Morocco Women appoint Eric Blahic after Jorge Vilda’s surprise departure

The Morocco Football Association has ended Jorge Vilda’s three-year spell as head coach of the women’s national team and appointed Frenchman Eric Blahic as his replacement.

The federation announced the change without giving a reason for Vilda’s departure. The Spaniard had overseen a historic period for Morocco, guiding the team to the last 16 of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Morocco became the first Arab country to reach the knockout stages of the Women’s World Cup. Their campaign ended with a defeat by France in the last 16.

Vilda’s exit comes with Blahic set to take charge immediately. His first matches will be two friendlies against Uzbekistan in the Moroccan capital on 9 and 12 October.

The federation also published the squad selected by Blahic for the two fixtures, describing him as the new head coach of the Morocco Women’s National Team.

Morocco were fourth at the most recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, held in July. They had been runners-up in the previous two editions but lost their semi-final to Cameroon before suffering defeat in the third-place match.

Despite missing out on the final, Morocco secured qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.