Morocco Makes History, Advances to Women’s World Cup Round of 16

By defeating Colombia, Morocco finished second in Group H with 6 points. Colombia, for its part, takes first place while Germany, two-time champion of the tournament, is eliminated after a draw against South Korea. After their victory in Perth, the Moroccan players and the technical staff gathered on the field to watch the end of the Germany-South Korea match which was being played simultaneously in Brisbane.

"We were praying while we watched the match. After, it was a total explosion of joy," said midfielder Anissa Lahmari, author of the goal against Colombia that propelled the Moroccan team into the round of 16. This qualification of Morocco for the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup is a first. The Lionesses of the Atlas make history after a difficult start to the tournament. They were corrected by Germany (0-6) in their first match, but managed to bounce back with two wins against South Korea (1-0) and Colombia.

Like the Atlas Lions who reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, becoming the first African and Arab team to reach this level of the competition, the Moroccan players have also just written their name in the history of the Women’s World Cup as the first African and Arab team to qualify for the round of 16. The Lionesses of the Atlas have the support of their fans. "Thank you to the supporters for their support. Congratulations to the girls and we will continue on this momentum," said Reynald Pedros, coach of Morocco, after the victory against Colombia.

"It was an intense and very strategic match. We lost because of a mistake we made in the penalty area," regrets Nelson Abadía, coach of Colombia, for his part. In the round of 16, Morocco, second in Group H, will face France, first in Group F, on Tuesday in Adelaide. The same day in Melbourne, Colombia, first in Group H, will cross swords with Jamaica, second in Group F.