The fairy tale journey Moroccan women’s team was on came to an end on Tuesday when it lost to a dominant France. But the Atlas Lionesses have no reason to drop their heads, as their run to reach the round of 16 in the FIFA women’s World Cup was nothing but historic. Morocco became the first Arab nation to play in the knockout stage and also fielded Noulhaila Benzina, who became the first hijab-wearing player to take part in the game.
The African Arab nation is riding a high tide of football. Less than a year ago, it became the first African, and Arab, nation to reach the semifinal of a FIFA men’s World Cup, where it overcame former champion Spain and fan favourite Portugal on its way, only to be stopped by, coincidentally, France. Now with the women’s team going through the group stage ahead of Germany, which thrashed it 6-0 in their opening game, it is fair to say the Moroccan spring of football has begun.
Both teams found themselves carrying the hopes of the African continent and the Arab world, and both have succeeded in not disappointing them. Moroccan fans did their best to stand with the players who made them proud on the global stage. The hashtag ‘the impossible is not moroccan’, and ‘dima maghrib’, meaning ‘always Morocco’ were trending on social media before the round of 16 clash. Although it resulted in heart break, the Atlas Lionesses and Lions have proved that Morocco can make the impossible happen.
The Gist
The success of Moroccan women can be attributed to their domestic leagues where the situation is far better than the rest of Arab and African countries
The players of Moroccan academies have the same access to all facilities as the men have
Morocco has been on the global stage of football for quite a long time and has made the occassional ripple. In 1986 the men’s team became the first African nation to go past the group stage in a World Cup, the same feat its women’s counterpart has achieved now. Even though it doesn’t have any major silverware to show, it was for a long time a force to reckon inside Africa and is now widening its reputation.
Morocco is also preparing a bid to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup with its European neighbours Spain and Portugal. It has previously unsuccessfully attempted to host the prestigious event five times, the most recent of which was thwarted by U.S. Mexico and Canada for the 2026 edition.
The success of Moroccan women can be attributed to their domestic leagues where the situation is far better than the rest of Arab and African countries. Morocco is the only Arab nation with a two-tier professional league for women. The players of Moroccan academies have the same access to all facilities as the men have. Qatar, which hosted the 2022 men’s World Cup is pouring money to develop its men’s team while the women’s team is neglected. The last official match Qatar women played was at the West Asian Football Federation’s Women’s Championship in 2014. There is no mention of the Qatar women’s team on the website of Qatar football association nor is it listed in FIFA rankings.
Jordan made moves to establish its women’s team on the global stage by hosting the 2016 U-17 women’s World Cup and the 2018 AFC women’s Asia Cup, but has since vanished. Saudi Arabia is trying to catch up to Morocco.
The Saudi push
Women in Saudi were allowed to spectate games in stadiums only in 2017, but since then women’s football has seen an exponential growth, with the state heavily investing to make up for the lost time. It launched its official women’s league in 2020 and its national team received a FIFA ranking in 2023. It has made qualifying for the World Cup its next target.
The women’s World Cup is not just a stage for sporting battles, and can often spiral into disagreements on gender equality, like the 2019 feud between American superstar Megan Rapinoe and then President Donald Trump, or Brazilian star Marta’s statement wearing blood-red lipstick on ground. With elements of struggles for gender equality to be found in the undercurrents of each tournament, the 2023 edition saw the Jamaican national team having to resort to crowdfunding to raise money to attend the tournament.
In June FIFPRO, a global players’ union released a report underlining disparities during the qualification stage of the tournament. It says that 29 per cent of players have not been paid for taking part in the qualification stage, and only 40 per cent consider themselves professionals.
The report also points out the lack of or insufficient facilities and safeguards for the players. Fiftyfour per cent of players did not receive medical examinations prior to the games. Gym and recovery facilities were sub-par or non-existent while stadiums were below standard.
“In highlighting these conditions and the status of players across the globe, FIFPRO firmly calls on the industry to take a closer look at the qualification processes in each of the six confederations,” it says in the report.
While the tournament is running smoothly above ground, such disparities and struggles leading up to it keep gender equality in football far away. It is an uneven path, made ragged by societal norms, but teams around the world are slowly but surely trudging forward. Morocco and Saudi are among them, and hoping their neighbours will follow suit.
