| Nickname | 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) | ||
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]
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 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
The following players were selected for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Ahlam Boukhorb | 1 March 2008 (aged 17) | AS FAR |
| 2 | DF | Maryam Rahmoune | 5 December 2008 (aged 16) |  Montpellier HSC |
| 3 | DF | Anissa Hamdani | 21 January 2009 (aged 16) | Dijon FCO |
| 4 | DF | Imène Diyen | 15 June 2009 (aged 16) | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 5 | DF | Maissane Ferkous | 19 June 2009 (aged 16) | Le Mans FC |
| 6 | MF | Celia Bouzman | 27 March 2009 (aged 16) | Toulouse FC |
| 7 | FW | Jennah Chafni | 31 July 2009 (aged 16) | Olympique Marseille |
| 8 | FW | Inaya Kahlaoui | 31 October 2008 (aged 16) | Le Puy Foot 43 |
| 9 | FW | Dounia El Mesmoudi | 10 March 2008 (aged 17) |  Eintracht Frankfurt |
| 10 | FW | Kautar Azraf | 3 January 2008 (aged 17) |  FC Barcelona |
| 11 | FW | Mayssa Baha | 16 January 2011 (aged 14) | FC Barcelona |
| 12 | GK | Salma Assahl | 3 July 2008 (aged 17) | RS Berkane |
| 13 | DF | Laila Boushaba | 25 November 2009 (aged 15) |  PEC Zwolle |
| 14 | DF | Hiba Youssoufi | 20 June 2009 (aged 16) | AS FAR |
| 15 | MF | Nihad Lghachi | 24 May 2008 (aged 17) | SC Casablanca |
| 16 | GK | Hanna El Mokadem | 13 February 2008 (aged 17) | Annecy FC |
| 17 | MF | Romaissa Ihssan | 17 September 2008 (aged 17) | Montpellier HSC |
| 18 | MF | Isra Redouani | 9 January 2008 (aged 17) | Excelsior |
| 19 | FW | Sara El Hajouti | 31 March 2009 (aged 16) | FC Utrecht |
| 20 | FW | Sonia Abajiou | 6 October 2009 (aged 16) | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| 21 | FW | Amana Lakradi | 4 March 2009 (aged 16) | AZ Alkmaar |
Competitive record
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 | ||||||||
| 2022 | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
 2024 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2025 | TBD | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2026 | Qualified as host | |||||||
| 2027 | ||||||||
| 2028 | ||||||||
| 2029 | ||||||||
| Total | 6/13 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 11 | |
African U-17 Cup of Nations for Women record
| 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 | Fourth round | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 3 |
| 2025 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 2026 | ||||||||
| 2027 | ||||||||
| 2028 | ||||||||
| 2029 | ||||||||
| Total | 5/8 | 1 title | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 55 | 22 |
UNAF U-17 Women's Tournament
Arab U-17 Women's Cup
| 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
Notes
References
- ↑ "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. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. 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.
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Head-to-head record
The following table shows Morocco's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0.00 |
| Costa Rica |
— | |||||||
| India |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 100.00 |
 Italy |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
| United States |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0.00 |
| Total | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 20.00 |