Morocco national under-23 football team

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).

Morocco Olympic football team (U-23)
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Lions de l'Atlas
(Atlas Lions)
AssociationRoyal Moroccan Football Federation
Other affiliationMoroccan National Olympic Committee
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationUNAF (North Africa)
Head coachIssame Charaï
CaptainAbde Ezzalzouli
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeMAR
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Morocco 2 – 0 Tunisia 
(Rabat, Morocco; September 6, 1960)
Biggest win
 Morocco 6 – 0 Malaysia 
(Ingolstadt, Germany; August 31, 1972)
Biggest defeat
 Hungary 6 – 0 Morocco 
(Tokyo, Japan; October 11, 1964)
Records for competitive matches only.
Olympic Games
Appearances8 (first in 1964)
Best resultSecond Round (1972)
U-23 Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances2 (first in 2011)
Best resultChampions (2023)

History

Morocco'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. 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 remains the best performance of the Atlas Lions at the Olympic football tournament to date.

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.

During the inaugural 2011 CAF U-23 Championship held in Morocco. The host nation coached by Pim Verbeek, recorded narrow victories against heavy favourites Nigeria and Algeria before losing to Senegal. 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 (as of 2023) after 30 seconds. This marked the return of the Atlas Lions to the Olympic football tournament having missed out on qualifying in 2008. 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.

First continental title

On 7th 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.[1][2][3] Their campaign kicked off on a positive note with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Guinea,[4] 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.[5][6] They went on to win the semi-final against Mali and qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games.[7][8] They defeated Egypt 2-1 in the final to win their first ever continental title.[9][10] The team was congratulated by King Mohammed VI for their achievement.[11][12]

Results and fixtures

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Voided or Postponed   Fixture

2023

22 March 2023 Friendly Morocco  2–3  Ivory Coast Rabat, Morocco
  • El Ouahdi 16'
  • Saibari 40'
Stadium: Stade Moulay Abdellah
Attendance: 0
24 March 2023 Friendly Morocco  2–0  Togo Rabat, Morocco
Report Stadium: Stade Moulay Abdellah
Attendance: 0
27 March 2023 Friendly Morocco  3–0  Uzbekistan Rabat, Morocco
Stadium: Stade Moulay Hassan
Attendance: 0
16 June 2023 Friendly Morocco  4–1  Mauritania Rabat, Morocco
Stadium: Stade Moulay Abdellah
Attendance: 0
20 June 2023 Friendly Morocco  3–1  Zambia Rabat, Morocco
  • Siankombo 71'
Stadium: Stade Moulay Abdellah
Attendance: 0
24 June 2023 2023 U-23 AFCON GS Morocco  2–1  Guinea Rabat, Morocco
21:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Stade Moulay Abdellah
Referee: Omar Abdulkadir Artan (Somalia)
27 June 2023 2023 U-23 AFCON GS Morocco  5–1  Ghana Rabat, Morocco
21:00 UTC+1
Report
  • Adams 43'
Stadium: Stade Moulay Abdellah
Referee: Patrice Mebiame (Gabon)
30 June 2023 2023 U-23 AFCON GS Congo  0–1  Morocco Rabat, Morocco
21:00 UTC+1 Report Taha 7' Stadium: Stade Moulay Abdellah
Referee: Mahmoud Nagi (Egypt)
4 July 2023 2023 U-23 AFCON SF Morocco  2–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
 Mali Rabat, Morocco
21:00 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: Stade Moulay Abdellah
Referee: Pierre Ghislain Atcho (Gabon)
Penalties
8 July 2023 2023 U-23 AFCON Final Morocco  2–1 (a.e.t.)  Egypt Rabat, Morocco
Report
  • Saber 10'
Stadium: Stade Moulay Abdellah
Referee: Peter Waweru (Kenya)
7 September 2023 Friendly Morocco  1–0  Brazil Fez, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1 Stadium: Fez Stadium
Referee: Sow Sandigui (Senegal)
11 September 2023 Friendly Morocco  Cancelled  Brazil Fez, Morocco
Stadium: Fez Stadium
12 October 2023 Friendly Morocco  0–1  Iraq Casablanca, Morocco
Report Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium
16 October 2023 Friendly Morocco  3–1  Dominican Republic Casablanca, Morocco
Report
  • Gómez 36'
Stadium: Père Jégo Stadium

Competitive record

Olympic Games record

Olympic Games
Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA
Until 1988 See Morocco national football team
Spain 1992Round 115301228
United States 1996did not qualify
Australia 2000Round 116300317
Greece 2004Round 110311133
China 2008did not qualify
United Kingdom 2012Round 111302123
Brazil 2016did not qualify
Japan 2020
France 2024Qualified
United States 2028to be determined
Australia 2032
TotalRound 15/912138821

U-23 Africa Cup of Nations

U-23 Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances: 2
Year Round GP W D L GS GA
Morocco 2011Runners-up530265
Senegal 2015did not qualify
Egypt 2019
Morocco 2023Champions5410125
Total2/4107121810

UNAF U-23 Tournament

UNAF U-23 Tournament
Appearances: 3 / 4
Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA
Libya 2006--------
Tunisia 20073rd Place3
Morocco 2010Runners-up2320163
Morocco 20113rd Place3201112
Algeria 2015Postponed

Islamic Solidarity Games

Football at the Islamic Solidarity Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Saudi Arabia 2005 Silver Medal2nd522142
Iran 2010Cancelled
Indonesia 2013 Gold Medal1st430163
Azerbaijan 2017Group stage5th312021
Turkey 2021Group stage5th311154
Cameroon 2025TBD
Total1 title4/4157531710

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Belgium Issame Charaï
Assistant coach Morocco Youssouf Hadji
Morocco Fahd El Ouarga
Goalkeeping coach Belgium Laurent Deraedt
Fitness coach France Grégory Delhomel
Video Analyst France Damien Januel
Technical director Belgium Chris Van Puyvelde

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations from 24 June to 8 July 2023 in  Morocco.

Coach: Issame Charaï

The final squad was announced on 9 June 2023.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Club
1 1GK Alaa Bellaarouch (2002-02-01)1 February 2002 (aged 21) France Racing Strasbourg B
2 2DF Omar El Hilali (2003-09-12)12 September 2003 (aged 19) Spain Espanyol Barcelona
3 2DF Chadi Riad (2003-06-17)17 June 2003 (aged 19) Spain FC Barcelona
4 2DF Redouane Halhal (2003-03-05)5 March 2003 (aged 20) France HSC Montpellier B
5 2DF Ayman El Wafi (2004-05-11)11 May 2004 (aged 19) Switzerland FC Lugano
6 3MF Benjamin Bouchouari (2001-11-13)13 November 2001 (aged 21) France AS Saint-Étienne
7 4FW Couhaib Driouech (2002-04-17)17 April 2002 (aged 21) Netherlands Excelsior Rotterdam
8 3MF Ismael Saibari (2001-01-28)28 January 2001 (aged 22) Netherlands PSV Eindhoven
9 4FW Amine El Ouazzani (2001-07-15)15 July 2001 (aged 21) France EA Guingamp
10 4FW Ibrahim Salah (2001-08-30)30 August 2001 (aged 21) France Stade Rennais FC
11 4FW Zakaria El Ouahdi (2001-12-31)31 December 2001 (aged 21) Belgium RWD Molenbeek
12 1GK Elias Mago (2004-03-23)23 March 2004 (aged 19) Belgium Standard Liège
13 4FW Yanis Begraoui (2001-07-04)4 July 2001 (aged 21) France FC Toulouse
14 3MF Oussama Targhalline (2002-05-20)20 May 2002 (aged 21) France AC Le Havre
15 2DF Mehdi Boukamir (2004-01-26)26 January 2004 (aged 19) Belgium RSC Charleroi
16 4FW Abde Ezzalzouli (captain) (2001-12-25)25 December 2001 (aged 21) Spain FC Barcelona
17 3MF Oussama El Azzouzi (2001-05-29)29 May 2001 (aged 22) Belgium Union SG
18 2DF Ayoub Amraoui (2004-05-14)14 May 2004 (aged 19) France OGC Nice
19 2DF Zakaria Labib (2003-02-28)28 February 2003 (aged 20) Morocco Raja Club Athletic
20 4FW Hamza Igamane (2002-11-02)2 November 2002 (aged 20) Morocco AS FAR
21 4FW Abde Raihani (2004-02-03)3 February 2004 (aged 19) Spain Atlético de Madrid
22 1GK Rachid Ghanimi (2001-04-25)25 April 2001 (aged 22) Morocco Rapide Oued Zem
23 3MF Bilal El Khannouss (2004-05-10)10 May 2004 (aged 19) Belgium KRC Genk
24 3MF Amir Richardson (2002-01-24)24 January 2002 (aged 21) France Stade Reims
25 4FW Younes Taha (2002-11-27)27 November 2002 (aged 20) Netherlands FC Twente
26 2DF Akram Nakach (2002-04-07)7 April 2002 (aged 21) Morocco Union Touarga
27 1GK Hakim Mesbahi (2003-12-19)19 December 2003 (aged 19) Morocco AS FAR

Previous squads

Overage players in Olympic Games

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

Honours

Winners (1): 2023
Runners-up (1): 2011
Runners-up (1): 2010
Third Place (2): 2007, 2011
Runners-up (1): 2005

See also

References

  1. Latrech, Oumaima (7 July 2022). "Morocco to Host U23 AFCON Tournament in 2023". Morocco World News. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  2. "CAF unveils the host country of the AFCON U-23 2023". AfrikPage. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  3. "Hosts Morocco get Ghana, Congo and Guinea at TotalEnergies U23 AFCON draw". CAF. 5 May 2023.
  4. "Moroccan U-23 team beats Guinean counterpart 2-1". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-06-24. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  5. 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.
  6. "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.
  7. "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.
  8. 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.
  9. "Morocco's U23 team crowned with African Cup of Nations". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-07-08. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  10. 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.
  11. "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.
  12. Kasraoui, Safaa. "U-23 AFCON: King Mohammed VI Congratulates Atlas Lions". moroccoworldnews. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.