Morocco national under-17 football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Morocco women's national under-17 football team.

Morocco U-17

Nickname(s)	Atlas Lions أُسُود الأطلس ⵜⴰⵔⴰⴱⴱⵓⵓⵜ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵓⵔ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ
Association	Royal Moroccan Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Head coach	Nabil Baha
Home stadium	Various
FIFA code	MAR
First colours Second colours
First international
Tunisia 0–2 Morocco   (Tunisia; 2 July 1988)
Biggest win
Morocco 16–0 New Caledonia   (Qatar; 9 November 2025)
Biggest defeat
Portugal 6–0 Morocco   (Qatar; 6 November 2025)
U-17 Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	4 (first in 2013 )
Best result	Champions (2025)
Arab Cup U-17
Appearances	3 (first in 2011 )
Best result	Runners-Up (2022)
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 2013 )
Best result	Quarter-finals (2023)

The Morocco national under-17 football team is the national under-17 football team of Morocco and is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The team competes in the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, Arab Cup U-17 and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every two years.

History

On 8 September 2022, Morocco lost the 2022 Arab Cup, after losing in penalties to Algeria. ^[1]

In the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco had a successful run, securing a spot in the knockout stages by finishing atop their group. They demonstrated their prowess by winning two matches and suffering a single defeat. ^{[2] [3] [4]} In the subsequent match against Algeria, the Moroccan team emerged triumphant with a remarkable 3-0 victory, solidifying their qualification for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup. ^{[5] [6]} Moving on to the semi-finals, they faced off against Mali in an intense battle that ended with a nail-biting 6-5 victory for Morocco on penalties, thanks to a heroic save by goalkeeper Taha Benrhozil. ^{[7] [8]} Ultimately, Morocco finished the tournament in second place after a closely contested final, ending with a 2-1 loss. ^{[9] [10]} However, their commendable conduct throughout the competition earned them the fair play award, a testament to their sportsmanship. ^[11]

In the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Morocco qualified to the knockout stages after finishing top in the group stages winning two matches and losing one. ^{[12] [13]} In the Round of 16, they defeated Iran on penalties. ^[14] They were eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing to Mali 1-0, a remeet after the 2023 AFCON U-17 took place in Algeria. ^[15]

In the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco qualified to the knockout stages after finishing top in the group stages winning two matches and drawing one. ^[16] They defeated South Africa 3-1 in the Round of 16. ^[17] In the Semi-final, Morocco drew 0-0 with Ivory Coast and secured victory through a penalty shootout. ^[18] In the Final, Morocco defeated Mali in penalties to claim their first ever continental title. ^[19]

In November 2025, Morocco achieved the largest winning margin ever recorded in an 11-a-side FIFA World Cup match, defeating New Caledonia 16–0 at the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar. The result established a new FIFA tournament record for the highest score in any World Cup age category. ^[20]

Tournament records

CAF U-16 and U-17 World Cup Qualifiers record

CAF U-16 and U-17 World Cup Qualifiers
Appearances: 1 / 5
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1985	did not participate
1987
1989	Second Round		4	2	1	1	3	2
1991	Disqualified
1993	did not participate
Total	1/5	Second Round	4	2	1	1	3	2

FIFA U-17 World Cup

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1985	did not participate
1987
1989	did not qualify
1991	Disqualified
1993	did not participate
1995	did not qualify
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009	did not enter
2011	did not qualify
2013	Round of 16	10th	4	2	1	1	8	5
2015	did not qualify
2017
2019
2023	Quarter-finals	7th	5	2	1	2	6	5
2025	Round of 16	TBD	4	1	1	2	17	9
Total	Quarter-final	3/20	13	5	3	5	31	19

U-17 Africa Cup of Nations record

U-17 Africa Cup of Nations
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1995	did not qualify
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009	did not enter
2011	did not qualify
2013	Fourth Place	4th	5	2	2	1	10	5
2015	did not qualify
2017
2019	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	2	4
2021	Cancelled
2023	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	1	2	8	5
2025	Champions	1st	6	3	3	0	11	1
2026	To be determined
Total	Champions	4/14	20	8	7	5	31	15

Arab Cup U-17 record

Arab Cup U-17
Appearances: 2 / 3
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2011	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	3	3
2012	Third Place	3rd	4	2	1	1	4	2
2014	did not participate
2021	Cancelled
2022	Runners-Up	2nd	6	4	1	1	7	3
2026	To be determined
2027
2028
2029
Total	3/3	Third Place	13	7	3	3	14	7

UNAF U-17 Tournament record

UNAF U-17 Tournament
Appearances: 11 / 13
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2006	Did not participate
2007	Champions	1st	3	2	1	0	5	1
2008	Third Place	3rd	3	1	0	2	3	5
2008	Fifth Place	5th	4	1	1	2	3	4
2009	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	1	1	3	3
2009	Third Place	3rd	2	0	2	0	1	1
2010	Fourth Place	4th	3	0	1	2	1	5
2011	Champions	1st	2	1	1	0	2	0
2012	Did not participate
2012	Third Place	3rd	2	1	0	1	1	1
2014	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	3	4
2015	Third Place	3rd	2	0	1	1	2	4
2016	Fifth Place	5th	3	1	1	1	7	5
2017	Fourth Place	4th	3	0	1	2	4	5
2018	Champions	1st	3	3	0	0	7	2
2018	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	1	0	11	2
2021	Withdrew
2022	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	4	1
2022	Champions	1st	3	3	0	0	5	1
2024	Third Place	3rd	4	1	2	1	5	6
2024	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	2	0	10	4
2026	To be determined
Total	4 Titles	18/22	53	22	16	15	77	54

• Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Current squad

The following players were called up to the squad for the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations. ^[21]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Club
1	1 GK	Chouaib Bellaarouch	(2008-02-10)10 February 2008 (aged 17)	Mohammed VI Football Academy
2	2 DF	Hamza Bouhadi	(2008-10-07)7 October 2008 (aged 16)	FUS Rabat
3	2 DF	Ilyas El Arbaoui	(2008-05-04)4 May 2008 (aged 16)	Athletic Club
4	2 DF	Joseph Bellahsen	(2008-12-28)28 December 2008 (aged 16)	Borussia Mönchengladbach
5	2 DF	Nassim El Massoudi	(2008-02-19)19 February 2008 (aged 17)	Bayer 04 Leverkusen
6	3 MF	Elyes Saïdi	(2008-12-15)15 December 2008 (aged 16)	Auxerre
7	4 FW	Ibrahim Rabbaj	(2009-01-03)3 January 2009 (aged 16)	Chelsea
8	3 MF	Abdellah Ouazane	(2009-01-15)15 January 2009 (aged 16)	Ajax FC
9	4 FW	Ziyad Baha	(2009-08-10)10 August 2009 (aged 15)	Real Betis
10	3 MF	Amine Ouahabi	(2008-07-04)4 July 2008 (aged 16)	KV Mechelen
11	4 FW	Ilies Belmokhtar	(2008-05-12)12 May 2008 (aged 16)	AS Monaco
12	1 GK	Yassine Laghirisi	(2008-02-24)24 February 2008 (aged 17)	FC Rouen
13	2 DF	Driss Ait Cheikh	(2008-07-17)17 July 2008 (aged 16)	Chippo Football Club
14	2 DF	Ilyas Hidaoui	(2008-04-13)13 April 2008 (aged 16)	Mohammed VI Football Academy
15	2 DF	Ahmed Mouhoub	(2008-01-04)4 January 2008 (aged 17)	FUS Rabat
16	3 MF	Adam Soudi	(2009-03-18)18 March 2009 (aged 16)	Toulouse FC
17	4 FW	Adam Jout	(2008-01-23)23 January 2008 (aged 17)	Mohammed VI Football Academy
18	4 FW	Zakari El Khalfioui	(2008-02-27)27 February 2008 (aged 17)	Ajaccio
19	4 FW	Alí El Failali	(2008-06-12)12 June 2008 (aged 16)	Málaga
20	3 MF	Ismail El Aoud	(2009-07-01)1 July 2009 (aged 15)	Valencia
21	2 DF	Adam Alioui	(2009-06-29)29 June 2009 (aged 15)	Lyon
22	1 GK	Soufiane Elidrisi	(2008-02-22)22 February 2008 (aged 17)	Mohammed VI Football Academy
23	2 DF	Moncef Zekri	(2008-09-20)20 September 2008 (aged 16)	KV Mechelen
24	3 MF	Luis Velilles	(2009-04-28)28 April 2009 (aged 15)	Real Betis
25	3 MF	Amine Amgar	(2008-10-13)13 October 2008 (aged 16)	MVV Maastricht
26	3 MF	Mohamed Mounssef	(2008-06-12)12 June 2008 (aged 16)	Wydad AC

Honours

International

• FIFA U-17 World Cup:

Quarter-finals: 2023

Continental

• U-17 Africa Cup of Nations

Winners (1): 2025

Runners-up (1): 2023

Regional

• Arab Cup U-17

Runners-up (1): 2022

Third Place (1): 2012

• UNAF U-17 Tournament:

Winners (4): 2007, 2011, 2018, 2022

Runners-up (3): 2009, 2014, 2018

Third Place (4): 2008, 2009, 2012, 2015

Previous squads

FIFA U-17 World Cup squads 2013 FIFA U-17 WC squad 2023 FIFA U-17 WC squad

U-17 Africa Cup of Nations squads 2013 CAN U-17 squad 2019 CAN U-17 squad 2023 CAN U-17 squad

Head-to-head record

The following table shows Morocco's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Croatia	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	100.00
Ecuador	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	000.00
Indonesia	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	100.00
Iran	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Ivory Coast	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Japan	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	000.00
Mali	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
New Caledonia	1	1	0	0	16	0	+16	100.00
Panama	2	2	0	0	6	2	+4	100.00
Portugal	1	0	0	1	0	6	−6	000.00
Uzbekistan	1	0	1	0	0	0	+0	000.00
Total	12	5	2	5	30	18	+12	041.67

References

1. "Morocco's U17 national team misses Arab Cup title, losing to Algeria". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
2. Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "TotalEnergies U17 AFCON: Morocco edge Nigeria to make quarters | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
3. Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "TotalEnergies U17 AFCON: Second half resurgence lifts Morocco over South Africa | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
4. Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "TotalEnergies U17 AFCON: Zambia down Morocco in Annaba but exit | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
5. Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Morocco stun Algeria in Constantine, earn U17 World Cup slot | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
6. "Morocco U-17 team qualifies for World Cup with 3-0 win over Algeria". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-05-10. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
7. Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Benrhozil heroics send Morocco to Totalenergies U17 AFCON final | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
8. "Morocco's U-17 football team reaches African Cup final in thrilling penalty shootout against Mali". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-05-14. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
9. Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Sawane scores winner as Senegal clinch TotalEnergies U17 AFCON title | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
10. "Morocco's under 17 Team loses to Senegal in the final of the African Cup of Nations". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
11. Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Burkina Faso's Alio named TotalEnergies U17 AFCON MVP | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
12. "Morocco qualified for U-17 World Cup final 16". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
13. "Barry scores brace as Mali beat Mexico 5-0 to reach U17 World Cup quarter-final". sportsbrief.com. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
14. "Morocco qualified for U-17 World Cup final 16". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
15. "Morocco's U17 eliminated from World Cup". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
16. MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-04-06). "Morocco tops Tanzania 3-0 to reach U17 Africa Cup quarterfinals, clinches World Cup spot". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
17. MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-04-10). "Morocco U-17 Advances to Africa Cup Semi-Finals After 3-1 Victory Over South Africa". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
18. MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-04-15). "Morocco U-17 book spot in AFCON final after penalty win over Côte d'Ivoire". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
19. MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-04-19). "Morocco clinches historic U-17 Africa Cup of Nations title". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-04-20.
20. "16-goal Morocco make history". FIFA. 2025-11-09. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
21. "Morocco U17 Squad".

External links

• (in French) Morocco under-17 football team - official site of RMFF