Morocco women's national under-17 football team

Last updated

Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco women's U-17
Nickname(s) Atlas Lionesses
Association Royal Moroccan Football Federation
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Head coachYouness Rabi
FIFA code MAR
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First colours
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Second colours
First international
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 4–0 Ghana  Flag of Ghana.svg
(Morocco; 12 March 2016)
Biggest win
Flag of Niger.svg  Niger 0–11 Morocco  Flag of Morocco.svg
(Morocco; 5 February 2024)
Biggest defeat
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 8–0 Morocco  Flag of Morocco.svg
(Portugal; 20 September 2022)
African U-17 Cup of Nations for Women
Appearances5 (first in 2013 )
Best resultQualified for the World Cup (2022)
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2022 )
Best resultGroup stage (2022)

Morocco women's national under-17 football team, also nicknamed the Atlas Lionesses is a youth Women's association football team operated under the auspices of Royal Moroccan Football Federation. Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the senior Morocco women's national football team. In June 2022, The team qualified for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup which would be held in India, becoming the first North African side to qualify for the finals. [1]

Contents

History

Difficult beginnings

The national team made its official debut in March 2016 during a doubleheader against Ghana in the African U-17 Women's World Cup qualification. [2] Led by Fatima Tagnaout and Sanaâ Mssoudy, who would later become prominent figures in the Morocco women's national football team, Morocco faced defeats in both matches. The first leg ended in a 4-0 loss in Rabat, while the second leg resulted in a 6-0 defeat in Accra. The team also failed to qualify for the subsequent edition of the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup after being eliminated by South Africa. Morocco experienced a 5-1 loss in the first leg in Salé, followed by a 1-0 defeat in Pretoria. In their pursuit of qualification for the 2020 World Cup, the national team participated in the African qualifiers. After securing a convincing 7-0 victory in the first leg against Djibouti in Djibouti and another 7-0 win in the second leg in Salé, Morocco advanced. They also triumphed with a 1-0 first-leg win against Botswana in Gaborone, but the return leg was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the competition was ultimately canceled, and the qualifiers could not be completed as planned. Consequently, the qualifying tournament was postponed until 2022.

First qualification for a World Cup

On June 4, 2022, the Moroccan national team, led by Patrick Cordoba, achieved a historic milestone by qualifying for the first time in their history for the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. The tournament took place in India from October 11 to 30, 2022. During the qualifying phase, Morocco displayed their strength by eliminating Benin, Niger, and Ghana to secure their spot in the final tournament. In preparation for the World Cup, Morocco engaged in a friendly double-confrontation against Portugal in September 2022. However, the Moroccans faced a heavy defeat in the first match held in Santarém on September 20, 2022, with a score of 8-0. In the second match, played in Rio Maior on September 22, 2022, Portugal claimed a 2-0 victory. Doha El Madani was the sole Moroccan player to find the net during these matches. Prior to the World Cup, Morocco faced Chile in their final match in Goa, resulting in a 3-1 loss, with Iman El Hannachi scoring the only goal for Morocco.

World Cup 2022 in India

Under the guidance of French coach Anthony Rimasson, Morocco made its debut in the World Cup during the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Their first match took place on October 11, 2022, against Brazil, a team with a strong tournament history. Unfortunately, the match concluded with a 1-0 victory for Brazil. However, the Moroccan team bounced back in their second group stage match on October 14, 2022, securing a remarkable 3-0 win against India. Notably, Doha El Madani made history by becoming the first Moroccan player to score a goal in the U-17 World Cup, converting a penalty. Yasmine Zouhir and Djennah Chérif also contributed goals to the match, marking this victory as a significant milestone for Morocco in the history of the competition. In their final group stage match on October 17, 2022, in Goa, Morocco faced the United States. Despite their best efforts, the "Lioncelles de l'Atlas" were outplayed and suffered a 4-0 defeat. [3]

World Cup 2025 on home soil

On March 14, 2024, Morocco was selected to host the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cups from 2025 to 2029, making it the first time the tournament will be held in Africa. This will give the team a unique opportunity to compete on home soil across five consecutive editions. [4]

Fixtures and results

Legend

  Win  Draw  Lose  Fixture

2022

11 October 2022 (2022-10-11) FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup GS Morocco  Flag of Morocco.svg0–1Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Bhubaneswar, India
16:30 IST (UTC+5:30) Report (FIFA)
  • Jhonson Soccerball shade.svg5'
Stadium: Kalinga Stadium
Attendance: 4,243
Referee: Edita Mirabidova (Uzbekistan)
14 October 2022 (2022-10-14) FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup GS India  Flag of India.svg0–3Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Bhubaneswar, India
20:00 IST (UTC+5:30) Report (FIFA)
Stadium: Kalinga Stadium
Attendance: 8,749
Referee: Katia García (Mexico)
17 October 2022 (2022-10-17) FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup GS United States  Flag of the United States.svg4–0Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Margao, India
20:00 IST (UTC+5:30)
Report (FIFA) Stadium: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Attendance: 3,578
Referee: Anahí Fernández (Uruguay)

Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

No.Pos.PlayerDate of birth (age)Club
11 GK Louisa Derbali (2005-11-29)29 November 2005 (aged 16) Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Mönchengladbach
121 GK Wissal Titah (2005-09-28)28 September 2005 (aged 17) Flag of Morocco.svg Chabab Atlas Khénifra
161 GK Ameerah Maamry (2006-05-22)22 May 2006 (aged 16) Flag of the United States.svg Racing Louisville FC

22 DF Hajar Said (2005-05-22)22 May 2005 (aged 17) Flag of Morocco.svg Najah Souss Agadir
32 DF Dania Boussatta (2005-02-16)16 February 2005 (aged 17) Flag of the Netherlands.svg AFC DWS
42 DF Nadia Benassou (2005-02-04)4 February 2005 (aged 17) Flag of France.svg FC Vendenheim
82 DF Wissal El-Assaoui (2005-07-26)26 July 2005 (aged 17) Flag of Morocco.svg Chabab Atlas Khénifra
102 DF Djennah Cherif (2006-01-10)10 January 2006 (aged 16) Flag of the Netherlands.svg Feyenoord Rotterdam
132 DF Dania Mrabti (2005-02-13)13 February 2005 (aged 17) Flag of the Netherlands.svg Excelsior
202 DF Fatima El-Ghazouani (2005-05-11)11 May 2005 (aged 17) Flag of France.svg US Quevilly-Rouen

53 MF Hiba Karami (2005-06-01)1 June 2005 (aged 17) Flag of Morocco.svg FUS Rabat
63 MF Lina Aich (2006-01-27)27 January 2006 (aged 16) Flag of France.svg Stade Reims
93 MF Samya Masnaoui (2005-09-16)16 September 2005 (aged 17) Flag of the Netherlands.svg AFC DWS
153 MF Houda El-Mestour (2005-03-12)12 March 2005 (aged 17) Flag of Morocco.svg AS FAR
183 MF Ambre Basser (2005-09-12)12 September 2005 (aged 17) Flag of France.svg FC Girondins Bordeaux
193 MF Mina El-Hamzaoui (2005-11-15)15 November 2005 (aged 16) Flag of France.svg RC Strasbourg
213 MF Iman El-Hannachi (2005-05-18)18 May 2005 (aged 17) Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur FCW

74 FW Kenza Laksiri (2006-06-07)7 June 2006 (aged 16) Flag of Belgium (civil).svg RSC Anderlecht
114 FW Doha El-Madani (2005-10-20)20 October 2005 (aged 16) Flag of Morocco.svg Étoile Avenir
144 FW Kamilia Tayebi (2005-02-15)15 February 2005 (aged 17) Flag of France.svg FC Mulhouse
174 FW Yasmine Zouhir (2005-07-16)16 July 2005 (aged 17) Flag of France.svg AS Saint-Étienne

Competitive record

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup record

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
YearResultPldWD *LGFGA
Flag of New Zealand.svg 2008 Did not enter
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg 2010
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg 2012
Flag of Costa Rica.svg 2014
Flag of Jordan.svg 2016 Did not qualify
Flag of Uruguay.svg 2018
Flag of India.svg 2021 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
Flag of India.svg 2022 Group stage310235
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg 2024 Did not qualify
Flag of Morocco.svg 2025 Qualified as host
Flag of Morocco.svg 2026
Flag of Morocco.svg 2027
Flag of Morocco.svg 2028
Flag of Morocco.svg 2029
Total6/13310235

African U-17 Cup of Nations for Women record

African U-17 Cup of Nations for Women
YearRoundPositionPldWDLGFGA
2008 Did not enter
2010
2012
2013 First round------
2016 Second round2nd2002010
2018 Second round2nd200216
2020 cancelled
2022 Qualified for World Cup1st6411233
2024 Fourth round2nd6411313
2025 Did not enter
2026
2027
2028
2029
Total5/81 title168265522

UNAF U-17 Women's Tournament

Arab U-17 Women's Cup

Arab U-17 Women's Cup
Appearances: 0
YearRoundPositionPldWDLGFGA
Flag of Qatar.svg 2015 did not enter
Total0/1

See also

Notes

    References

    1. "Morocco Qualifies for U17 Women's World Cup". allafrica.com. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
    2. "Morocco 0-4 Ghana". cafonline.com. 12 March 2016. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
    3. "Nigeria and Morocco are through to India 2022". cafonline.com. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
    4. "Morocco awarded multi-year hosting rights to FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup™". FIFA. 14 March 2024.

    Head-to-head record

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