ziyech reads simply. He needs to bank minutes at Wydad, string together matches without physical setbacks, and produce numbers that make leaving him out a hard call. The 48-team format of the 2026 World Cup and Morocco's tradition of taking expanded squads to major tournaments leaves a door ajar. At 33 years old, every Mohammed V outing becomes an argument to put in front of the national-team coach.

The Career in Brief

Wydad AC is the eighth chapter of a journey that began in 2012 in the Netherlands. Ziyech came through Heerenveen, signed for Twente in 2014, joined Ajax in 2016 for a reported €11m, and produced his most prolific season in 2018-19 with 21 goals and 24 assists in all competitions. His Chelsea spell (2020-23) overlapped with the club's 2021 Champions League win. Galatasaray and then Al Duhail preceded the Casablanca move. For the Atlas Lions he holds 64 caps and 25 goals, and remains a central figure in the historic 2022 World Cup semi-final run.

This trajectory carries weight at Botola scale. No active Moroccan international of that profile had chosen to come home in the recent past. The cultural precedent matters: if the Ziyech-Wydad arrangement holds across two seasons, other Moroccan internationals abroad may begin to map a similar late-career return.

What Is at Stake by June 2026

Three deadlines define Ziyech's run-in. The title race, where Wydad sit level with FAR, MAS Fes and one point above Raja in a four-horse fight. The CAF Champions League run, which can stretch or shorten the club's season. And Mohamed Ouahbi's call-ups for May and June, the last credible windows before the World Cup squad is locked. The three threads tie together: a Wydad lifting a 23rd national title with a decisive Ziyech writes a story the head coach cannot ignore.