FIFA WWC Morocco: Player Profiles

Get to all the players that have been selected to represent Morocco at the Women's World Cup later this summer.

Goalkeepers

Khadija Er-Rmichi 

Date of birth: 16/09/1989 
Club: AS FAR (Morocco)

Born in the city of Khouribga, Er-Rmichi always dreamed of having a career in sport. As a teenager, she decided to do athletics – a sport in which Moroccan women have thrived since the 1980s – instead of football, which was considered more masculine. 

But at 17 she decided to switch the track for the football field, joining Youssoufia Berrechid, where her career took off. Four years later, aged 21, she joined CM Laâyoune, 1,000km to the south of her birthplace, where she won both the league and the cup. She joined AS FAR in 2012, where she has played with distinction, winning 10 league titles and, in 2022, her first African Champions League title.

Assia Zouhair

Date of birth: 29/04/1991 
Club: Chabab Mohammedia (Morocco)

Although not first choice in goal, Zouhair has made herself known as one of the most outspoken female footballers in Morocco. Whenever she has faced mockery or misogyny, she has the perfect response. “The difference between us and the people who say ‘Go to the kitchen’ is that we can actually play football and be very good in the kitchen.” 

Passionate about football, Zouhair is adamant that she will always stay involved in the game. “I thought I would leave football by 30,” she said. “I’m 31 years old and I’m still in it. Even after my career as a player is done, I would like to be a coach.”

Inès Arouaissa

Date of birth: 30/06/2001 
Club: AS Cannes (France)

Born to Moroccan parents in Dijon, France, Arouaissa is one of the youngest players in the Moroccan team and made her international debut in June 2021 in a 3–0 friendly home win over Mali. Arouaissa is used to being surrounded by older teammates. She joined Olympique Marseille at only 15 years of age and played in both the reserve and first team. 

After gaining enough experience, Arouaissa went to Cannes in 2022, where she reached the French Cup last 16 and the Mediterranean Cup final, saving two penalties in the semi-final??? shootout. She didn’t play in the final and watched on as Cannes lost on penalties to Olympique Marseille’s reserve team.

Defenders

Hanane Aït El Haj

Date of birth: 02/11/1994 
Club: AS FAR (Morocco)

Hanane Aït El Haj started playing football with the boys on the streets of Agadir in the south of Morocco, which was at first looked on disapprovingly by her family. But as Aït El Haj developed her skills her parents’ stance softened. They became fully supportive of their daughter’s career choice when they visited a national team camp and Aït El Haj’s determination to juggle football with school also helped. 

“At first, I also struggled with my studies,” says Aït El Haj. “But I graduated from high school and then followed management studies.” She is also one of the few players to join a Spanish club, Zaragoza, where she spent two years before returning to Morocco with AS FAR, with whom she won the African Champions League in 2022.

Nouhaila Benzina

Date of birth: 11/05/1994 
Club: AS FAR (Morocco)

Although being the only member of the Moroccan team to wear a hijab, Benzina never had anything but staunch support from her father. “He was the one that first took me to a football club and encouraged me to play,” she says. 

Benzina was so talented that she soon progressed through the ranks until she became a full international in 2018. Benzina didn’t play during the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations but her bold personality meant she was always a source of motivation and encouragement from the bench. Her motto: “Always work hard and set goals that are far.”

Siham Boukhami

Date of birth: 01/02/1992 
Club: AS FAR (Morocco)

Born in Casablanca, Boukhami started her career at Nassim SC in one of the poorest areas of the city. She then joined Atlas 05 in F’kih Ben Salah, 180km to the southeast, a small but pioneering women’s football club that helped her develop her skills and work ethic. After playing for CM Laâyoune, Siham joined AS FAR, winning four league titles and two domestic cups. 

She was named in the combined best XI for the 2022 African Champions League season and recently honoured in the neighbourhood where she first played football as a child. “It’s not easy to reach the World Cup, but that has always been my biggest dream,” she says. “We will honour the Moroccan flag and the people of Morocco.”

Rkia Mazrouai 

Date of birth: 11/05/2001 
Club: RCS Charleroi (Belgium)

Born in the Netherlands, the defender was a Dutch youth international before switching to Morocco in 2020. “I got an invitation to join the Under-20 team training. The atmosphere was incredible and was nothing like my experience in the Netherlands. 

I love playing for Morocco, because it makes my parents and my grandparents proud,” says Mazrouai. She played for PSV Eindhoven before joining KAA Gent and then Charleroi. Her aim remains clear: “I want to join a big club in France like PSG or Lyon and have a great career”. 

Yasmin Mrabet

Date of birth: 08/081999 
Club: Levante Las Planas (Spain)

Scoring the goal that took Morocco to their first World Cup was a happy ending to perhaps the biggest challenge in Yasmin Mrabet’s footballing career. Two years earlier, the defender suffered serious injuries back-to-back that almost ended her career. Born to a Moroccan father and an English mother, Mrabet started by playing in her native area of San Blas in Madrid. 

She then joined Madrid CFF where she developed over a number of years, representing Spain at Under-19 level before switching to Morocco in 2021. “It’s a very important moment for me, my name is on this shirt," she said shortly after her debut. "For my grandparents, for my parents, for my whole Moroccan family." After a difficult time trying to recover from injury at Rayo Vallecano, she now thrives at Levante Las Planas where she is the captain. 

Zineb Redouani

Date of birth: 12/06/2000 
Club: AS FAR (Morocco)

The defender is one of the most popular players in the national team. Her enthusiastic and determined post-match interviews have also made her a media favourite. A general sigh of relief was expressed by many Moroccans when Redouani posted a picture of herself with a big smile on her face from the hospital where she was transported after receiving a blow to the head during the Africa Cup of Nations final in 2022. 

The Moroccan public’s love for her reached its peak when she was filmed with her little nephew on her shoulders, celebrating the World Cup qualification on the pitch of the Moulay Abdellah stadium.

Nesryne El Chad

Date of birth: 13/03/2003 
Club: Lille LOSC (France)

Her goal against Uganda in the 2022 Afcon group stage gave the defender the distinction of being Morocco’s youngest ever scorer in the tournament’s history. She says she “doesn’t have the word ‘quit’ in her vocabulary” but is still studying kinesitherapy “just in case” she needs an alternative career. 

El Chad was born in Saint-Etienne and made her professional breakthrough at Saint-Étienne Féminines. She joined Lille after the Africa Cup of Nations and helped them win the Division Two title and promotion to the French top flight next season.

Ghizlane Chhiri

Date of birth: 11/09/1994 
Club: AS FAR (Morocco)

While at club level she almost always plays with little to no crowd, Chhiri was stunned by the huge number of Morocco supporters who filled the stadium during the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations. “When I heard that people were outside trying to find tickets, while the stadium was already full, I felt so proud,” she says. 

Originally from Agadir, Ghizlane was greeted with music and the cheers of the whole neighbourhood after qualifying for the World Cup. Among the congratulatory notes she received, she was most proud of the ones that came from children. “There were so many messages from little girls who wanted to know where to sign up to play football and show their talent,” she says. “I hope they work hard and get the chance to be at the top.”

Sabah Seghir

Date of birth: 27/09/2000 
Club: Napoli (Italy)

One of the most talented players in the Morocco team. After a short stint at French second-tier side Saint-Denis, Seghir moved away from her native Paris to join Sampdoria. After the 2022 Afcon, Seghir went even further south to play for Napoli, winning Italy’s Serie B championship. But Seghir, whose father taught her to play football, holds a special place for Morocco in her heart. “Every summer I go to Morocco to spend time with the family,” she says. 

A bond similar to what she feels within the national team, especially when facing adversity. “When we lost the [Afcon] final [to South Africa], I was amazed by how we were received at our hotel. There was music and everybody was so proud of us. I understood that getting to the final was really big and winning it was just a detail.”

Midfielders

Ghizlane Chebbak

Date of birth: 22/08/1990 
Club: AS FAR (Morocco)

Football is in her DNA. The daughter of the late Larbi Chebbak, who played for Union Sidi Kacem and the men’s Moroccan national team, Ghizlane has a career many players could only dream of. She has won 10 domestic titles, finished as the league’s top scorer on six occasions, been an Afcon finalist, won the African Champions League, is Morocco’s record scorer and also has the honour of captaining her nation at the World Cup. 

Put simply, she is a role model, the face of this Morocco team and an excellent heiress of her father’s legacy. “On the day of the opening match [in Afcon]), I experienced things that I had never experienced before; a stadium full of fans and football lovers. Most people knew my father. So I did my best to pay tribute to him and to make my country proud.”

Najat Badri

Date of birth: 19/05/1988 
Club: AS FAR (Morocco)

She is one of the most experienced and accomplished players in Morocco. In addition to her immense talent that she says was “inspired by Zinedine Zidane”, Badri knew from her “first game” that she was destined to play football. Despite the initial opposition from her family, Badri could not be deterred from playing the sport she loves. 

“When I got married, my husband was so encouraging,” she says. After she gave birth to her daughter, Malak, Badri initially struggled to juggle the responsibilities of being a new mum and a footballer. “But since then, I got back on my feet,” she says. And she won an African Champions League medal to prove it.

Anissa Lahmari

Date of birth: 17/021997 
Club: EA Guingamp (France)

There was so much expectation when Lahmari scored on her Champions League debut for Paris Saint-Germain in 2015 in Glasgow. But the attacking midfielder never quite made it in the French capital. After loan spells, Lahmari finally settled at Guingamp in 2020. 

But the most interesting part of Lahmari's career to date was her decision to play for Morocco, a couple of weeks after attending the Algeria team’s camp. Born to an Algerian father and a Moroccan mother, Anissa also played for France at youth level. Every time she posts on social media, keyboard warriors are there to ignite discussion about the Algerian-Moroccan rivalry.

Sarah Kassi

Date of birth: 09/09/2003 
Club: FC Fleury 91 (France)

At the age of just 19, Sarah Kassi is already a key player for FC Fleury 91. She played 20 games last season, helping the club from a Paris suburb to reach a creditable fourth place in the league behind Lyon, PSG and Paris FC. 

Although she didn’t take part in the Afcon campaign, Kassi is ambitious and wants to play her part in Moroccan football’s rapid rise. “I hope we can do something similar to the boys in Qatar and maybe reach the semi-final,” she says. She is another versatile squad member who can be deployed in midfield or defence. “We want to show everybody that Moroccan football is developing and will do our best.”

Elodie Nakkah

Date of birth: 20/01/1995 
Club: Servette FCCF (Switzerland)

From playing with the boys at the age of eight to being a regular in the Uefa Champions League and now playing at the World Cup with Morocco, Nakkach has seen it all throughout her career. When she was 22, she was playing for Soyaux, an amateur top-flight club in France, managing to find the balance between her regular 35 hours-a-week job and playing against teams such as PSG and Lyon at the weekend. 

Nakkach, who has developed her own website, felt let down by France’s national teams after a series of trials, “knowing that most of the other girls stopped their careers”. Since then, she has chosen to play for Morocco and never looked back.

Forwards

Salma Amani

Date of birth: 28/11/1989 
Club: FC Metz (France)

One of the most experienced players in the Morocco team. She played her first game with the Atlas Lionesses back in 2012 and contributed massively to advocating for women’s football in the country. Born in Rabat, Salma moved to Brest when she was a toddler and began playing football with her twin brother, Salam. 

She spent 10 years at Guingamp where she also served as a gendarme in the police force. “I loved my job, but I wanted to be fully professional in football,” she says. Amani played with the France military team and took part in the 2011 World Games. 

Rosella Ayane

Date of birth: 16/03/1996 
Club: Tottenham (England)

Born to a Moroccan father and a Scottish mother, Rosella Ayane is very popular as she was one of the key players in the historic run to the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations final. When she scored the winning penalty in the semi-final against Nigeria, Rosella stood still as if she was frozen by shock. 

“What you saw was completely raw,” she says. “I was so focused on scoring my penalty, I was so close-minded on that particular moment that I kind of blocked out everything else [but] I’m not that cool.” Rosella’s choice to play for Morocco was “a no-brainer”.

Anissa Belkasmi

Date of birth: 09/07/2002 
Club: US Orléans (France)

Another squad member who was raised in a football family. Her father, Rachid, and her brother Yassir have both pursued careers in football. “When I was six, I used to go to my brother Yassir’s training sessions,” she says. “My mother had her doubts and my father didn’t think it was serious.” But at 16, Belkasmi joined US Orléans and played her first minutes in the French Division 2. 

While the Atlas Lionesses booked their ticket to the World Cup during the summer of 2022, Belkasmi was playing another World Cup, the military one. She won the tournament, held in Fairchild Air Base (Washington State), wearing the colours of France. But the call she received from Morocco in September 2022 helped her make her mind up about which nation she should represent. “Playing in the World Cup with the country of my family’s origin would give me immense pride.”

Sofia Bouftini

Date of birth: 25/01/2002 
Club: RS Berkane (Morocco)

Considered one of the most talented playmakers in Moroccan football. Born in Marrakech, the 21-year-old started playing “with the boys, sometimes on clay fields”. When she was considering a career in football, her father was strongly against it. “But I managed to convince him by showing my talent,” she says. 

When the opportunity arrived to play for a club, even if it was at the distant Chabab Atlas Khénifra, Bouftini didn’t hesitate to take her chance. She then joined AS FAR, before moving to the east to play for RS Berkane. Nicknamed “Marta” just like the Brazil legend, Bouftini missed out on her high school diploma to focus on her favourite sport. “Football is my passion and I thought studies could wait a little bit.”

Samya Hassani 

Date of birth: 03/01/2000 
Club: Telstar (Netherlands)

Dutch-born Hassani was at first reluctant to play football. It took her friend Noa months to convince her to progress from playing on the streets of Amsterdam with the boys to joining a club. The death of Hassani’s mother also postponed her footballing career. "My mother was ill for four and a half years before she passed away,” she recalls. 

“I was young and just had to go to school, so football was not at the top of my list of priorities. My mother's illness made me realise how important health is and how short life is.” Hassani says Morocco were first to contact her to play international football “via an Instagram DM”. But the fact that started to be recognised made her feel proud about her choice. “Even at [Moroccan] customs, the officer knew who I was. That recognition and appreciation is important no matter how you look at it."

Ibtissam Jraïdi

Date of birth: 09/12/1992 
Club: Al Ahli Djeddah (Saudi Arabia)

An icon and a trailblazer in Moroccan women’s football. Born in Casablanca, Jraïdi played most of her professional career with AS FAR, where she collected trophies galore over the years, winning nine league titles, eight domestic cups and an African Champions League to boot. 

She scored six times in the Champions League season, breaking the previous record by a goal. After setting the path for younger talents, she joined the Saudi league and Al Ahli Djeddah. In only her second game with Al Ahli, she scored six goals, making her signing more than worthy. She scored 17 goals in total last season, ranking second in the league goal scorers’ table despite playing less than half the games.

Imane Saoud

Date of birth: 06/06/2002 
Club: Servette FC (Switzerland)

Moved to France when she was two after her father, an Arabic teacher, was sent to the country to help families with Moroccan origins teach their kids to speak Arabic. When Imane was six, her father encouraged her to play football, and 11 years later she became professional. 

Was called up to play with the Under-16 and Under-20 France teams but has since switched allegiances. In 2021, she received her first call-up for the Morocco national side. “My roots and origins are Moroccan, so I didn’t hesitate to choose Morocco and I’m really proud,” she said. “It was a logical choice.”

Fatima Tagnaout

Date of birth: 20/011999 
Club: AS FAR (Morocco)

The left winger had a breakout tournament at last year’s Wafcon, where she was hugely impressive in Morocco’s run to the final. A couple of months later, she led AS Far to a maiden African Champions League title, winning the player of the tournament award in the process. 

Her first football experiences came on the streets of Casablanca and when she was 15 her teacher  encouraged her to go to Rabat to test her skills with AS Far. The rest is history. Tagnaout is a leader in the squad, happy to speak during meetings and encourage others, but also a source of fun and music in the dressing room.

Kenza Chapelle

Date of birth: 22/08/2002 
Club: FC Nantes (France)

Chapelle joined FC Romainville on the outskirts of Paris when she was just seven but she had friends in high places: her father was the club president. 

When she was a child her family enjoyed holidays in Corsica, so much so that they eventually moved there and Chapelle played for Lucciana and Ajaccio on the island before heading back to Paris to study and play for Fleury 91. In 2022, she moved to FC Nantes, gaining more game time and impressing enough to earn a place in the Morocco squad.

Sakina Ouzraoui Diki

Date of birth: 29/08/2001 
Club: Bruges (Belgium)

Born in Barcelona and moved to Brussels when she was 10. Progressed through the ranks at Molenbeek before joining Anderlecht and, in 2022, joining Club Bruges. 

Was eligible for Spain and Belgium but opted for Morocco. Remains much loved at Anderlecht, where a pitch is named in her honour. “I was surprised and proud to give my name to this pitch,” she said. “I know how important this is for the kids, to have good football pitches in the neighbourhood.”

Fatima Gharbi

Date of birth: 15/05 2001 
Club: CE Europa (Spain)

Has some unfinished business with World Cups. In 2019 she was part of the Morocco squad all set to travel to Egypt for the Under-20 tournament, only for the pandemic to force a cancellation. Gharbi, though, is now ready to step onto the world stage with the senior squad. 

Plays for CE Europa in Spain’s third tier and is also coach of the Under-11s at the club. Is also a “social inclusion specialist” working part-time with a foundation that helps youngsters from the Barcelona area. Made her debut for the national side this month. “I have no words to express what I feel, being able to represent my country is the most beautiful thing in this profession,” she said.

Written by Amine El Amri (Le Matin) for the Guardian.