Biography

Morocco women's U-17

Nickname(s)	Atlas Lionesses
Association	Royal Moroccan Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Head coach	Youness Rabi
FIFA code	MAR
First colours Second colours
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 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

Morocco was selected to host the 2025-2029 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cups on March 14, 2024, giving the "Lioncelles de l'Atlas" a chance to play in these editions on home soil. Morocco will be the first country to host the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup to be held in Africa.^[4]

Fixtures and results

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Fixture

2022

Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Club
1	1GK	Louisa Derbali	(2005-11-29)29 November 2005 (aged 16)	Borussia Mönchengladbach
12	1GK	Wissal Titah	(2005-09-28)28 September 2005 (aged 17)	Chabab Atlas Khénifra
16	1GK	Ameerah Maamry	(2006-05-22)22 May 2006 (aged 16)	Racing Louisville FC
2	2DF	Hajar Said	(2005-05-22)22 May 2005 (aged 17)	Najah Souss Agadir
3	2DF	Dania Boussatta	(2005-02-16)16 February 2005 (aged 17)	AFC DWS
4	2DF	Nadia Benassou	(2005-02-04)4 February 2005 (aged 17)	FC Vendenheim
8	2DF	Wissal El-Assaoui	(2005-07-26)26 July 2005 (aged 17)	Chabab Atlas Khénifra
10	2DF	Djennah Cherif	(2006-01-10)10 January 2006 (aged 16)	Feyenoord Rotterdam
13	2DF	Dania Mrabti	(2005-02-13)13 February 2005 (aged 17)	Excelsior
20	2DF	Fatima El-Ghazouani	(2005-05-11)11 May 2005 (aged 17)	US Quevilly-Rouen
5	3MF	Hiba Karami	(2005-06-01)1 June 2005 (aged 17)	FUS Rabat
6	3MF	Lina Aich	(2006-01-27)27 January 2006 (aged 16)	Stade Reims
9	3MF	Samya Masnaoui	(2005-09-16)16 September 2005 (aged 17)	AFC DWS
15	3MF	Houda El-Mestour	(2005-03-12)12 March 2005 (aged 17)	AS FAR
18	3MF	Ambre Basser	(2005-09-12)12 September 2005 (aged 17)	FC Girondins Bordeaux
19	3MF	Mina El-Hamzaoui	(2005-11-15)15 November 2005 (aged 16)	RC Strasbourg
21	3MF	Iman El-Hannachi	(2005-05-18)18 May 2005 (aged 17)	Tottenham Hotspur FCW
7	4FW	Kenza Laksiri	(2006-06-07)7 June 2006 (aged 16)	RSC Anderlecht
11	4FW	Doha El-Madani	(2005-10-20)20 October 2005 (aged 16)	Étoile Avenir
14	4FW	Kamilia Tayebi	(2005-02-15)15 February 2005 (aged 17)	FC Mulhouse
17	4FW	Yasmine Zouhir	(2005-07-16)16 July 2005 (aged 17)	AS Saint-Étienne

Competitive record

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 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
2021	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022	Group stage	3	1	0	2	3	5
2024	To be determined
2025	Qualified as host
2026
2027
2028
2029
Total	6/13	3	1	0	2	3	5

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	To Be Determinied
2025	Did not enter
Total	4/7	1 title	10	4	1	5	24	19

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

• Morocco women's national football team
• Morocco women's national under-20 football team

Notes

References