Morocco national under-23 football team
The Morocco national under-23 football team, also known as the Morocco Olympic football team, represents Morocco in international football competitions in the Olympic Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except during the Olympic Games where up to three overage players is allowed. The team is controlled by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).
 | |||
| Nickname(s) | أسود الأطلس (Atlas Lions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Royal Moroccan Football Federation | ||
| Other affiliation | Moroccan National Olympic Committee | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | UNAF (North Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Tarik Sektioui | ||
| Captain | Abde Ezzalzouli | ||
| Home stadium | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | MAR | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Morocco 2–0 Tunisia  (Rabat, Morocco; 6 September 1960) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Morocco 6–0 Malaysia  (Ingolstadt, West Germany; 31 August 1972) Morocco 6–0 Egypt  (Nantes, France; 8 August 2024) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
Hungary  6–0 Morocco (Tokyo, Japan; 11 October 1964) Records for competitive matches only. | |||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Appearances | 8 (first in 1964) | ||
| Best result |  Bronze medalists (2024[1]) | ||
| U-23 Africa Cup of Nations | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2011) | ||
| Best result |  Champions (2023) | ||
History
editSummer Olympics (1964–2004)
editMorocco's first appearance was in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In a group that consisted of three teams following North Korea's withdrawal. They suffered a heavy 0-6 defeat to Hungary - Morocco's all-time heaviest defeat to date -, then lost 1-3 to Yugoslavia and were eliminated.
Their second appearance was supposed to be during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico but Morocco refused to allow its team to play against Israel in Group C due to political issues.[2] They were eventually replaced by Ghana which lost 2-3 on aggregate to Morocco in the last qualifying round.
In the 1972 edition in Munich, Morocco reached the second round as runners-up in their group with 3 points following a goalless draw against the United States, a resounding 6-0 win against Malaysia and a 0-3 loss to hosts West Germany. In the second round, The Atlas Lions lost all three games against Denmark, Poland and the Soviet Union. However, it was the best performance of the Atlas Lions at the Olympic football tournament until 2024.
Morocco came extremely close to reaching the quarter-finals in the 2004 Summer Olympics, narrowly missing out on goals scored that favored Costa Rica. Morocco were 2-1 ahead in their final group game against already-qualified Iraq thanks to goals scored by Bouabid Bouden and Salaheddine Aqqal. However, in the other game, Costa Rica's Pablo Brenes scored the fourth goal in added time to seal a 4-2 win over Portugal and qualification at Morocco's expense.[3]
First Continental Final
editDuring the inaugural 2011 CAF U-23 Championship held in Morocco.[4] The host nation coached by Pim Verbeek, recorded narrow 1-0 victories against both Nigeria and Algeria, before losing to Senegal.[5] In the semi-finals, Morocco successfully secured a spot in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London by defeating Egypt 3-2 in a tense game which also saw Abdelaziz Barrada scoring the fastest goal in the history of the tournament to date after just 30 seconds. This marked the return of the Atlas Lions to the Olympic football tournament having missed out on qualifying in 2008.[6] However, they faced a setback when they suffered a 2-1 defeat against the surprising contender, Gabon, in the final held at the Marrakech Stadium.[7]
Golden generation (2022–)
editOn 7 July 2022, Morocco were awarded the hosting rights of the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, marking the return of the U-23 team to the competition for the first time in 12 years.[8][9][10] Their campaign kicked off on a positive note with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Guinea,[11] followed by a resounding 5-1 triumph over Ghana, emerging as group winners and securing a place in the semifinals with one game to spare.[12][13] They went on to win the semi-final against Mali and qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games.[14][15] They defeated Egypt 2-1 in the final to win their first ever continental title.[16][17] The team was congratulated by King Mohammed VI for their achievement.[18][19]
On 29 February 2024, Tarik Sektioui was appointed head coach of the men's Olympic squad by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.[20] In Paris 2024, Morocco debuted in group B with a 2–1 victory against Argentina,[21] followed by a 2–1 defeat against Ukraine and a 3–0 victory against Iraq.[22][23] Topping their group with six points ahead of Argentina on the head-to-head record, Morocco thus reached the knockout stage for the first time since 1972. They defeated the United States 4-0 in the quarterfinals, reaching the semifinals for the first time ever.[24] In the semifinal, Morocco lost 2–1 against Spain.[25] They then won 6–0 against Egypt in the third place to win the bronze medal.[26]
Results and fixtures
edit- Legend
Win Draw Lose Voided or Postponed Fixture
2023
edit| 7 September Friendly | Morocco | 1–0 | | Fez, Morocco |
| 20:00 UTC+1 |
|
Stadium: Fez Stadium Referee: Sow Sandigui (Senegal) |
| 11 September Friendly | Morocco | Cancelled | | Fez, Morocco |
| Stadium: Fez Stadium |
| 12 October Friendly | Morocco | 0–1 | | Casablanca, Morocco |
| Report |
|
Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium |
| 16 October Friendly | Morocco | 3–1 | | Casablanca, Morocco |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium |
| 16 November Friendly | Morocco | 0–3 | | San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Pinatar Arena |
| 21 November Friendly | Morocco | 1–0 | | San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain |
| 15:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Pinatar Arena |
2024
edit| 4 June Friendly | Morocco | 2–2 | | Rabat, Morocco |
| Kechta Maouhoub |
Report | Smets Dwomoh |
Stadium: Moulay Hassan Stadium |
| 10 June Friendly | Morocco | Cancelled | | Rabat, Morocco |
| Stadium: Moulay Hassan Stadium |
| 24 July 2024 Summer Olympics Group B | Argentina | 1–2 | | Saint-Étienne, France |
| 15:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard Attendance: 26,717 Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden) |
| 27 July 2024 Summer Olympics Group B | Ukraine | 2–1 | | Saint-Étienne, France |
| 17:00 | Report | Stadium: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard Attendance: 28,655 Referee: Saíd Martínez (Honduras) |
| 30 July 2024 Summer Olympics Group B | Morocco | 3–0 | | Nice, France |
| 17:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Allianz Riviera Attendance: 19,300 Referee: Ramon Abatti (Brazil) |
| 2 August 2024 Summer Olympics QF | Morocco | 4–0 | | Paris, France |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Parc des Princes Attendance: 42,868 Referee: Yael Falcón (Argentina) |
| 5 August 2024 Summer Olympics SF | Morocco | 1–2 | | Marseille, France |
| 18:00 | Report | Stadium: Stade de Marseille Attendance: 59,882 Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan) |
| 8 August 2024 Summer Olympics Bronze | Egypt | 0–6 | | Nantes, France |
| 17:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire Attendance: 27,391 Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway) |
Coaching staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | |
| Assistant coach(es) | |
| Fitness coach | |
| Goalkeeping coach | |
| Technical director | |
| Video analyst |
Players
editCurrent squad
edit- The following players were called up for the 2024 Olympic Games.[27] Ayman El Wafi withdrew on 9 July 2024 after his club refused to release him, and was replaced by Bilal El Ouadghiri.[28]
* Overage player.
Recent call-ups
editThe following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club[a] | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Walid Hasbi | 7 January 2004 | 4 | 0 | v. | |
| GK | Alaa Bellaarouch | 1 February 2002 | 8 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Ayoub Amraoui | 14 May 2004 | 12 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Chadi Riad | 17 June 2003 | 6 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Mohamed Jaouab | 14 May 2002 | 4 | 1 | v. | |
| DF | Ayman El Wafi | 11 May 2004 | 11 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Omar El Hilali | 12 September 2003 | 4 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Adam Aznou | 2 June 2006 | 1 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Ismael Saibari | 28 January 2001 | 11 | 4 | v. | |
| MF | Mohamed Nassoh | 26 January 2003 | 5 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Amine Souane | 17 September 2001 | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Yanis Begraoui | 4 July 2001 | 14 | 4 | v. | |
| FW | Amine El Ouazzani | 15 July 2001 | 13 | 2 | v. | |
| FW | Ibrahim Salah | 30 August 2001 | 9 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Salim El Jebari | 5 February 2004 | 5 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Montasser Lahtimi | 1 April 2001 | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Tawfik Bentayeb | 14 January 2002 | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| ||||||
Previous squads
edit|
Football at the Summer Olympics squads |
U-23 Africa Cup of Nations squads |
Football at the Islamic Solidarity Games
|
Overage players in Olympic Games
edit| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Houssaine Ouchla (DF) | Adel Chbouki (MF) | Salaheddine Bassir (FW) | |
| Nadir Lamyaghri (GK) | Otmane El Assas (MF) | Bouchaib El Moubarki (FW) | |
| Houssine Kharja (MF) | Nordin Amrabat (FW) | did not select | |
| Munir Mohamedi (GK) | Achraf Hakimi (DF) | Soufiane Rahimi (FW) |
Competitive record
editOlympic Games
edit| Olympic Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| Until 1988 | See Morocco national football team | |||||||
| Group stage | 15th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Group stage | 16th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |
| Group stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Group stage | 11th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Bronze medal | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 5 | |
| To be determined | ||||||||
| Total | Bronze medal | 5/9 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 25 | 26 |
- Prior to the Barcelona 1992 campaign, the Football at the Summer Olympics was open to full senior national teams.
U-23 Africa Cup of Nations
edit| U-23 Africa Cup of Nations record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 2 | ||||||||
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| Runners-up | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | ||
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Champions | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | ||
| Total | 2/4 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 10 | |
UNAF U-23 Tournament
edit| UNAF U-23 Tournament record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 3 / 4 | ||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Third place | 3rd | |||||||
| Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | |
| Third place | 3rd | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Postponed | ||||||||
Islamic Solidarity Games
edit| Islamic Solidarity Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 2nd | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||
| Cancelled | ||||||||
| 1st | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | ||
| Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
| To be determined | ||||||||
| Total | 1 title | 4/4 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 10 |
Honours
editIntercontinental
Bronze medal (1): 2024
Continental
Other
Runners-up (1): 2005
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ The club listed is the club for which the player last played a competitive match prior to the call-up.
References
edit- ^ https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/results/football/men/fnl-000200-- [bare URL]
- ^ Kasraoui, Safaa. "Moroccan Football Returns to Olympic Games After 12 Years of Absence". Morocco World News. p. 1.
- ^ "Olympic Football Finals - Athens 2004". www.goalzz.com. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Morocco to host Olympic tourney". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Morocco, Egypt chase Olympic spot". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Morocco through to Olympic Games". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Gabon win first continental title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ Latrech, Oumaima (7 July 2022). "Morocco to Host U23 AFCON Tournament in 2023". Morocco World News. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "CAF unveils the host country of the AFCON U-23 2023". AfrikPage. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "Hosts Morocco get Ghana, Congo and Guinea at TotalEnergies U23 AFCON draw". CAF. 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Moroccan U-23 team beats Guinean counterpart 2-1". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-06-24. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "TotalEnergies U23 AFCON: Morocco secure semi-final berth with impressive win over Ghana | Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ "Morocco dominates Ghana with 5-1 victory, advances to U23 Africa Cup of Nations Semi-Finals". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-06-27. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ "CAN U23: Morocco join Egypt in the final and qualify for the Olympic Games". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
- ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Morocco triumphs over Mali to reach final, seal Olympics berth | Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
- ^ "Morocco's U23 team crowned with African Cup of Nations". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-07-08. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
- ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Morocco win maiden TotalEnergies U-23 Africa Cup of Nations title with victory over Egypt | Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
- ^ "King Mohammed VI congratulates national U23 team for their victory, qualification to Paris '24 Olympics". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-07-09. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ Kasraoui, Safaa. "U-23 AFCON: King Mohammed VI Congratulates Atlas Lions". moroccoworldnews. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ "Tarik Sektioui appointed Morocco's new U23 manager". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ "Olympics football: Crowd trouble sees Morocco's win over Argentina delayed before play resumes". BBC Sport. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2024-07-27). "Morocco loses to Ukraine 2-1 in second Olympics football match". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2024-07-30). "Morocco beats Iraq 3-0 in last Olympics group stage game, qualifying for quarterfinals". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
- ^ Dure, Beau (2024-08-02). "Morocco 4-0 USA: Paris Olympics men's soccer quarter-finals – as it happened". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2024-08-05). "Morocco's Olympic dream ends with 2-1 defeat to Spain". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2024-08-08). "Morocco's Olympian football team win historic bronze with 6-0 Egypt sweep". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ "السيد طارق السكتيوي يكشف عن قائمة اللاعبين المتوجه إلى باريس" [Mr. Tariq Al-Saktiwi reveals the list of players heading to Paris] (in Arabic). Royal Moroccan Football Federation. 4 July 2024.
- ^ "JO Paris 2024/Maroc U23 : Ayman El Wafi annonce son forfait" (in French). Hespress. 9 July 2024.