Morocco FIFA Womens World Cup 2023 Preview 🇲🇦🦁

Embarking on their first ever FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer, the Atlas Lionesses head down under with a lot of anticipation ahead of a landmark tournament. Their qualification was sealed in last summer's groundbreaking WAFCON, where they hosted and finished as runners-up to South Africa. Not only are they the first North African country to qualify for a Womens World Cup, but they are also the first Arab country to compete in such a competition so they will be hoping to garner similar support to what their male counterparts received at the World Cup in Qatar. Given their world ranking of 72, which is the second lowest in the whole tournament, expectations may not be too high for Morocco but they will be hoping to cause a few upsets in an attempt to advance from a touch group.

The Coach

Around two and a half years ago, Morocco signalled their intent in making a real impact on women's football by appointing former France international Renald Pedros. The 51-year-old was highly rated after winning the Women's Champions League in back-to-back seasons as coach of Olympique Lyonnais from 2018 to 2020. His first tournament with the Atlas Lionesses was a huge success as he achieved the objective of qualifying for the World Cup and guided his side to 2nd place.

The Squad

Pedros whittled down an initial 28-player squad to 23, with the notable omissions from Morocco's WAFCON tournament being an attacking trio of Imane Saoud, Samya Hassani and Sanaa Mssoudy.

There are several new names on the list which include 19-year-old midfielder Sarah Kassi and 20-year-old attacker Kenza Chapelle, who both play their football in France's top division. They are joined by Club Brugges right winger Sakina Ouzraoui Diki and she has looked very exciting in the recent warm-up games so might take some pressure off the talismanic Fatima Tagnaout on the other side.

In terms of the make-up of the squad, there seems to be a good blend of experienced international players and young players. Pedros has shown that he isn't afraid to give the youth a chance, as seen by centre back Nesryne El Chad starting every game at the WAFCON at just 19 years of age.

Defender Nouhaila Benzina will become the first player to feature at a FIFA World Cup who wears the hijab.

The Key Players

Ghizlane Chebbak - Captain of the Atlas Lionesses, Chebbak is an absolute leader in the centre of midfield, where she is all-action, defensively sound and a maestro on the ball. She is Morocco's all-time top scorer and showed her quality on their road to the WAFCON final last summer. The 32-year-old, who is a 10-time domestic league champion as well as current African Champions League holder with AS FAR, will have to be at the top of her game against some quality midfield operators, especially German sensation Lena Oberdorf.

Fatima Tagnaout - An explosive winger who loves to take on defenders, Tagnaout is a box of tricks on the left side of attack. She plays with personality which is infectious on her teammates and the Moroccan supporters. Also playing with domestic and African champions AS FAR, Tagnaout is much relied upon in chance creation and it will be interesting to see how she fares up against some of the world's best defenders in Australia. This could be the tournament where Tagnaout makes a real name for herself.

Rosella Ayane - Recruited before last year's WAFCON, the English-born forward, who has a Moroccan father and Scottish mother, has made her name in the WSL for Tottenham Hotspur. Ayane is her country's main goal threat and is also brilliant at making intelligent runs to create space for others. She stayed ice-cold to score the winning penalty in the semi-final against Nigeria last summer as well as scoring in the final defeat.

Yasmine Mrabet - An absolute colossus in the heart of defence, Mrabet has been a mainstay for Morocco under Pedros. Playing in Spain's top division for Levante Las Planas, the towering centre-back always seems to be in the right position to intercept and block shots. Her crowning moment for the Atlas Lionesses has to be her winning goal in the WAFCON semi-final against Botswana, which qualified them for the World Cup. Mrabet will be crucial in trying to stop Germany's powerhouse forward Alexandra Popp in the opening game.

The Setup

Reynald Pedros predominantly deploys a 4-2-3-1 but that can change to more of a 4-5-1 against tougher opposition. As seen in recent warm-up matches against Italy and Switzerland, Morocco have been very compact without the ball and don't mind sitting deep in a low block when required. Both games ended in 0-0 shutouts, which gives some hints in how the Frenchman will approach the World Cup.

Experienced goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi of FAR will be between the sticks. She is a very capable shot-stopper who isn't afraid to come off her line and claim high balls into the box, which will be vital in relieving pressure from her defence.

The full-backs will be allowed to venture forward, but only when the time is right and when another player can cover the space left behind. Against Italy, Pedros switched to a back five in the second half so this could be an option for him in specific game states.

Captain Chebbak will be partnered in midfield by Elodie Nakkach, who is excellent at breaking up play and distributing forwards Just in front of them will most likely be another experienced head in Salma Amani, who will be tasked to get close to Ayane and support in attack. New arrival Sakina Ouzraoui Diki looks to have played herself into the starting XI on the right wing with Tagnaout on the other side.

The real concern for Pedros will be his side's lack of goals; Morocco have failed to score in their last five games and the games will only be tougher in the World Cup. The perception is that he recognises that his side don't have the same quality in attack as the opposition they will face, so has focused on being organised and tough to break down. Morocco's male team proved that if you keep games tight and every player knows their role, you can perform above expectations if you take the few chances when they are presented.

Group H Opponents

Morocco have been drawn in a group with Germany, South Korea and Colombia. The interesting quirk with all 4 teams is that each of them finished as runners-up in their respective continental competitions.

With a FIFA world ranking of 2nd, and after their impressive showing in last year's Euros, Germany will be the clear favourites to top the group. 10 out of the 23 player squad were part of the Wolfsburg team that just lost in the final of the Champions League. Captain Alexandra Popp will be difficult to stop in front of goal and Lena Oberdorf will be the conductor in the centre of midfield. The Germans have looked slightly shaky in recent warm-up matches, narrowly beating Vietnam 2-1 and losing 3-2 to Zambia but they are still expected to be one of the main contenders for the whole competition.

Morocco's second match will be against South Korea, who are ranked 17th in the world. Under English head coach Colin Bell, they like to play at a high intensity and possess several technical players that can open up defences. Former Chelsea playmaker Ji So-Yun is their star and if the Atlas Lionesses give her too much space, she will punish them.

The main concern for Bell will be that the majority of his squad lack experience of playing abroad so could become overly-reliant on Ji So-Yun.

Similarly to Morocco, Colombia experienced a brilliant home tournament last summer in the Copa America, losing narrowly to Brazil in the final. Nicknamed The Powerpuff Girls, head coach Nelson Abadia has adopted an exciting style of play for his team but they are known to lack a cutting edge and are wasteful in front of goal. 18-year-old Linda Caicedo is Colombia's biggest talent and having overcome ovarian cancer just a few years ago, she will be looking to spearhead he country to the knockout rounds.

Expectations and Predictions

Considering the Womens World Cup is Morocco's first, it is difficult to expect too much from Reynald Pedros' side. They have come a long way in just a few years and qualification for this tournament has arguably come earlier than expected but that doesn't mean the players will just be happy to be there.

Opening against Germany will be a daunting proposition and realistically, it's hard to see the Atlas Lionesses avoiding defeat. However, if they manage to get some confidence from the performance, regardless of the result, then they will have a great opportunity to attack the games against South Korea and Colombia.

In terms of a prediction, I believe Morocco have the ability to hold their own against South Korea and Colombia and will be able to pick up a draw or even a win against one of them, which would be a big step for such an inexperienced side at the top level. As long as they play with fight and passion and leave the tournament with no regrets, then Morocco will have had a successful World Cup.