A deep dive into Morocco women’s national under-17 football team and The Amazing Atlas Lionesses of Morocco.

Paul | December 1, 2023 | Morocco, Sports | No Comments

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

Facing challenging beginnings, the Morocco women’s national football team officially debuted in March 2016 with a doubleheader against Ghana in the African U-17 Women’s World Cup qualification. Guided by Fatima Tagnaout and Sanaâ Mssoudy, who would later become key figures in the team, Morocco encountered setbacks in both matches. The first leg concluded in a 4-0 defeat in Rabat, followed by a 6-0 loss in Accra during the second leg. The team’s quest for qualification to the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup ended with elimination by South Africa, marked by a 5-1 loss in Salé and a 1-0 defeat in Pretoria.

In their pursuit of a spot in the 2020 World Cup, the national team engaged in the African qualifiers. They secured a convincing 7-0 victory in the first leg against Djibouti in Djibouti and replicated their success with another 7-0 win in the second leg in Salé, propelling them forward. Additionally, they achieved a 1-0 first-leg triumph against Botswana in Gaborone, but the return leg was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the competition faced cancellation, preventing the completion of the qualifiers as originally planned. Consequently, the qualifying tournament was postponed until 2022, signifying a challenging yet resilient journey for the Morocco women’s national football team.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Club
1	GK	Louisa Derbali	29 November 2005 (aged 16)	Borussia Mönchengladbach
12	GK	Wissal Titah	28 September 2005 (aged 17)	Chabab Atlas Khénifra
16	GK	Ameerah Maamry	22 May 2006 (aged 16)	Racing Louisville FC

2	DF	Hajar Said	22 May 2005 (aged 17)	Najah Souss Agadir
3	DF	Dania Boussatta	16 February 2005 (aged 17)	AFC DWS
4	DF	Nadia Benassou	4 February 2005 (aged 17)	FC Vendenheim
8	DF	Wissal El-Assaoui	26 July 2005 (aged 17)	Chabab Atlas Khénifra
10	DF	Djennah Cherif	10 January 2006 (aged 16)	Feyenoord Rotterdam
13	DF	Dania Mrabti	13 February 2005 (aged 17)	Excelsior
20	DF	Fatima El-Ghazouani	11 May 2005 (aged 17)	US Quevilly-Rouen

5	MF	Hiba Karami	1 June 2005 (aged 17)	FUS Rabat
6	MF	Lina Aich	27 January 2006 (aged 16)	Stade Reims
9	MF	Samya Masnaoui	16 September 2005 (aged 17)	AFC DWS
15	MF	Houda El-Mestour	12 March 2005 (aged 17)	AS FAR
18	MF	Ambre Basser	12 September 2005 (aged 17)	FC Girondins Bordeaux
19	MF	Mina El-Hamzaoui	15 November 2005 (aged 16)	RC Strasbourg
21	MF	Iman El-Hannachi	18 May 2005 (aged 17)	Tottenham Hotspur FCW

7	FW	Kenza Laksiri	7 June 2006 (aged 16)	RSC Anderlecht
11	FW	Doha El-Madani	20 October 2005 (aged 16)	Étoile Avenir
14	FW	Kamilia Tayebi	15 February 2005 (aged 17)	FC Mulhouse
17	FW	Yasmine Zouhir	16 July 2005 (aged 17)	AS Saint-Étienne

The Amazing Atlas Lionesses of Morocco.

The Morocco women’s national football team, known as منتخب المغرب لكرة القدم للسيدات in Arabic and Équipe du Maroc féminine de football in French, represents Morocco on the international stage in women’s football. The team is overseen by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, and their inaugural international match took place in 1998 during the third Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

While they have participated in the FIFA Women’s World Cup once, a significant milestone was achieved in 2023 when they made history by qualifying for the knockout stages. Securing the second position in the group stages, their journey in the tournament was notable, but unfortunately, they faced elimination in the Round of 16 against France.

Morocco’s traditional rivals in women’s football primarily include Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt.

The Morocco women’s national football team has been known or nicknamed as the “Atlas Lionesses.