2026 Women’s U17 World Cup: Morocco U17 Women reach last 16 on home soil

Morocco’s Under-17 women’s national team have qualified for the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, securing a place in the knockout stage of the tournament being hosted in their home country.

The Atlas Lionesses advanced after guaranteeing a finish among the four best third-placed teams in the group stage, keeping Morocco’s hopes alive in the global competition.

Morocco secured qualification with a goal difference of -2, finishing ahead of Venezuela and Canada, who collected the same number of points but recorded inferior goal differences of -3 and -5 respectively.

The achievement represents another step forward for Morocco’s young players as they continue their campaign against some of the most promising emerging talents in women’s football.

Atlas Lionesses Await Knockout Opponents

Morocco will discover their Round of 16 opponents after all group-stage matches have been completed, when the remaining qualification places and knockout fixtures are confirmed.

Poland have also secured a place in the last 16 as one of the best third-placed teams, having finished with a goal difference of zero.

The final two places available to the best third-placed teams will be decided after the conclusion of matches in Groups E and F.

How the World Cup Qualification Works

Under the tournament format, the top two teams from each group qualify automatically for the Round of 16.

They are joined by the four best third-placed teams across the groups, completing the 16-team knockout stage.