# Morocco national under-23 football team

The Morocco national under-23 football team, also known as the Morocco Olympic football team, represents Morocco in international football competitions in the Olympic Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except during the Olympic Games where up to three overage players is allowed. The team is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.

## History
### Summer Olympics (1964–2004)

Morocco's first appearance was in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In a group that consisted of three teams following North Korea's withdrawal. They suffered a heavy 0-6 defeat to Hungary - Morocco's all-time heaviest defeat to date -, then lost 1-3 to Yugoslavia and were eliminated.
Their second appearance was supposed to be during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico but Morocco refused to allow its team to play against Israel in Group C due to political issues. They were eventually replaced by Ghana which lost 2-3 on aggregate to Morocco in the last qualifying round.
In the 1972 edition in Munich, Morocco reached the second round as runners-up in their group with 3 points following a goalless draw against the United States, a resounding 6-0 win against Malaysia and a 0-3 loss to hosts West Germany. In the second round, The Atlas Lions lost all three games against Denmark, Poland and the Soviet Union. However, it was the best performance of the Atlas Lions at the Olympic football tournament until 2024.
Morocco came extremely close to reaching the quarter-finals in the 2004 Summer Olympics, narrowly missing out on goals scored that favored Costa Rica. Morocco were 2-1 ahead in their final group game against already-qualified Iraq thanks to goals scored by Bouabid Bouden and Salaheddine Aqqal. However, in the other game, Costa Rica's Pablo Brenes scored the fourth goal in added time to seal a 4-2 win over Portugal and qualification at Morocco's expense.

### First Continental Final

During the inaugural 2011 CAF U-23 Championship held in Morocco. The host nation coached by Pim Verbeek, recorded narrow 1-0 victories against both Nigeria and Algeria, before losing to Senegal. In the semi-finals, Morocco successfully secured a spot in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London by defeating Egypt 3-2 in a tense game which also saw Abdelaziz Barrada scoring the fastest goal in the history of the tournament to date after just 30 seconds. This marked the return of the Atlas Lions to the Olympic football tournament having missed out on qualifying in 2008. However, they faced a setback when they suffered a 2-1 defeat against the surprising contender, Gabon, in the final held at the Marrakech Stadium.

### Golden generation (2022–)

On 7 July 2022, Morocco were awarded the hosting rights of the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, marking the return of the U-23 team to the competition for the first time in 12 years. Their campaign kicked off on a positive note with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Guinea, followed by a resounding 5-1 triumph over Ghana, emerging as group winners and securing a place in the semifinals with one game to spare. They went on to win the semi-final against Mali and qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games. They defeated Egypt 2-1 in the final to win their first ever continental title. The team was congratulated by King Mohammed VI for their achievement.
On 29 February 2024, Tarik Sektioui was appointed head coach of the men's Olympic squad by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. In Paris 2024, Morocco debuted in group B with a 2–1 victory against Argentina, followed by a 2–1 defeat against Ukraine and a 3–0 victory against Iraq. Topping their group with six points ahead of Argentina on the head-to-head record, Morocco thus reached the knockout stage for the first time since 1972. They defeated the United States 4-0 in the quarterfinals, reaching the semifinals for the first time ever. In the semifinal, Morocco lost 2–1 against Spain. They then won 6–0 against Egypt in the third place to win the bronze medal.

## Results and fixtures
### Legend

Win  Draw  Lose  Voided or Postponed  Fixture

### 2024
## Coaching staff

| Position | Name |
| Head coach | Tarik Sektioui |
| Assistant coach(es) | Youssouf Hadji |
| Assistant coach(es) | Fahd El Ouarga |
| Fitness coach | Grégory Delhomel |
| Goalkeeping coach | Laurent Deraedt |
| Technical director | Chris Van Puyvelde |
| Video analyst | Damien Januel |

## Players
### Current squad

* The following players were called up for the 2024 Olympic Games. Ayman El Wafi withdrew on 9 July 2024 after his club refused to release him, and was replaced by Bilal El Ouadghiri.
* Caps and goals are correct as of 8 August 2024, after the match against Egypt.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
| 1 | 1GK | Munir Mohamedi* | (1989-05-10) 10 May 1989 (age 35) | 6 | 0 | Al Wehda |
| 12 | 1GK | Rachid Ghanimi | (2001-04-25) 25 April 2001 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | FUS Rabat |
| 22 | 1GK | Mohamed Reda Asmama | (2002-02-08) 8 February 2002 (age 23) | 2 | 0 | Union de Touarga |
| 2 | 2DF | Achraf Hakimi* (captain) | (1998-11-04) 4 November 1998 (age 26) | 8 | 2 | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 3 | 2DF | Akram Nakach | (2002-04-07) 7 April 2002 (age 22) | 5 | 1 | Union de Touarga |
| 4 | 2DF | Mehdi Boukamir | (2004-01-26) 26 January 2004 (age 21) | 14 | 0 | Charleroi |
| 5 | 2DF | Adil Tahif | (2001-02-24) 24 February 2001 (age 24) | 7 | 0 | RS Berkane |
| 11 | 2DF | Zakaria El Ouahdi | (2001-12-31) 31 December 2001 (age 23) | 19 | 3 | Genk |
| 19 | 2DF | Haytam Manaout | (2001-04-18) 18 April 2001 (age 23) | 3 | 0 | Union de Touarga |
| 21 | 2DF | Bilal El Ouadghiri | (2001-08-03)3 August 2001 (aged 22) | 1 | 0 | FUS Rabat |
| 6 | 3MF | Benjamin Bouchouari | (2001-11-13) 13 November 2001 (age 23) | 14 | 0 | Saint-Étienne |
| 8 | 3MF | Bilal El Khannous | (2004-05-10) 10 May 2004 (age 20) | 7 | 1 | Genk |
| 13 | 3MF | Yassine Kechta | (2002-02-25) 25 February 2002 (age 23) | 12 | 1 | Le Havre |
| 14 | 3MF | Oussama Targhalline | (2002-05-20) 20 May 2002 (age 22) | 16 | 1 | Le Havre |
| 17 | 3MF | Oussama El Azzouzi | (2001-05-29) 29 May 2001 (age 23) | 12 | 0 | Bologna |
| 18 | 3MF | Amir Richardson | (2002-01-24) 24 January 2002 (age 23) | 14 | 2 | Fiorentina |
| 20 | 3MF | El Mehdi El Moubarik | (2001-01-22) 22 January 2001 (age 24) | 4 | 0 | Raja Casablanca |
| 7 | 4FW | Eliesse Ben Seghir | (2005-02-16) 16 February 2005 (age 20) | 6 | 0 | Monaco |
| 9 | 4FW | Soufiane Rahimi* | (1996-06-02) 2 June 1996 (age 28) | 6 | 8 | Al Ain |
| 10 | 4FW | Ilias Akhomach | (2004-04-16) 16 April 2004 (age 20) | 7 | 1 | Villarreal |
| 15 | 4FW | El Mehdi Maouhoub | (2003-06-05) 5 June 2003 (age 21) | 7 | 2 | Raja Casablanca |
| 16 | 4FW | Abde Ezzalzouli | (2001-12-25) 25 December 2001 (age 23) | 11 | 5 | Real Betis |
* Overage player.

### Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
| GK | Walid Hasbi | (2004-01-07) 7 January 2004 (age 21) | 4 | 0 | Racing Strasbourg B | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| GK | Alaa Bellaarouch | (2002-02-01) 1 February 2002 (age 23) | 8 | 0 | Racing Strasbourg | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024$^{PRE}$ |
| DF | Ayoub Amraoui | (2004-05-14) 14 May 2004 (age 20) | 12 | 0 | Amiens | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| DF | Chadi Riad | (2003-06-17) 17 June 2003 (age 21) | 6 | 0 | Betis | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| DF | Mohamed Jaouab | (2002-05-14) 14 May 2002 (age 22) | 4 | 1 | Amiens | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| DF | Ayman El Wafi | (2004-05-11) 11 May 2004 (age 20) | 11 | 0 | Lugano | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| DF | Omar El Hilali | (2003-09-12) 12 September 2003 (age 21) | 4 | 0 | Espanyol | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| DF | Adam Aznou | (2006-06-02) 2 June 2006 (age 18) | 1 | 0 | Bayern Munich II | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| MF | Ismael Saibari | (2001-01-28) 28 January 2001 (age 24) | 11 | 4 | PSV Eindhoven | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| MF | Mohamed Nassoh | (2003-01-26) 26 January 2003 (age 22) | 5 | 0 | PSV Eindhoven | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| MF | Amine Souane | (2001-09-17) 17 September 2001 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | MC Oujda | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| FW | Yanis Begraoui | (2001-07-04) 4 July 2001 (age 23) | 14 | 4 | Pau | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| FW | Amine El Ouazzani | (2001-07-15) 15 July 2001 (age 23) | 13 | 2 | Guingamp | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| FW | Ibrahim Salah | (2001-08-30) 30 August 2001 (age 23) | 9 | 0 | Rennes | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| FW | Salim El Jebari | (2004-02-05) 5 February 2004 (age 21) | 5 | 0 | Atlético Madrid | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| FW | Montasser Lahtimi | (2001-04-01) 1 April 2001 (age 23) | 2 | 0 | Wydad Casablanca | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024 |
| FW | Tawfik Bentayeb | (2002-01-14) 14 January 2002 (age 23) | 2 | 0 | Union de Touarga | v. Belgium, 4 June 2024$^{PRE}$ |
| Notes $^{PRE}$ = Preliminary squad/standby. |||||||

### Overage players in Olympic Games

| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
| 2000 | El Houssaine Ouchla (DF) | Adel Chbouki (MF) | Salaheddine Bassir (FW) |
| 2004 | Nadir Lamyaghri (GK) | Otmane El Assas (MF) | Bouchaib El Moubarki (FW) |
| 2012 | Houssine Kharja (MF) | Nordin Amrabat (FW) | did not select |
| 2024 | Munir Mohamedi (GK) | Achraf Hakimi (DF) | Soufiane Rahimi (FW) |

## Competitive record
### Olympic Games

Olympic Games record :
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| Until 1988 | See Morocco national football team | See Morocco national football team | See Morocco national football team | See Morocco national football team | See Morocco national football team | See Morocco national football team | See Morocco national football team | See Morocco national football team |
| 1992 | Group stage | 15th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 1996 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2000 | Group stage | 16th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 2004 | Group stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2008 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2012 | Group stage | 11th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2016 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2020 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2024 | Bronze medal | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 5 |
| 2028 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| 2032 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| Total | Bronze medal | 5/9 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 25 | 26 |
* Prior to the Barcelona 1992 campaign, the Football at the Summer Olympics was open to full senior national teams.

### U-23 Africa Cup of Nations

U-23 Africa Cup of Nations record :
| Appearances: 2 |||||||||
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 2011 | Runners-up | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
| 2015 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2019 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2023 | Champions | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 |
| Total | 2/4 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 10 |

### UNAF U-23 Tournament

UNAF U-23 Tournament record :
| Appearances: 3 / 4 |||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 2006 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2007 | Third place | 3rd | | | | | | |
| 2010 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| 2011 | Third place | 3rd | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2015 | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed |

### Islamic Solidarity Games

Islamic Solidarity Games record :
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 2005 | Silver Medal | 2nd | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 2010 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| 2013 | Gold Medal | 1st | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| 2017 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2021 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| 2025 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| Total | 1 title | 4/4 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 10 |

## Honours

Intercontinental
* Football at the Summer Olympics
    Bronze medal (1): 2024
Continental
* U-23 Africa Cup of Nations
    Winners (1): 2023
    Runners-up (1): 2011
Other
* UNAF U-23 Tournament
    Runners-up (1): 2010
    Third Place (2): 2007, 2011
* Islamic Solidarity Games
    Runners-up (1): 2005
* Toulon tournament
    Runners-up (1): 2015