Morocco’s Royal Football Federation has confirmed that Abde has sustained a sprain to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, which will sideline him for the World Cup group stage.

The Real Betis winger picked up the injury during a friendly match against Norway when his former Betis teammate Chadi Riad accidentally landed on his knee, forcing Abde to be substituted at half-time.

Medical assessments revealed a mild to moderate sprain, with an estimated recovery period of about four weeks.

Despite the setback, Morocco’s national team has opted to keep Abde in their World Cup squad. He is expected to miss the opening two group fixtures against Brazil and Scotland, while his participation in the third match against Haiti on June 25 appears very unlikely. The plan is to have him ready for the knockout rounds if his rehabilitation progresses as expected.

The Real Betis medical team will collaborate closely with Morocco’s staff to oversee the winger’s recovery. Given his previous injury in the Conference League final—which kept him out at the beginning of last season—both teams are exercising additional caution during this recovery process.