Morocco women's national football team
The Morocco women's national football team (, ) represents Morocco in international women's football and is managed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The team played its first international match in 1998, as part of the third Women's Africa Cup of Nations. They have participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup once. They made history in 2023, when they managed to qualify to the knock-out stages after placing second in the group stages before they fell short in the Round of 16 by France. The traditional rivals of Morocco are mainly Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. History On 26 April 2006, Morocco made their first ever final in the 2006 Arab Women's Championship, defeating Egypt 4–2 in the semi-final. They lost the final 1–0 against Algeria. 2020s On 22 February 2020, Morocco lionesses managed to win the 2020 UNAF Women's Cup after defeating Algeria 2–0 to top the final standings. After hiatus and lack of achievement, the Women's AFCON was expanded to 12 teams, starting from 2020, but due to COVID-19 pandemic, the first edition was held in Morocco 2022 instead. Using this home advantage, Morocco restarted its women's football structure, rebuilt its women's team that has long been neglected. With greater interest, Morocco was able to create history by reaching the semi-finals in their home soil. With this achievement, Morocco made a history as the first Arab country to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup, debuting in 2023. Morocco went on to make another historic chapter as the first North African and Arab country to participate in the final of a continental tournament by beating African powerhouse and three-times defending champions Nigeria on penalties. However, Morocco could not finish its dream in the final after losing to an experienced South African side, whose two goals crushed the Moroccan dream to win the title. In their first ever FIFA Women's World Cup, Morocco qualified to the Knockout-stages after placing second in their group, losing their first match 6–0 to Germany and winning both their second and third match 1–0 respectively against South Korea and Colombia. Thus, becoming the lowest ranked nation to qualify for the Knock-out stages. They ended their journey in the Round of 16, after losing 4–0 to France. On 12 October 2023, Spanish coach Jorge Vilda was announced as the new head coach of the Moroccan women's team. Nicknames The Morocco women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Atlas Lionesses". Home stadium Morocco's home matches were held at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, managed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The stadium served as the home ground for AS FAR and frequently hosted matches for the men's team. Situated in Rabat, Morocco, this iconic venue has been the stage for numerous significant tournaments. Among these, the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations stands out as a significant event, where Morocco showcased their prowess by playing all their matches at this stadium and even reached the final. Though they lost to South Africa in