Bilal El Khannouss goes into World Cup 2026 with a strong Stuttgart season behind him and a manager who has put his reputation into plain words. Sebastian Hoeneß called him "a man for special moments", and the numbers from his club season support that view. VfB Stuttgart loaned him in early September 2025, and he quickly became more than a short-term addition.
He scored his first goal for Stuttgart later that month in a 2-0 home win over St. Pauli. By the end of the Bundesliga season, he had five assists for Stuttgart, and he added five goals in their UEFA Europa League campaign. Morocco now have a midfielder who has produced in both domestic and European matches, not just one setting.
Why Morocco will lean on him
The other part of the picture is where he already sits in Morocco's plans. He made his World Cup debut in the 2022 third-place play-off against Croatia as an 18-year-old, becoming the youngest-ever Moroccan to appear at the tournament. That is useful experience to carry into a second World Cup, even before a ball is kicked.
His role at the 2026 CAF Africa Cup of Nations also mattered. He started all of Morocco's knockout matches there, which suggests the national team already trust him in high-pressure games. For a player Hoeneß describes as someone who can deliver in special moments, that is a decent fit.
Morocco's schedule gives him an early chance to show it. They face Scotland on 19 June and Haiti on 24 June, so his form at VfB Stuttgart should feed directly into the opening weeks of the tournament. If he carries over the end product he showed in Germany, he will not arrive in the squad as a passenger.
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