Morocco women's national under-20 football team
Stephane Nado | |||
---|---|---|---|
FIFA code | MAR | ||
| |||
African U-20 World Cup qualification | |||
Appearances | 8 (first in 2002) | ||
Best result | Champions (2024) | ||
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup | |||
Appearances | 1 (first in 2024) | ||
Best result | TBD |
The Morocco women's national under-20 football team, nicknamed the Atlas Lionesses, represents Morocco in international youth women's football competitions. Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the senior women's national team. The team competes in a variety of competitions, including the biennial FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification, which is the top competitions for this age group.
The team has qualified for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup to represent the country for the first time in this competition. The team won the bronze medal in the women's tournament at the 2019 African Games held in Rabat, Morocco.[1][2]
History
Beginnings
The under-20 category of the women's national team emerged in the early 2000s, with Morocco's participation in the African qualifying tournament for the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Canada. The Moroccan team progressed to the qualifying semi-finals following the withdrawals of Gambia and Niger. However, unable to face Nigeria, Morocco was forced to forfeit the match. In 2004, Morocco played its first official matches in the qualification rounds for the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship. The team faced Equatorial Guinea in the first round, resulting in a 1-1 draw in the first leg. Morocco was defeated in the second leg by a score of 1-0, thus ending their campaign. Subsequently, the national team remained absent from competitions for nearly eight years.
Tunisia the black beast of Morocco (2012-2014)
During the qualifications for the
Morocco suffers the law of Nigeria (2017)
The national team actively participated in the qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup in France. Having been exempted from the preliminary round, Morocco, featuring talented players such as Fatima Tagnaout and Sanaâ Mssoudy, faced Senegal in the first round. Despite a 2-1 loss in the second leg held in Dakar on September 30, 2017, the Moroccans capitalized on their 2-0 victory in the first leg in Salé on September 16, 2017, thanks to goals from Rania Salmi and Sanaâ Mssoudy. In the second round, Morocco encountered Nigeria. The first leg took place in Salé on November 5, 2022, resulting in a draw. Nouhaila Sedki scored the Moroccan goal during the match.
Encouraging results (2019)
During the summer of 2019, Morocco was chosen to host the 2019 African Games. Under the guidance of Lamia Boumehdi, the national team achieved success in the group stage by winning all three matches. On August 17, 2019, they secured a 3-2 victory against Algeria, followed by a 2-0 win against Equatorial Guinea and a 4-1 triumph against Mali. In the semi-finals, Morocco faced Cameroon and suffered a 3-1 defeat, which ended their pursuit of the gold medal. However, in the third-place match against Algeria in Sala on August 28, 2019, the team rallied and emerged victorious, earning the bronze medal. Fatima Ezzahra Akif and her teammates showcased their skills and determination throughout the tournament. Later in October 2019, Morocco participated in the UNAF U-20 Women's Tournament held in Tangier. Zineb Redouani and her teammates performed exceptionally well, winning all three matches. They secured a 2-1 victory against Burkina Faso, a 3-1 win against Algeria, and a 2-0 triumph against Tunisia, ultimately clinching the tournament trophy.
Morocco and the covid-19 pandemic
Under the leadership of Lamia Boumehdi, the Moroccan team actively participated in the qualifying matches for the 2020 World Cup in Costa Rica. They began their campaign with a double confrontation against Egypt. In an impressive display of skill and determination, Morocco emerged victorious in both legs, securing a 5-3 win in Cairo on January 17, 2020, and a 3-1 victory in Salé on February 2, 2020. The team was set to face their Algerian counterparts in the next round. However, due to the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, FIFA made the decision to cancel the competition. Consequently, the World Cup was postponed for a year, and the teams had to wait for the rescheduled qualifiers to continue their journey.
Defeat on the edge of the Atlas Lioncelles (2022)
After being exempted from the first round, Morocco commenced their preparations for the
The First Qualification for the World Cup
After failing to qualify for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the Moroccan national team regrouped in November 2022 for a training camp held at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé from November 9 to 15. In February 2023, the team traveled to Conakry to face Guinea in a double friendly match at the Stade du 28 Septembre. In the first leg on February 16, 2023, Morocco emerged victorious with a 3-0 scoreline, thanks to goals from Doha El Madani (double) and Yasmine Zouhir. However, the second match on February 19, 2023, ended in a 3-2 victory for Guinea, with Moroccan goals scored by Dania Boussatta and Yasmine Zouhir once again. From March 13 to 18, 2023, Morocco participated in the second edition of the 2023 UNAF U-20 Women's Tournament held in Tunisia. The team faced Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt. Morocco drew 1-1 against Algeria and secured a last-minute 1-0 victory against Egypt, with a goal from Nora Nouhaili. By finishing first with 7 points on overall goal difference ahead of Algeria, Morocco won the tournament. To prepare for the qualifications for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the team played two friendly matches in Thiès on May 17 and 20, 2023. Both matches ended in defeat for Morocco, with scores of 2-0 and 2-1 respectively. The only Moroccan goal in the second match was scored by Fatima El Ghazouani.
In August 2023, the team faced
Morocco began the 2024 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification on October 8th 2023 with a 4-0 victory over Burkina Faso, thanks to goals from Yasmine Zouhir, Sofia Boussate, Mina El Hamzaoui, and Dania Boussatta. The second leg ended in a 1-1 draw (Moroccan goal by Zina Catherine-Elasri). In late October, the team faced Benin in a friendly double confrontation at the Mohammed VI Complex. Morocco wins the first leg on 26/10/2023 with a score of 2-1, thanks to goals from Ambre Basser-Drunet and Doha El Madani. The Moroccans also prevail in the second leg, this time with a score of 4-2. The Moroccan goals are scored by Nehla Sadiki, Wissal El Assaoui, and Nouhaïla El Montaser (the fourth goal was an own goal).
The following month in El Jadida, the team plays the penultimate round of the qualifications for the 2024 World Cup against Guinea. Morocco wins both legs, the first on November 12th with a score of 3-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Doha El Madani, and the second leg on November 18th with a score of 2-0, featuring goals from Nehla Sadiki and Samya Masnaoui. Then comes the fourth round of the qualifiers, where the team faced Ethiopia. After a 2-0 victory in the first leg on January 13th, 2024 in El Jadida (goals by Yasmine Zouhir and Ambre Basser), Morocco qualifies for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup for the first time in the team's history, despite losing (1-0) in the second leg in Addis Ababa.
Competitive record
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup record
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws* | Losses | GF | GA | ||
2002 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2004 | |||||||||
2006 | |||||||||
2008 | |||||||||
2010 | |||||||||
2012 | |||||||||
2014 | |||||||||
2016 | |||||||||
2018 | |||||||||
2022 | |||||||||
2024 | Qualified | ||||||||
2026 | To be determined | ||||||||
Total | 1/12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualification record
African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 8 | ||||||||
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
2002 | Semifinals | 4th | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
2004 | Round 1 | 5th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
2006 |
Round 2 | 16th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
2008 |
Did not enter | |||||||
2010
| ||||||||
2012 |
Round 1 | 1st | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
2014 |
Round 1 | 16th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
2015 |
Did not enter | |||||||
2018 |
Round 2 | 8th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
2022 |
Round 4 | 8th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 6 |
2024 |
Qualified for World Cup | 1st | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 2 |
Total | 8/11 | 1 Title | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 34 | 32 |
African Games
African Games record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
2003 | did not enter | |||||||
2007 | ||||||||
2011 | ||||||||
2015
| ||||||||
2019 | Bronze Medal | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 7 | |
2023 | to be determined | |||||||
Total | 1/5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 7 |
- 2019 edition of the football tournament was played by the U-20 team.
UNAF U-20 Women's Tournament record
UNAF U-20 Women's Tournament | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances: 1 | ||||||||
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
2019 | Champion | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
2023 | Champion | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
Total | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 |
Fixtures and results
Legend Win Draw Lose Fixture
2023
17 May 2023 UTC ) |
Stadium: Stade Lat-Dior |
20 May 2023 UTC ) |
Stadium: Stade Lat-Dior |
8 October 2023 2024 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament | Morocco | 4–0 | Burkina Faso | El Jadida, Morocco |
17:00 UTC+1 |
|
Report (FRMF) | Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Referee: Asma Chouchane (Tunisia) |
13 October 2023 2024 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament | Burkina Faso | 1–1 | Morocco | El Jadida, Morocco |
17:00 UTC+1 |
|
Report (FRMF) |
|
Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium |
12 November 2023 2024 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament | Morocco | 3–0 | Guinea | El Jadida, Morocco |
17:00 UTC+1 |
|
Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium |
18 November 2023 2024 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament | Guinea | 0–2 | Morocco | El Jadida, Morocco |
16:00 UTC+1 |
|
Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium |
2024
13 January 2024 2024 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament | Morocco | 2–0 | Ethiopia | El Jadida, Morocco |
16:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Referee: Shamirah Nabadda (Uganda) |
21 January 2024 2024 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament | Ethiopia | 1–0 | Morocco | Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa |
15:00 UTC+3 |
|
Report |
Players
Current squad
The following players were named for the xxxx on xxxx.
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Club | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
See also
References
- ^ "Morocco pip Algeria to historic bronze". CAF Online. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ Etchells, Daniel (29 August 2019). "Nigeria beat Cameroon on penalties in women's football final at African Games". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 27 December 2021.