Morocco A' national football team
| Nickname(s) | أُسُودُ الأَطلَس (The Atlas Lions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | UNAF (North Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Tarik Sektioui | ||
| Captain | Mohamed Rabie Hrimat | ||
| Most caps | Abdelilah Hafidi (25) | ||
| Top scorer | Ayoub El Kaabi (14)[1] | ||
| Home stadium | Various | ||
| FIFA code | MAR | ||
| |||
| African Nations Championship | |||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 2014) | ||
| Best result | Champions (2018, 2020, 2024) | ||
The Morocco A' national football team (Arabic: منتخب المغرب لكرة القدم للمحليين) is the local national football team of Morocco and is open only to domestic league players.[2] They have won the African Nations Championship a record three times (2018, 2020 and 2024).
The primary men's Morocco national football team contains expatriate players and represents Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations.
History
The Local Atlas Lions were eliminated in the qualifiers for the first two editions of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in 2009 and 2011, before qualifying for the first time to the CHAN in the 2014 edition, which was hosted in South Africa instead of Libya, who were initially supposed to organize the only continental national competition for local players.
During their first participation in the competition, the Moroccans, led by coach Hassan Benaabicha (who, in replacement of Rachid Taoussi, was asked to manage the team just a few days before the start of the final tournament), did not make it past the second round. Rachid Taoussi had been behind the qualification of the Moroccans to the competition, but did not have the chance to go further than that, as he was replaced by Benaabicha, who had done well in various regional and international competitions at the time with other lower categories Moroccan national teams.
The first two matches for the Moroccans in the tournament were 0–0 and 1–1 draws against Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso, respectively. It was only after the third match that the Local Atlas Lions could ensure qualification to the second round, after beating Uganda 3–1. In the quarter-finals, Morocco were beaten surprisingly by Nigeria 3–4, after leading 3–0 in the first half.
In 2016, it was another Moroccan coach, with the famous name of Mohamed “El General” Fakhir, who led the Moroccans to qualification for the second consecutive time at the CHAN, which was organized in Rwanda. However, this was even worse than their previous tournament run, with the Atlas Lions eliminated in the first round after finishing third in their group.
The team's final match, an astonishing 4–1 win against host country Rwanda, could not prevent the Moroccans' elimination; they had already suffered a scoreless draw against Gabon and a 0–1 defeat against the Ivory Coast in their first two matches.[3]
However, Moroccan fans could enjoy not only the hosting of the CHAN in the kingdom two years later in 2018,[4] but also a tournament victory for their local national team, which became the third North African country to win the competition's title, after Tunisia, winners in 2011, and Libya in 2014.[5] The road was not easy for Moroccan players, who were coached by Jamal Sellami in 2018, as they had to face strong, experienced African National teams, especially in the semi-final and final matches. In the group phase, the path was easier, with a 4–0 victory against Mauritania followed by a second 3–1 win against Guinea, before a scoreless draw against Sudan in the final group match. The Local Atlas Lions finished top of their group with 7 points out of 9 to advance to the quarter-finals, where they beat Namibia 2–0 in Casablanca.[6][7]
On 31 January 2018, Al Mountakhab made history, as they qualified for the final match of the CHAN for the first time in their history after beating 2014 title winners Libya 3–1 at the Mohamed V stadium in Casablanca.[8] The final match was a flurry of Moroccan goals. Four in total were scored, by Zakaria Hadraf in both the 44th and 61st minutes, Walid El Karti in the 64th minute, as well as Ayoub El Kaabi (top scorer of the competition) in the 73rd minute, to win a first CHAN title for the kingdom.[9][10]
In February 2021, Morocco won their second title after a 2–0 win over Mali in the final in Cameroon.[11]
In the 2024 African Nations Championship, Morocco qualified for the knockout stages after placing second in the group stage, winning against Angola 2–0, losing to Kenya 1–0, and defeating both Zambia and DR Congo 3–1.[12][13] In the quarter-final, they defeated co-host Tanzania 1–0.[14] They went on to defeat Senegal on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the semi-final and later overcame Madagascar 3–2 in the final.[15][16]
In the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup, Morocco topped their group to qualify for the knockout stages.[17] In the quarter-final, they defeated Syria 1–0.[18] They then progressed to the final after a 3–0 victory over the United Arab Emirates in the semi-final, before winning the tournament by defeating Jordan 3–2 in the final.[19][20]
African Nations Championship record
| African Nations Championship record | African Nations Championship qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 2009 | Did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||||||||
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2014 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Group stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2018 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2020 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Withdrew[21] | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Champions | 1st | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 6 | Qualified by default | ||||||
| Total | 3 Titles | 5/8 | 26 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 55 | 19 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 27 | 14 | |
Recent results and forthcoming fixtures
2025
| 2 December 2025 FIFA Arab Cup Group B | Morocco | 3–1 | Comoros | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 15:00 UTC+3 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium Attendance: 10,246 Referee: Ma Ning (China) |
| 5 December 2025 FIFA Arab Cup Group B | Oman | 0–0 | Morocco | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 17:30 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium: Education City Stadium Attendance: 37,996 Referee: Juan Gabriel Benítez (Paraguay) |
| 8 December 2025 FIFA Arab Cup Group B | Morocco | 1–0 | Saudi Arabia | Lusail, Qatar |
| 20:00 UTC+3 | El Berkaoui 11' | Report | Stadium: Lusail Stadium Attendance: 78,131 Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala) |
| 11 December 2025 FIFA Arab Cup Quarter-finals | Morocco | 1–0 | Syria | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 17:30 UTC+3 | Azaro 79' | Report | Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium Attendance: 39,167 Referee: Cristián Garay (Chile) |
| 15 December 2025 FIFA Arab Cup Semi-finals | Morocco | 3–0 | United Arab Emirates | Al Rayyan, Qatar |
| 17:30 UTC+3 | Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium |
Honours and awards
Honours
Awards
African Nations Championship Best player
African Nations Championship Top scorer
African Nations Championship Best goalkeeper
FIFA Arab Cup Best player
FIFA Arab Cup Top scorer
FIFA Arab Cup Best goalkeeper
Squad
The following 23 players were called up for the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup to be held from 1 to 18 December 2025.[27]
Caps and goals are correct as of 7 December 2025, after the match against Saudi Arabia.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Salaheddine Chihab | 23 February 1993 | 1 | 0 | MAS Fès |
| 12 | GK | Mehdi Benabid | 24 January 1998 | 2 | 0 | Wydad Casablanca |
| 22 | GK | Rachid Ghanimi | 25 April 2001 | 0 | 0 | FUS Rabat |
| 2 | DF | Mohamed Moufid | 12 January 2000 | 2 | 0 | Wydad Casablanca |
| 3 | DF | Anas Bach | 10 February 1998 | 3 | 0 | AS FAR |
| 4 | DF | Soufiane Bouftini | 3 May 1994 | 10 | 3 | Al Wasl |
| 5 | DF | Mahmoud Bentayg | 30 October 1999 | 1 | 0 | Zamalek |
| 7 | DF | Mohamed Boulacsoute | 23 September 1998 | 3 | 0 | Raja Casablanca |
| 15 | DF | Marouane Louadni | 21 December 1994 | 2 | 0 | AS FAR |
| 18 | DF | Marwane Saâdane | 17 January 1992 | 3 | 0 | Al-Fateh |
| 19 | DF | Hamza El Moussaoui | 7 April 1993 | 9 | 1 | RS Berkane |
| 6 | MF | Mohamed Rabie Hrimat | 17 August 1994 | 3 | 0 | AS FAR |
| 8 | MF | Sabir Bougrine | 10 July 1996 | 7 | 2 | Raja Casablanca |
| 10 | MF | Amine Zouhzouh | 11 August 2000 | 4 | 0 | Al-Wakrah |
| 13 | MF | Walid El Karti | 23 July 1994 | 23 | 3 | Pyramids |
| 14 | MF | Oussama Tannane | 23 March 1994 | 12 | 2 | Umm-Salal |
| 16 | MF | Aschraf El Mahdioui | 24 May 1996 | 3 | 0 | Al-Taawoun |
| 9 | FW | Abderrazak Hamdallah | 17 December 1990 | 27 | 7 | Al-Shabab |
| 11 | FW | Walid Azaro | 11 June 1995 | 7 | 0 | Ajman |
| 17 | FW | Mounir Chouiar | 23 January 1999 | 0 | 0 | RS Berkane |
| 20 | FW | Tarik Tissoudali | 2 April 1993 | 14 | 3 | Khor Fakkan |
| 21 | FW | Karim El Berkaoui | 29 March 1995 | 3 | 2 | Al Dhafra |
| 23 | FW | Hamza Hannouri | 22 January 1998 | 0 | 0 | Wydad Casablanca |
Manager: Tarik Sektioui
Previous squads
- African Nations Championship squads
- FIFA Arab Cup squads
References
- ^ 12 goals in the Chan
- ^ "Morocco A' National football Team official page".
- ^ "Morocco Results". ESPN. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Morocco replace Kenya as CHAN hosts". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Morocco to host 2018 African Nations Championship amid Kenya's problems". MARCA in English. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Bencharki caps dream CHAN start for Morocco". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ Mumbere, Daniel (18 January 2018). "CHAN 2018: Morocco, Sudan qualify for the quarter finals". Africanews. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Hosts Morocco through to CHAN final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "CHAN : CAN AMMOUTA BRING HOME TITLE N°2 ?".
- ^ "Hosts Morocco crowned CHAN champions". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "CHAN: Morocco sink Mali to become first team to retain title". BBC Sport. 7 February 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (14 August 2025). "Morocco secures CHAN quarterfinal spot with 3-1 win over Zambia". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (17 August 2025). "Morocco qualifies for CHAN quarterfinals after beating DR Congo". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (22 August 2025). "Morocco advances to CHAN 2024 semifinals with 1-0 victory over Tanzania". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (26 August 2025). "Morocco reaches CHAN final after penalty shootout victory over Senegal". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (30 August 2025). "Morocco clinches third CHAN title after victory over Madagascar in Nairobi". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (8 December 2025). "Late Saudi pressure fails as Morocco book quarterfinal spot". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (11 December 2025). "Morocco qualify to Arab Cup semi finals, beating Syria 1-0". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (15 December 2025). "Morocco reaches Arab Cup final beating UAE 3-0". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (18 December 2025). "Morocco crowned Arab Cup champions after breathless extra time final". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ "Holders Morocco withdraw from CHAN amid Algeria tensions". BBC Sport. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ a b "How TotalEnergies CAF CHAN catapulted Morocco's El Kaabi to global stardom". CAF Online. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ^ a b "soufiane-rahimi-best-player-of-total-chan-cameroon-2020". soufiane-rahimi-best-player-of-total-chan-cameroon-2020. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (30 August 2025). "Morocco's Hrimat Named Best Player, Lemlioui Top Scorer at CHAN-2024". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ^ "Lamlioui clinches Puma Top Scorer award as Morocco seal CHAN 2024 crown". Lamlioui clinches Puma Top Scorer award as Morocco seal CHAN 2024 crown. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ^ a b MASAITI, Amira EL (18 December 2025). "Benabid and Hrimat crowned standout performers of Arab Cup 2025". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ "Coupe Arabe de la FIFA Qatar-2025: Tarik Sektioui dévoile la liste finale des joueurs" [2025 FIFA Arab Cup: Tarik Sektioui released the final list of players] (in French). Royal Moroccan Football Federation. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.