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Morocco national under-23 football team

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Morocco U-23
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Nickname(s)أسود الأطلس
(The Atlas Lions)
AssociationRoyal Moroccan Football Federation
Other affiliationMoroccan National Olympic Committee
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationUNAF (North Africa)
CaptainAbde Ezzalzouli
Home stadiumPrince Moulay Abdellah Stadium
FIFA codeMAR
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First colours
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Second colours
First international
Image Morocco 2–0 Tunisia Image
(Rabat, Morocco; 6 September 1960)
Biggest win
Image Morocco 6–0 Malaysia Image

(Ingolstadt, West Germany; 31 August 1972)

Image Morocco 6–0 Egypt Image
(Nantes, France; 8 August 2024)
Biggest defeat
Hungary Image 6–0 Morocco Image
(Tokyo, Japan; 11 October 1964)
Records for competitive matches only.
Olympic Games
Appearances8 (first in 1964)
Best result3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze medal (2024)[1]
U-23 Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances2 (first in 2011)
Best resultChampion Champions (2023)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place2024 Paris
Africa Cup of Nations
Gold medal – first place2023 Morocco
Silver medal – second place2011 Morocco
Islamic Solidarity Games
Silver medal – second place2005 Saudi Arabia

The Morocco national under-23 football team, also known as the Morocco Olympic football team, represents Morocco in international football competitions such as 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 Royal Moroccan Football Federation.

History

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Summer Olympics (1964–2004)

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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.[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

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During 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–)

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On 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

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Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Voided or Postponed   Fixture

Coaching staff

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Position Name
Head coach Morocco Tarik Sektioui
Assistant coach(es) Morocco Youssouf Hadji
Morocco Fahd El Ouarga
Fitness coach France Grégory Delhomel
Goalkeeping coach Belgium Laurent Deraedt
Technical director Belgium Chris Van Puyvelde
Video analyst France Damien Januel

Players

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Current squad

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The following players have been called up for the friendly matches against Mali and Tanzania on 1 and 5 October 2026.[27]

Caps and goals correct as of 1 October 2026, after the match against Maly.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Yanis Benchaouch (2006-04-10) 10 April 2006 (age 20) 2 0 French Football Federation Red Star
12 1GK Hakim Mesbahi (2005-09-07) 7 September 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Royal Moroccan Football Federation AS FAR
22 1GK Ibrahim Gomis (2005-03-20) 20 March 2005 (age 21) 0 0 French Football Federation Marseille
1GK Aymean el Hani (2007-05-09) 9 May 2007 (age 19) 1 0 Royal Dutch Football Association Ajax
2 2DF Hamza Koutoune (2006-09-17) 17 September 2006 (age 20) 1 0 French Football Federation Nice
3 2DF Youssef Enríquez (2005-10-07) 7 October 2005 (age 21) 3 0 Royal Spanish Football Federation Deportivo Alavés
4 2DF Ismaël Baouf (2006-09-17) 17 September 2006 (age 20) 1 0 Royal Dutch Football Association Cambuur
15 2DF Fouad Zahouani (2006-04-18) 18 April 2006 (age 20) 3 0 Royal Dutch Football Association Ajax
17 2DF Ilyass Mahsoub (2006-05-19) 19 May 2006 (age 20) 0 0 Royal Moroccan Football Federation RS Berkane
20 2DF Mohammed Kebdani (2006-05-13) 13 May 2006 (age 20) 1 0 Portuguese Football Federation Vitória de Guimarães
23 2DF Kaïs Barry (2006-02-08) 8 February 2006 (age 20) 0 0 Royal Belgian Football Association Anderlecht
24 2DF Adam Bakoune (2006-02-06) 6 February 2006 (age 20) 1 0 Italian Football Federation Monza
29 2DF Faissal Al Mazyani (2005-01-18) 18 January 2005 (age 21) 2 0 Royal Dutch Football Association Waalwijk
5 3MF Reda Laalaoui (2005-05-11) 11 May 2005 (age 21) 1 0 Royal Belgian Football Association Westerlo
6 3MF Anas Tajaouart (2005-09-07) 7 September 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Royal Belgian Football Association La Louvière
8 3MF Hossam Essadak (2005-07-30) 30 July 2005 (age 21) 2 0 Saudi Arabian Football Federation Al-Fateh
10 3MF Chamsedin Kouranfal (2005-12-03) 3 December 2005 (age 20) 0 0 French Football Federation Reims
18 3MF Yassine Khalifi (2005-08-09) 9 August 2005 (age 21) 3 0 Royal Belgian Football Association Royal Charleroi
3MF Saad El Haddad (2005-07-24) 24 July 2005 (age 21) 1 0 Croatian Football Federation Rudeš
3MF Rafik El Arguioui (2005-07-31) 31 July 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Royal Dutch Football Association Cambuur
7 4FW Othmane Maamma (2005-10-06) 6 October 2005 (age 21) 1 0 The Football Association Watford
9 4FW Younes El Bahraoui (2005-01-04) 4 January 2005 (age 21) 2 0 Saudi Arabian Football Federation Al-Taawoun
11 4FW Ilias Boumassaoudi (2005-01-14) 14 January 2005 (age 21) 1 0 Royal Dutch Football Association Den Bosch
16 4FW Ilyes Housni (2005-05-14) 14 May 2005 (age 21) 1 0 French Football Federation Nancy
25 4FW Amir Bouhamdi (2008-06-17) 17 June 2008 (age 18) 1 1 Royal Dutch Football Association PSV Eindhoven
26 4FW Elyess Dao (2006-11-20) 20 November 2006 (age 19) 2 0 Royal Belgian Football Association Anderlecht
27 4FW Adam Boayar (2005-10-13) 13 October 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Royal Spanish Football Federation Elche
28 4FW Abdelhamid Maali (2006-03-16) 16 March 2006 (age 20) 1 0 Royal Moroccan Football Federation IR Tangier
4FW Jones El-Abdellaoui (2006-01-12) 12 January 2006 (age 20) 2 0 Royal Spanish Football Federation Celta Vigo

Recent call-ups

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The 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 Latest call-up
DF Ali Maamar (2005-03-23) 23 March 2005 (age 21) 2 0 Belgium Anderlecht v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
DF Amine Chabane (2006-08-15) 15 August 2006 (age 20) 0 0 France Amiens v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
DF Adam Aznou (2006-06-02) 2 June 2006 (age 20) 2 1 England Everton v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
DF Taha Majni (2007-10-11) 11 October 2007 (age 19) 2 0 Morocco UTS Rabat v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
DF Omar Achouitar (2005-05-13) 13 May 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Netherlands Vitesse v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
DF Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal (2006-04-16) 16 April 2006 (age 20) 1 0 France Rennes v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
MF Naïm Byar (2005-02-23) 23 February 2005 (age 21) 1 0 Morocco Wydad AC v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
MF Adam Tahaui (2005-07-21) 21 July 2005 (age 21) 1 0 Netherlands Vitesse v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
MF Abdellah Ouazane (2009-01-15) 15 January 2009 (age 17) 1 0 Netherlands Ajax v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
MF Youssef Hamdaoui (2008-03-20) 20 March 2008 (age 18) 2 0 Belgium Royal Antwerp v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
FW Mouad Dahak (2005-07-22) 22 July 2005 (age 21) 2 1 Morocco Raja CA v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
FW Yusuf Akhamrich (2005-09-05) 5 September 2005 (age 21) 0 0 England Bristol Rovers v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
FW Sami Bouhoudane (2008-01-13) 13 January 2008 (age 18) 1 0 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
FW Ali Houary (2005-08-05) 5 August 2005 (age 21) 1 0 Spain Mirandés v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
FW Yassir Zabiri (2005-02-23) 23 February 2005 (age 21) 1 0 France Rennes v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
FW Ayman Arguigue (2005-05-11) 11 May 2005 (age 21) 0 0 Spain Villarreal v. Image Ivory Coast, 30 March 2026
Notes
  • PRE = Preliminary squad/standby.

Previous squads

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Overage players in Olympic Games

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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

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Olympic Games

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Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Until 1988 See Morocco national football team
Spain 1992Group stage15th301228
United States 1996Did not qualify
Australia 2000Group stage16th300317
Greece 2004Group stage10th311133
China 2008Did not qualify
United Kingdom 2012Group stage11th302123
Brazil 2016Did not qualify
Japan 2020
France 2024Bronze medal3rd6402175
United States 2028To be determined
Australia 2032
TotalBronze medal5/9185492526

U-23 Africa Cup of Nations

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

UNAF U-23 Tournament

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UNAF U-23 Tournament record
Appearances: 3 / 4
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Libya 2006Did not enter
Tunisia 2007Third place3rd211020
Morocco 2010Runners-up2nd320163
Morocco 2011Third place3rd201112
Algeria 2015Cancelled
Total Runners-up 3/4 7 3 2 2 9 5

Islamic Solidarity Games

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Islamic Solidarity Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Saudi Arabia 2005Image Silver Medal2nd522142
Iran 2010Cancelled
Indonesia 2013Image Gold Medal1st430163
Azerbaijan 2017Group stage5th312021
Turkey 2021Group stage5th311154
Saudi Arabia 2025No football tournament held
Total1 title4/4157531710

Honours

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Intercontinental

3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze medal (1): 2024

Continental

1st place, gold medalist(s) Winners (1): 2023
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (1): 2011

Other

2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (1): 2010
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third Place (2): 2007, 2011
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (1): 2005
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (1): 2015

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ↑ "Paris 2024". Archived from the original on 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  2. ↑ Kasraoui, Safaa. "Moroccan Football Returns to Olympic Games After 12 Years of Absence". Morocco World News. p. 1.
  3. ↑ "Olympic Football Finals - Athens 2004". www.goalzz.com. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  4. ↑ "Morocco to host Olympic tourney". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  5. ↑ "Morocco, Egypt chase Olympic spot". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  6. ↑ "Morocco through to Olympic Games". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  7. ↑ "Gabon win first continental title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  8. ↑ Latrech, Oumaima (7 July 2022). "Morocco to Host U23 AFCON Tournament in 2023". Morocco World News. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "CAF unveils the host country of the AFCON U-23 2023". AfrikPage. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Hosts Morocco get Ghana, Congo and Guinea at TotalEnergies U23 AFCON draw". CAF. 5 May 2023.
  11. ↑ "Moroccan U-23 team beats Guinean counterpart 2-1". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-06-24. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ "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.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ "Morocco's U23 team crowned with African Cup of Nations". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-07-08. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ "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.
  19. ↑ Kasraoui, Safaa (10 July 2023). "U-23 AFCON: King Mohammed VI Congratulates Atlas Lions". moroccoworldnews. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  20. ↑ "Tarik Sektioui appointed Morocco's new U23 manager". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  21. ↑ "Olympics football: Crowd trouble sees Morocco's win over Argentina delayed before play resumes". BBC Sport. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ 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.
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ 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.
  27. ↑ "تجمع إعدادي للمنتخب الوطني لأقل من 23 سنة" (in Arabic). لجامعة الملكية المغربية لكرة القدم. 18 September 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
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