Morocco target stronger women’s football pipeline as 2026 WAFCON takes place at home

Morocco’s football federation has announced plans to create a dedicated women’s football unit as the Atlas Lionesses compete in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.

The new department will operate within the National Technical Directorate and is intended to strengthen the long-term development of the women’s game, rather than focus solely on the performance of the senior national team.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) approved the initiative at a meeting held on Monday under the chairmanship of Fouzi Lekjaa. The decision is part of a wider effort to improve training, expand the number of players available to national-team coaches and raise the competitiveness of Moroccan women’s football.

The president of the National Women’s Football League presented a positive review of the most recent seasons during the meeting. Her assessment highlighted the results achieved by Moroccan clubs and the various national teams, as well as the gradual growth in participation across the women’s game.

Morocco has been reshaping its women’s football structure since 2020. The professionalisation of competitions, improvements to their organisation and greater support for clubs have helped the country close part of the gap with Africa’s most established football nations.

That progress has also been reflected by the Atlas Lionesses. Morocco have reached the final of the past two editions of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and are now regarded as one of the leading national teams on the continent.

The FRMF plans to continue the move towards a more professional model through to the end of 2026. A key priority will be to improve the support and supervision available to clubs, while giving greater importance to the development of young female players.

The national leagues are also expected to gain full administrative autonomy from the end of December. The change is designed to make decision-making more efficient and allow each competition to be managed in a way that better reflects its particular requirements.

The newly announced technical unit will have responsibility for coordinating player identification, development programmes and the work of female and male coaches involved in women’s football. Its central task will be to broaden the pool of players from which Morocco’s national teams can be selected.

The timing of the announcement, during the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, underlines the federation’s wider message. The progress and results of the first team are not intended to obscure the need to build a stronger pathway for the next generation.

Morocco’s recent achievements have established the Atlas Lionesses among Africa’s leading sides, but the federation’s latest plans are aimed at ensuring that success is supported by a deeper and more sustainable football structure.

Louis Mukoma Fargues