Morocco
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)لبؤات أطلس (Lionesses of Atlas)
AssociationRoyal Moroccan Football Federation
Head coachJorge Vilda
CaptainGhizlane Chebbak
Top scorerGhizlane Chebbak (23)
Home stadiumStade Moulay Hassan
FIFA codeMAR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 60 Decrease 2 (15 December 2023)[1]
Highest52 (July – August 2003)
Lowest83 (July 2019)
First international
 South Africa 1–1 Morocco 
(Pretoria, South Africa; 5 July 1998)
Biggest win
 Morocco 8–0 Lebanon 
(Alexandria, Egypt; 23 April 2006)
Biggest defeat
 Nigeria 8–0 Morocco 
(Kaduna, Nigeria; 17 October 1998)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2023)
Best resultRound of 16 (2023)
Women's Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances4 (first in 1998)
Best resultRunners-up (2022)

The Morocco women's national football team (Arabic: منتخب المغرب لكرة القدم للسيدات, French: Équipe du Maroc féminine de football) represents Morocco in international women's football and is managed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The team played its first international match in 1998, as part of the third Women's Africa Cup of Nations.

They have participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup once, in 2023. They made history in the same tournament,[2] qualifying to the knock-out stages after placing second in the group stages before they fell short in the Round of 16 to France.

The traditional rivals of Morocco are mainly Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt.[3]

History

On 26 April 2006, Morocco made their first ever final in the 2006 Arab Women's Championship, defeating Egypt 4–2 in the semi-final. They lost the final 1–0 against Algeria.[4]

2020s

On 22 February 2020, Morocco lionesses managed to win the 2020 UNAF Women's Cup after defeating Algeria 2–0 to top the final standings.[5][6]

After hiatus and lack of achievement, the Women's AFCON was expanded to 12 teams, starting from 2020, but due to COVID-19 pandemic, the first edition was held in Morocco 2022 instead.[7] Using this home advantage, Morocco restarted its women's football structure, rebuilt its women's team that has long been neglected. With greater interest, Morocco was able to create history by reaching the semi-finals in their home soil.[8][9] With this achievement, Morocco made a history as the first Arab country to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup,[10][11] debuting in 2023.[12][13] Morocco went on to make another historic chapter as the first North African and Arab country to participate in the final of a continental tournament by beating African powerhouse and three-times defending champions Nigeria on penalties.[14][15] However, Morocco could not finish its dream in the final after losing to an experienced South African side, whose two goals crushed the Moroccan dream to win the title.[16][17]

In their first ever FIFA Women's World Cup, Morocco qualified to the Knockout-stages after placing second in their group, losing their first match 6–0 to Germany[18][19] and winning both their second and third match 1–0 respectively against South Korea and Colombia.[20][21][22] Thus, becoming the lowest ranked nation to qualify for the Knock-out stages.[23][24] They ended their journey in the Round of 16, after losing 4–0 to France.[25]

On 12 October 2023, Spanish coach Jorge Vilda was announced as the new head coach of the Moroccan women's team.[26][27] On 14 November 2023, Morocco was nominated for the 2023 Best African Women’s National Team of the Year by CAF.[28]

Nicknames

The Morocco women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Atlas Lionesses".[29][30]

Home stadium

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium

Morocco's home matches were held at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, managed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The stadium served as the home ground for AS FAR and frequently hosted matches for the men's team. Situated in Rabat, Morocco, this iconic venue has been the stage for numerous significant tournaments. Among these, the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations stands out as a significant event, where Morocco showcased their prowess by playing all their matches at this stadium and even reached the final. Though they lost to South Africa in the final, the stadium will forever be remembered for witnessing Morocco's historic qualification to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time.

Kit suppliers

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Morocco national football team kits.

Morocco's home colours are most red shirts and green shorts and socks, away colours are usually all white or all green.

Kit provider Period
Germany Puma 1998–2002
United States Nike 2003–2006
Germany Puma 2007–2011
Germany Adidas 2012–2019
Germany Puma 2019–[31]

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Fixture

2023

17 February International Friendly Slovakia  0–3  Morocco Antalya, Turkey
Report
11 April International Friendly Romania  1–0  Morocco Bucharest, Romania
17:30 
1 July Friendly Italy  0–0  Morocco Ferrara, Italy
18:15 UTC+2 Stadium: Paolo Mazza stadium
Referee: Ioanna Allayitou (Cyprus)
5 July International Friendly Switzerland  0–0  Morocco TBC, Switzerland
24 July FIFA WC GS Germany  6–0  Morocco Melbourne, Australia
18:30 UTC+10
Report Stadium: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Attendance: 27,256
Referee: Tori Penso (United States)
30 July FIFA WC GS South Korea  0–1  Morocco Adelaide, Australia
14:00 UTC+9:30 Report Jraïdi 6' Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 12,886
Referee: Edina Alves Batista (Brazil)
3 August FIFA WC GS Morocco  1–0  Colombia Perth, Australia
18:00 UTC+8 Lahmari 45+4' Report Stadium: Perth Rectangular Stadium
Attendance: 17,342
Referee: Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi (Italy)
8 August 2023 FIFA WC R16 France  4–0  Morocco Adelaide, Australia
20:30 UTC+9:30
Report Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 13,557
Referee: Tori Penso (United States)
26 September International Friendly Morocco  2–6  Zambia Rabat
19:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Moulay Hassan Stadium
31 October 2024 Olympic qualifying Morocco  2–0
(4–0 agg.)		  Namibia Rabat
Stadium: Moulay Hassan Stadium
Note: Morocco won 4–0 on aggregate.
1 December International Friendly Morocco  1–1  Uganda Casablanca, Morocco
19:00 UTC+1
Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium
Referee: Rokiatou Fofana (Mali)

2024

February 2024 (2024-02) 2024 Olympic qualifying Tunisia  v  Morocco
February 2024 (2024-02) 2024 Olympic qualifying Morocco  v  Tunisia

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Spain Jorge Vilda
Assistant coach Vacant
Goalkeeping coach Vacant
Fitness coach Morocco Khadija Addal

Manager history

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for two International Friendly game against  Uganda on 1 and 5 December 2023 .[35]

Caps and goals accurate up to and including (5 December 2023).

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Khadija Er-Rmichi (1989-09-16) 16 September 1989 60 0 Morocco ASFAR
12 1GK Assia Zouhair (1991-04-30) 30 April 1991 10 0 Morocco CAK
22 1GK Inès Arouaissa (2001-06-30) 30 June 2001 1 0 France Cannes
- 1GK Zineb El Arari (1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 0 0 Morocco Jawharat Najm Larache
22 1GK Meryem Hajri (1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 12 6 Morocco Sporting Club Casablanca
14 2DF Maryame Atiq (1998-01-24) 24 January 1998 3 0 Spain Unión Viera
17 2DF Hanane Aït El Haj (1994-11-02) 2 November 1994 55 1 Morocco AS FAR
3 2DF Nouhaïla Benzina (1998-05-11) 11 May 1998 21 0 Morocco ASFAR
4 3MF Siham Boukhami (1992-02-01) 1 February 1992 9 1 Morocco ASFAR
21 2DF Yasmin Mrabet (1999-08-08) 8 August 1999 26 3 Spain Levante Las Planas
13 2DF Sabah Seghir (2000-09-27) 27 September 2000 22 1 Switzerland Basel
2 2DF Zineb Redouani (2000-06-12) 12 June 2000 42 2 Morocco ASFAR
5 2DF Nesryne El Chad (2003-03-13) 13 March 2003 23 3 France Lille
2DF Samia Fikri (1999-08-02) 2 August 1999 3 0 France Montauban
3MF Djennah Chierif Netherlands Feyenoord
10 3MF Najat Badri (1988-05-19) 19 May 1988 33 5 Morocco ASFAR
3MF Sarah Kassi (2003-09-09) 9 September 2003 7 0 France Fleury
6 3MF Élodie Nakkach (1995-01-20) 20 January 1995 47 3 Switzerland Servette
15 3MF Inès Kbida (2003-05-10) 10 May 2003 France Marseille
15 3MF Ibtissam Bouharat (1990-01-02) 2 January 1990 2 1 Belgium KV Mechelen
3MF Safa Banouk Netherlands ASFAR
16 3MF Anissa Lahmari (1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 6 1 Spain Levante Las Planas
3MF Sana Daoudi (1998-03-12) 12 March 1998 France Guingamp
3MF Nour Imane Addi (1997-06-10) 10 June 1997 Scotland Celtic
11 3MF Fatima Tagnaout (1999-01-20) 20 January 1999 43 4 Morocco ASFAR
7 4FW Ghizlane Chebbak (captain) (1991-02-19) 19 February 1991 71 23 Morocco ASFAR
9 4FW Ibtissam Jraïdi (1992-12-09) 9 December 1992 58 13 Saudi Arabia Al Ahli
8 4FW Rosella Ayane (1996-03-16) 16 March 1996 31 10 England Tottenham Hotspur
14 4FW Yasmine Zouhir (2005-07-16) 16 July 2005 France Saint-Étienne U19
19 4FW Sakina Ouzraoui (2001-08-29) 29 August 2001 18 1 Belgium Anderlecht
20 4FW Imane Saoud (2002-06-06) 6 June 2002 26 5 Switzerland Servette

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the squad in the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Fatima El Ghazouani (2005-05-11) 11 May 2005 France Quevilly-Rouen v.   Switzerland, 5 July 2023
DF Rkia Mazrouai (2002-05-11) 11 May 2002 2 0 Belgium Gent 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
DF Ghizlane Chhiri (1994-09-11) 11 September 1994 7 0 Morocco ASFAR v.  Namibia, 31 October 2023
MF Samya Masnaoui (2005-09-16) 16 September 2005 Netherlands Ajax Youth v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 21 February 2023
MF Kawtar Ait Omar (2004-02-19) 19 February 2004 Netherlands Fortuna Sittard v.   Switzerland, 5 July 2023
MF Salma Amani (1989-11-28) 28 November 1989 35 7 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad  Zambia, 26 September 2023
MF Samya Hassani (2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 7 3 Netherlands Telstar v.  Namibia, 31 October 2023
FW Anissa Belkasmi (2002-07-09) 9 July 2002 France Orléans v.   Switzerland, 5 July 2023
FW Fatima Zohra Gharbi (2001-05-15) 15 May 2001 3 0 Spain Europa 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
FW Sofia Bouftini (2002-01-25) 25 January 2002 8 0 Morocco RS Berkane v.  Namibia, 31 October 2023
FW Kenza Chapelle (2001-07-01) 1 July 2001 3 0 France Strasbourg v.  Namibia, 31 October 2023
FW Sanaâ Mssoudy (1999-12-30) 30 December 1999 31 8 Morocco ASFAR v.  Namibia, 31 October 2023
Maissen Bourhrine (2003-11-28) 28 November 2003 France Lyon Reserves v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 21 February 2023

Previous squads

FIFA Women's World Cup
Africa Women Cup of Nations
UNAF Women's Tournament
Malta International Women's Football Tournament

Player records

*Active players in bold, statistics correct as of (5 December 2023).

Top goalscorers

# Player Year(s) Caps Goals
1Ghizlane Chebbak2007–7123
2Ibtissam Jraïdi2009–5813
3Rosella Ayane2021–3110
4Sanaâ Mssoudy2017–338
5Salma Amani2012–347
6Imane Saoud2021–265
7Fatima Tagnaout2018–424

Most capped players

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Ghizlane Chebbak 71 23 2007–

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year Result GP W D* L GF GA GD
China 1991did not enter
Sweden 1995
United States 1999did not qualify
United States 2003
China 2007
Germany 2011
Canada 2015
France 2019
AustraliaNew Zealand 2023Round of 164202210–8
Total1/94202210–8
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record
Appearances: 0 / 6
Year Result GP W D L GF GA GD
United States 1996Did not enter
Australia 2000
Greece 2004
China 2008Did not qualify
United Kingdom 2012
Brazil 2016Did not enter
Japan 2020Did not qualify
France 2024To be determined
United States 2028
Total-0000000

Women's Africa Cup of Nations

Women's Africa Cup of Nations record
Appearances: 4 / 14
Year Round GP W D* L GS GA GD
1991did not enter
1995
Nigeria 1998Group stage311149−5
South Africa 2000Group stage3003113−12
Nigeria 2002did not qualify
South Africa 2004did not enter
Nigeria 2006did not qualify
Equatorial Guinea 2008
South Africa 2010
Equatorial Guinea 2012
Namibia 2014
Cameroon 2016
Ghana 2018
Republic of the Congo 2020Cancelled
Morocco 2022Runners-up641195+4
Morocco 2024Qualified as hosts
TotalRunners-up125251427−13
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Arab Women's Cup

Morocco lost to Algeria in the championship game of the first Arab Women's Cup in 2006 after defeating host Egypt 4–2 in the semi-finals.[36]

Arab Women's Cup record
Appearances: 1
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA GD
Egypt 2006Runners-up2nd4211123+9
Egypt 2021did not enter
TotalRunners-up1/14211123+9

UNAF Women's Tournament

UNAF Women's Tournament record
Appearances: 1
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA GD
Tunisia 2009did not participate
Tunisia 2020Champion1st4400112+9
TotalChampion1/24400112+9

Honours

Continental

Runners-up: (1) 2022

Regional

Champions: (1) 2020
Runners-up: (1) 2006
Runners-up: (1) 2021

International

Champions: (1) 2022

Awards

2nd place, silver medalist(s) Second place: 2022, 2023

All−time record against FIFA recognized nations

The list shown below shows the Morocco national football team all−time international record against opposing nations.
[38] *As of xxxxxx after match against xxxx.

Key
  Positive balance (more wins than losses)
  Neutral balance (as many wins as losses)
  Negative balance (more losses than wins)
Against Pld W D L GF GA GD Confederation
78 27 19 32 93 118

See also

Other football codes

References

Notes

    Citations

    1. ↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
    2. ↑ Nowakowski, Wojciech (8 August 2023). "Morocco, Ireland, Portugal: All 8 Women's World Cup debutants and how far they made it". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
    3. ↑ "Football row brings bitter Algeria-Morocco rivalry to forefront". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
    4. ↑ "Arab Women's Football Cup - Egypt 2006". www.goalzz.com. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
    5. ↑ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Morocco wins UNAF Women's Cup". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    6. ↑ "Tanzania emerged runners-up as Morocco win Unaf Women's Cup | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    7. ↑ "Wafcon returns with World Cup places at stake". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    8. ↑ Kasraoui, Safaa. "Wafcon: Morocco Beats Botswana, Qualifies for Women World Cup for 1st Time". Morocco World News.
    9. ↑ Mothoagae, Keba (13 July 2022). "Morocco knocks Botswana out to reach 2022 WAFCON semifinals, 2023 World Cup". SportsBrief – Sport news. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    10. ↑ "Morocco is the first Arab team to qualify for the Women's World Cup – News Unrolled". News Unrolled. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    11. ↑ "StackPath". dailynewsegypt.com. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    12. ↑ "Morocco's women's national football team qualifies for the World Cup for the first time". Atalayar. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    13. ↑ "Morocco, Zambia qualify for Women's World Cup with WAFCON wins". ESPN.com. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    14. ↑ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Morocco stun holders Nigeria to reach TotalEnergies WAFCON final". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    15. ↑ "Morocco set up Wafcon final against South Africa". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    16. ↑ "South Africa beat Morocco to win first Wafcon title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    17. ↑ Kasraoui, Safaa. "Morocco Loses Wafcon Final To South Africa". Morocco World News.
    18. ↑ "Germany beat Morocco's Atlas Lionesses 6-0 in national selection's first WC game". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
    19. ↑ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Atlas Lionesses shellshocked after six-goal mauling by Germany". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
    20. ↑ "Morocco stun higher-ranked Korea in historic upset". CAF. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
    21. ↑ "Morocco make history, reach Women's World Cup knockout stage". CAF. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
    22. ↑ "Historic: Morocco's Women football team qualify for Round of 16 after beating Colombia 1-0". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
    23. ↑ Bonesteel, Matt (3 August 2023). "Morocco is latest surprise in a World Cup that has been full of them". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
    24. ↑ "Women's World Cup: How Jamaica, South Africa and Morocco defied the odds to reach last 16". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
    25. ↑ Smyth, Rob (8 August 2023). "France 4-0 Morocco: Women's World Cup last 16 – as it happened". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
    26. ↑ Media, P. A. (12 October 2023). "Spain's World Cup-winning coach Jorge Vilda appointed Morocco manager". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
    27. ↑ "Jorge Vilda appointed as manager of Morocco women's team after being sacked as Spain women's coach". Sky Sports. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
    28. ↑ "Morocco sweeps nominations in CAF awards for women's categories". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
    29. ↑ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "What to know about Morocco's Atlas Lionesses". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
    30. ↑ "Morocco's proud Lionesses fall short of Africa Cup of Nations glory". Arab News. 24 July 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
    31. ↑ Staff Writer (14 August 2019). "FRMF Signs Contract with Puma after Adidas Deal Expiration". Morocco world news. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
    32. ↑ Hatim, Yahia (11 February 2020). "Morocco's Football Federation Hires Foreign Coaches, Local Assistants". Morocco World News.
    33. ↑ Toutate, Issam (27 November 2020). "Reynald Pedros to Coach Moroccan Women's National Team". Morocco World News.
    34. ↑ Ntungwabona, Ahmed (12 October 2023). "Jorge Vilda Takes the Helm: New Coach for Women's National Football Team". Morocco World News. p. 1. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
    35. ↑ [https://twitter.com/karlyboy71/status/1728149261722824897 Morocco 🇲🇦 squad to play Uganda 🇺🇬 Dec 1 and Dec 5]
    36. ↑ "Championnat arabe dames: Le Maroc perd en finale face à l'Algérie". Le Matin (in French). 30 April 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
    37. ↑ "Africa – Women's Championship". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
    38. ↑ https://www.worldfootball.net/teams/marokko-frauen-team/21/
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