The Morocco national under-17 football team represents Morocco in international football at the under-17 level. It is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
The 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 the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the senior Morocco women's national football team.
Costa Rica vs Morocco Highlights | FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Morocco 2025™
Early Participation and Debut
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. 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.
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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.
2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Qualification
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.
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.
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Preparation and Friendlies
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.
2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
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.
U-17 WYNT VS. Brazil edged Morocco 1-0 in its first match while Morocco downed the hosts, 3-0, on the second matchday of Group A, which means the USA just needs a win or a tie in the group finale to advance to the knockout rounds.
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Group A standings
| Team | Played | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 3 | 6 |
| USA | 3 | 6 |
| Morocco | 3 | 3 |
| India | 3 | 0 |
Future Events
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.
Africa Cup of Nations
FIFA. Morocco enters the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations as one of the tournament favorites, boasting a talented squad mixed with domestic and European-based players.
As hosts, they will be aiming to secure their first-ever U-17 AFCON title, building on their impressive performances in recent youth competitions. Morocco automatically qualified as hosts but still participated in the UNAF U-17 Championship in Casablanca, finishing as runners-up.
Their best-ever finish came in 2023, when they reached the final in Algeria but fell just short against Senegal in a narrow defeat.
Baha, who led Morocco to a second-place finish at the UNAF U-17 Championship, took over from Said Chiba after the U-17 World Cup in Indonesia.
Drawn in Group A, they will face Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia-two East African sides with similar fast-paced playing styles and a Zambian team known for its physicality.
In the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco had a successful run, securing a spot in the knockout stages by finishing atop their group.
