Morocco women's national under-17 football team

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.
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. 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.
Fixtures and results
Legend
2022
Current squad
The following players were selected for the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
Competitive record
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup record
African U-17 Cup of Nations for Women record
Arab U-17 Women's Cup
See also
Morocco women's national football team
Morocco women's national under-20 football team
Notes
References
under-17
European women's national under-17 association football teams
Arabic women's national under-17 association football teams