Morocco Makes History: First Arab Team to Reach Women’s World Cup Round of 16

The first Arab team to compete in a Women’s World Cup, the Lionesses of the Atlas have achieved a historic qualification for the round of 16. A victory that FIFA celebrates through a photo of midfielder Fatima Tagnaout and goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi, with the caption: "Boundless joy." "Morocco were beaten 6-0 by Germany in their first match and ended up qualifying ahead of the second-ranked team in the world. It’s an incredible achievement and the celebrations reflected its magnitude," FIFA added in a report published on Thursday. The photo is among the "images that defined the group stage" of FIFA.

On Thursday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was present at the Perth Rectangular Stadium to watch the match between Morocco and Colombia, which resulted in a historic (1-0) victory for the Lionesses of the Atlas. At the end of the match, he congratulated Reynald Pedros’ protégées for their feat, particularly the national team defender, Nouhaila Benzina, the first player to play in the World Cup with the veil.

The Lionesses of the Atlas will face France next Tuesday at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide. Novices in the competition, they will seek to secure their ticket for the quarter-finals. As for the Blues, they are aiming for a fourth consecutive qualification for the quarter-finals.