Morocco women advance to third round of 2028 Olympic Games qualifiers

Morocco’s women’s national team have advanced to the third round of the African qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Games after Congo withdrew from the competition.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said FIFA had formally confirmed Morocco’s progression after the Congolese Football Federation withdrew its women’s team from the qualifying campaign.

The decision means the Atlas Lionesses will not have to play their scheduled second-round tie and will instead face the winner of the two-legged meeting between Nigeria and Comoros in the next round.

Morocco move closer to Olympic debut

The third round of qualifying is scheduled to take place between 23 February and 6 March 2027.

A total of 16 teams will compete across two-legged ties, with eight sides progressing to the fourth round.

The qualification campaign will then continue through two further knockout rounds, with only the final two teams securing Africa’s places at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

For Morocco, the campaign represents another opportunity to reach the women’s Olympic football tournament for the first time.

Atlas Lionesses came close in Paris 2024 qualifying

Morocco narrowly missed out on qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics after reaching the final African playoff against Zambia.

The Atlas Lionesses won the first leg 2-1 away from home but Zambia overturned the deficit with a 2-0 victory after extra time in Rabat to claim the Olympic place.

Morocco will now hope to go one step further in the latest qualifying campaign and secure a historic Olympic appearance.

Morocco continue to make progress

The Olympic campaign comes during a period of continued progress for Moroccan women’s football.

At the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, Morocco reached the semi-finals and secured qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil after beating South Africa 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

Their continental campaign eventually ended with a penalty shootout defeat by Cameroon.

Qualification for Los Angeles would provide another major milestone for a side that has now reached consecutive World Cups but is still seeking its first appearance at the Olympic women’s football tournament.

The Los Angeles 2028 women’s football competition will also be the biggest in Olympic history, expanding from 12 to 16 participating nations.