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Morocco national under-17 football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Morocco women's national under-17 football team.

The Morocco national under-17 football team is the national under-17 football team of Morocco and is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The team competes in the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, UNAF U-17 Tournament, Arab Cup U-17 and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every two years.

History

On 8 September 2022, Morocco lost the 2022 Arab Cup, after losing in penalties to Algeria.[1]

In the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco had a successful run, securing a spot in the knockout stages by finishing atop their group. They demonstrated their prowess by winning two matches and suffering a single defeat.[2][3][4] In the subsequent match against Algeria, the Moroccan team emerged triumphant with a remarkable 3-0 victory, solidifying their qualification for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[5][6] Moving on to the semi-finals, they faced off against Mali in an intense battle that ended with a nail-biting 6-5 victory for Morocco on penalties, thanks to a heroic save by goalkeeper Taha Benrhozil.[7][8] Ultimately, Morocco finished the tournament in second place after a closely contested final, ending with a 2-1 loss.[9][10] However, their commendable conduct throughout the competition earned them the fair play award, a testament to their sportsmanship.[11]

In the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Morocco qualified to the knockout stages after finishing top in the group stages winning two matches and losing one.[12][13] In the Round of 16, they defeated Iran on penalties.[14] They were eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing to Mali 1-0, a remeet after the 2023 AFCON U-17 took place in Algeria.[15]

In the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco qualified to the knockout stages after finishing top in the group stages winning two matches and drawing one.[16] They defeated South Africa 3-1 in the Round of 16.[17] In the Semi-final, Morocco drew 0-0 with Ivory Coast and secured victory through a penalty shootout.[18] In the Final, Morocco defeated Mali in penalties to claim their first ever continental title.[19]

Tournament records

CAF U-16 and U-17 World Cup Qualifiers record

CAF U-16 and U-17 World Cup Qualifiers
Appearances: 1 / 5
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
1985 did not participate
1987
1989 Second Round 4 2 1 1 3 2
1991 Disqualified
1993 did not participate
Total 1/5 Second Round 4 2 1 1 3 2
  • Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Current squad

The following players were called up to the squad for the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.[20]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Club
1 1GK Chouaib Bellaarouch (2008-02-10)10 February 2008 (aged 17) Morocco Mohammed VI Football Academy
2 2DF Hamza Bouhadi (2008-10-07)7 October 2008 (aged 16) Morocco FUS Rabat
3 2DF Ilyas El Arbaoui (2008-05-04)4 May 2008 (aged 16) Spain Athletic Club
4 2DF Joseph Bellahsen (2008-12-28)28 December 2008 (aged 16) Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach
5 2DF Nassim El Massoudi (2008-02-19)19 February 2008 (aged 17) Germany Bayer 04 Leverkusen
6 3MF Elyes Saïdi (2008-12-15)15 December 2008 (aged 16) France Auxerre
7 4FW Ibrahim Rabbaj (2009-10-15)15 October 2009 (aged 15) England Chelsea
8 3MF Abdellah Ouazane (2009-01-15)15 January 2009 (aged 16) Netherlands Ajax FC
9 4FW Ziyad Baha (2009-08-10)10 August 2009 (aged 15) Spain Real Betis
10 3MF Amine Ouahabi (2008-07-04)4 July 2008 (aged 16) Belgium KV Mechelen
11 4FW Ilies Belmokhtar (2008-05-12)12 May 2008 (aged 16) France AS Monaco
12 1GK Yassine Laghirisi (2008-02-24)24 February 2008 (aged 17) France FC Rouen
13 2DF Driss Ait Cheikh (2008-07-17)17 July 2008 (aged 16) Morocco Chippo Football Club
14 2DF Ilyas Hidaoui (2008-04-13)13 April 2008 (aged 16) Morocco Mohammed VI Football Academy
15 2DF Ahmed Mouhoub (2008-01-04)4 January 2008 (aged 17) Morocco FUS Rabat
16 3MF Adam Soudi (2009-03-18)18 March 2009 (aged 16) France Toulouse FC
17 4FW Adam Jout (2008-01-23)23 January 2008 (aged 17) Morocco Mohammed VI Football Academy
18 4FW Zakari El Khalfioui (2008-02-27)27 February 2008 (aged 17) France Ajaccio
19 4FW Alí El Failali (2008-06-12)12 June 2008 (aged 16) Spain Málaga
20 3MF Ismail El Aoud (2009-07-01)1 July 2009 (aged 15) Spain Valencia
21 2DF Adam Alioui (2009-06-29)29 June 2009 (aged 15) France Lyon
22 1GK Soufiane Elidrisi (2008-02-22)22 February 2008 (aged 17) Morocco Mohammed VI Football Academy
23 2DF Moncef Zekri (2008-09-20)20 September 2008 (aged 16) Belgium KV Mechelen
24 3MF Luis Velilles (2009-04-28)28 April 2009 (aged 15) Spain Real Betis
25 3MF Amine Amgar (2008-10-13)13 October 2008 (aged 16) Netherlands MVV Maastricht
26 3MF Mohamed Mounssef (2008-06-12)12 June 2008 (aged 16) Morocco Wydad AC

Honours

Winners (1): 2025
Runners-up (1): 2023
Runners-up (1): 2022
Third Place (1): 2012
Winners (4): 2007, 2011, 2018, 2022
Runners-up (3): 2009, 2014, 2018
Third Place (4): 2008, 2009, 2012, 2015

Previous squads

Head-to-head record

The following table shows Morocco's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Opponent Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
 Croatia 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 100.00
 Ecuador 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 000.00
 Indonesia 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 100.00
 Iran 1 0 1 0 1 1 +0 000.00
 Ivory Coast 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 000.00
 Mali 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 000.00
 Panama 2 2 0 0 6 2 +4 100.00
 Uzbekistan 1 0 1 0 0 0 +0 000.00
Total 9 4 2 3 14 10 +4 044.44


References

  1. ^ "Morocco's U17 national team misses Arab Cup title, losing to Algeria". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  2. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "TotalEnergies U17 AFCON: Morocco edge Nigeria to make quarters | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  3. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "TotalEnergies U17 AFCON: Second half resurgence lifts Morocco over South Africa | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  4. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "TotalEnergies U17 AFCON: Zambia down Morocco in Annaba but exit | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  5. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Morocco stun Algeria in Constantine, earn U17 World Cup slot | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  6. ^ "Morocco U-17 team qualifies for World Cup with 3-0 win over Algeria". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-05-10. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  7. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Benrhozil heroics send Morocco to Totalenergies U17 AFCON final | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  8. ^ "Morocco's U-17 football team reaches African Cup final in thrilling penalty shootout against Mali". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-05-14. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  9. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Sawane scores winner as Senegal clinch TotalEnergies U17 AFCON title | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  10. ^ "Morocco's under 17 Team loses to Senegal in the final of the African Cup of Nations". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  11. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Burkina Faso's Alio named TotalEnergies U17 AFCON MVP | TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  12. ^ "Morocco qualified for U-17 World Cup final 16". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  13. ^ "Barry scores brace as Mali beat Mexico 5-0 to reach U17 World Cup quarter-final". sportsbrief.com. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  14. ^ "Morocco qualified for U-17 World Cup final 16". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  15. ^ "Morocco's U17 eliminated from World Cup". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  16. ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-04-06). "Morocco tops Tanzania 3-0 to reach U17 Africa Cup quarterfinals, clinches World Cup spot". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
  17. ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-04-10). "Morocco U-17 Advances to Africa Cup Semi-Finals After 3-1 Victory Over South Africa". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
  18. ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-04-15). "Morocco U-17 book spot in AFCON final after penalty win over Côte d'Ivoire". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
  19. ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2025-04-19). "Morocco clinches historic U-17 Africa Cup of Nations title". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2025-04-20.
  20. ^ "Morocco U17 Squad".