May ⁠16 (Reuters) - Morocco have won the international tug-of-war for highly rated Lille ⁠midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who was born in France to Moroccan ‌parents, after FIFA approved his switch of allegiance, handing the Atlas Lions a significant boost just weeks before the World Cup in North America.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation ​said on Friday it had received a decision ⁠from FIFA’s Players’ Status ⁠Chamber approving its request to change the sporting nationality of Bouaddi, making ⁠him immediately ‌eligible to represent Morocco in all international competitions.

Bouaddi, 18, had represented France at youth level, most recently captaining the under-21 ⁠side in a European Championship qualifier against Luxembourg, ​but opted to commit ‌his senior international future to Morocco.

The midfielder is regarded as ⁠one of Ligue ​1’s brightest young talents, having established himself as a regular in Lille’s lineup in recent seasons. He has made more than 90 appearances for the ⁠club across all competitions over three campaigns.

He ​was the youngest player to feature in a European club competition match, aged 16 years and three days.

Morocco have built a strong track record of ⁠recruiting dual-nationality players to strengthen their squad. They recently convinced Fulham defender Issa Diop, who was born in France to a Moroccan mother, to commit to the North African nation, as did Ajax Amsterdam’s Rayane ​Bounida, a former Belgium under-19 captain.

The World Cup ⁠will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June ​11 to July 19. Morocco, the first ‌African and Arab country to reach a ​World Cup semi-final, are drawn in Group C alongside Brazil, Haiti and Scotland.

(Reporting Ashraf Hamed Atta, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)