Young Moroccan defender Driss Ait Cheikh, 17, is set to join F.C. Copenhagen in July 2026, when he turns 18, the Danish club confirmed this week. «We are delighted to have Driss join F.C. Copenhagen from the summer of 2026. He is a player we have been following for a long time and in whom we see great potential», said Mikkel Køhler, head of recruitment at F.C. Copenhagen. «In Driss Ait Cheikh, we are bringing a great defensive talent to the club with strong physical and technical abilities and a great drive to improve every day, and we look forward to working with him in Copenhagen». Born in Kenitra, Ait Cheikha will make the move from Chippo FC Mehdia, the academy founded by former Moroccan international Youssef Chippo where he was trained. On Instagram, Chippo FC celebrated the move as a «historic achievement». The academy hailed Ait Cheikh as «a new Moroccan football star born within our academy walls, now flying to the horizons of Europe's best clubs», adding: «Driss has proven that all dreams are achievable through perseverance, seriousness, hard work, and ambition». Before his move to Denmark, his first profissional contract, Ait Cheikh will rejoin Morocco's U17 national team as they prepare for the U17 World Cup in Qatar this November. For the record, Ait Cheikh played a key role in Morocco's historic U17 Africa Cup of Nations win earlier this year after defeating Mali in the final.
