“Opta” shocks Moroccan Bono… and chooses another goalkeeper in the ideal Arab lineup

The Opta network, which specializes in football statistics, was shocked by the Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou by choosing Egyptian Mustafa Schubert in the ideal lineup for Arab players in the 2026 World Cup, despite the prominent role that the latter played in leading his country to the quarter-finals.

In its selection, Opta relied on the technical evaluations of the players in all matches of the tournament, so Schubert secured his place among the best 11 Arab players, after the remarkable performance he presented with the Egyptian national team and reaching the round of 16, while Bono was absent from the squad despite Morocco’s collective achievement in reaching the round of 8.

The 2026 World Cup witnessed the historic participation of eight Arab teams, but the results did not live up to expectations, with the exception of the Moroccan and Egyptian teams, which presented a distinguished journey, while a number of Arab stars emerged with remarkable performances throughout the tournament.

The teams of Tunisia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq bid farewell to the group stage, while the Algerian team left the tournament in the round of 32.

The Opta network revealed the ideal lineup for the best Arab players in the tournament, based on player ratings in all matches.

The squad witnessed clear Moroccan dominance with seven players, compared to four players from the Egyptian team, confirming the strong presence of the two teams on the individual level, after they were the best Arab players in the current edition of the World Cup.

The perfect combination

Goalkeeper: Mostafa Schubert (Egypt).
Defense line: Ashraf Hakimi, Nassir Mazraoui, Shadi Riyad (Morocco), and Yasser Ibrahim (Egypt).
Midfield: Nael El Aynaoui, Ezz El Din Ounahi, Ibrahim Diaz (Morocco), and Emam Ashour (Egypt).
Attacking line: Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Ismail Sibari (Morocco).