Morocco women's national under-17 football team, also nicknamed the Atlas Lionesses is a youth 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]
| Nickname(s) | Atlas Lionesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Royal Moroccan Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Youness Rabi | ||
| FIFA code | MAR | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Morocco 4–0 Ghana  (Morocco; 12 March 2016) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Niger 0–11 Morocco (Morocco; 5 February 2024) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Portugal 8–0 Morocco (Portugal; 20 September 2022) | |||
| African U-17 Cup of Nations for Women | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 2013) | ||
| Best result | Qualified for the World Cup (2022) | ||
| FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2022) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2022) | ||
History edit
Difficult beginnings edit
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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
Morocco was selected to host the 2025-2029 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cups on March 14, 2024, giving the "Lioncelles de l'Atlas" a chance to play in these editions on home soil. Morocco will be the first country to host the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup to be held in Africa.[4]
Fixtures and results edit
- Legend
Win Draw Lose Fixture
2022 edit
| 11 October 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup GS | Morocco | 0–1 |  Brazil | Bhubaneswar, India |
| 16:30 IST (UTC+5:30) | Report (FIFA) |
|
Stadium: Kalinga Stadium Attendance: 4,243 Referee: Edita Mirabidova (Uzbekistan) |
| 14 October 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup GS | India  | 0–3 | Morocco | Bhubaneswar, India |
| 20:00 IST (UTC+5:30) | Report (FIFA) | Stadium: Kalinga Stadium Attendance: 8,749 Referee: Katia García (Mexico) |
| 17 October 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup GS | United States  | 4–0 | 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 edit
The following players were selected for the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Louisa Derbali | 29 November 2005 (aged 16) |  Borussia Mönchengladbach
| ||
| 12 | GK | Wissal Titah | 28 September 2005 (aged 17) | Chabab Atlas Khénifra
| ||
| 16 | GK | Ameerah Maamry | 22 May 2006 (aged 16) | Racing Louisville FC
| ||
| 2 | DF | Hajar Said | 22 May 2005 (aged 17) | Najah Souss Agadir
| ||
| 3 | DF | Dania Boussatta | 16 February 2005 (aged 17) |  AFC DWS
| ||
| 4 | DF | Nadia Benassou | 4 February 2005 (aged 17) |  FC Vendenheim
| ||
| 8 | DF | Wissal El-Assaoui | 26 July 2005 (aged 17) | Chabab Atlas Khénifra
| ||
| 10 | DF | Djennah Cherif | 10 January 2006 (aged 16) | Feyenoord Rotterdam
| ||
| 13 | DF | Dania Mrabti | 13 February 2005 (aged 17) | Excelsior
| ||
| 20 | DF | Fatima El-Ghazouani | 11 May 2005 (aged 17) | US Quevilly-Rouen
| ||
| 5 | MF | Hiba Karami | 1 June 2005 (aged 17) | FUS Rabat
| ||
| 6 | MF | Lina Aich | 27 January 2006 (aged 16) | Stade Reims
| ||
| 9 | MF | Samya Masnaoui | 16 September 2005 (aged 17) | AFC DWS
| ||
| 15 | MF | Houda El-Mestour | 12 March 2005 (aged 17) | AS FAR
| ||
| 18 | MF | Ambre Basser | 12 September 2005 (aged 17) | FC Girondins Bordeaux
| ||
| 19 | MF | Mina El-Hamzaoui | 15 November 2005 (aged 16) | RC Strasbourg
| ||
| 21 | MF | Iman El-Hannachi | 18 May 2005 (aged 17) |  Tottenham Hotspur FCW
| ||
| 7 | FW | Kenza Laksiri | 7 June 2006 (aged 16) |  RSC Anderlecht
| ||
| 11 | FW | Doha El-Madani | 20 October 2005 (aged 16) | Étoile Avenir
| ||
| 14 | FW | Kamilia Tayebi | 15 February 2005 (aged 17) | FC Mulhouse
| ||
| 17 | FW | Yasmine Zouhir | 16 July 2005 (aged 17) | AS Saint-Étienne
| ||
Competitive record edit
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup record edit
| FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Pld | W | D * | L | GF | GA | |
 2008 |
Did not enter | |||||||
 2010
| ||||||||
 2012
| ||||||||
 2014
| ||||||||
 2016 |
Did not qualify | |||||||
 2018
| ||||||||
| 2021 |
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||
| 2022 |
Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
 2024 |
To be determined | |||||||
| 2025 |
Qualified as host | |||||||
| 2026
| ||||||||
| 2027
| ||||||||
| 2028
| ||||||||
| 2029
| ||||||||
| Total | 6/13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
African U-17 Cup of Nations for Women record edit
| African U-17 Cup of Nations for Women | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 2008 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 2010 | ||||||||
| 2012 | ||||||||
| 2013 | First round | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2016 | Second round | 2nd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 2018 | Second round | 2nd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 2020 | cancelled | |||||||
| 2022 | Qualified for World Cup | 1st | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 3 |
| 2024 | To Be Determinied | |||||||
| 2025 | Did not enter | |||||||
| Total | 4/7 | 1 title | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 24 | 19 |
Arab U-17 Women's Cup edit
| Arab U-17 Women's Cup | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 0 | |||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
 2015 |
did not enter | ||||||||
| Total | 0/1 | ||||||||
See also edit
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ "Morocco Qualifies for U17 Women's World Cup". allafrica.com. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Morocco 0-4 Ghana". cafonline.com. 12 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
- ^ "Nigeria and Morocco are through to India 2022". cafonline.com. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ^ "Morocco awarded multi-year hosting rights to FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup™". FIFA. 14 March 2024.