Sakina Ouzraoui Leads Morocco’s Push for a Second Women’s World Cup

Sakina Ouzraoui will lead Morocco’s home WAFCON campaign as the Atlas Lionesses chase Brazil 2027 qualification.

Morocco enter the tournament after reaching the final in the previous two editions. The 2026 competition runs from July 26 to August 16, and the hosts can secure a second consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup place by reaching another WAFCON semi-final.

A place in the last four guarantees direct qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. A quarter-final defeat would keep a longer route open through African and inter-confederation play-offs. Morocco’s first target is therefore clear: advance from Group A and win one knockout match.

Jorge Vilda’s team open against Kenya before facing Algeria and Senegal. The top two teams in the group reach the quarter-finals. Hosting gives Morocco familiar conditions and home support, while their two recent WAFCON final appearances give the squad experience of the pressure that follows the group stage.

Ouzraoui already knows what a successful World Cup qualification can produce. Morocco made their tournament debut in 2023 and became the first Arab team to reach the Women’s World Cup knockout phase. They recovered from a 6-0 opening defeat against Germany by beating Korea Republic and Colombia 1-0.

Those two wins lifted Morocco above Germany in Group H and sent the Atlas Lionesses into the Round of 16. France ended the run with a 4-0 victory, but Ouzraoui played every minute of Morocco’s four matches and finished among the competition’s leading dribblers.

She was 21 during that World Cup and had joined the senior national team less than a year earlier. Ouzraoui started football after moving to Belgium and failing to find a gymnastics club. Less than ten years after taking up the sport, she was starting every match at a World Cup.

The 24-year-old now plays as a forward for Costa Adeje Tenerife in Spain’s Liga F. Morocco’s 2026 preparation squad listed her among an experienced attacking group that also included Fatima Tagnaout, Ibtissam Jraidi, Kenza Chapelle and Imane Saoud.

Ouzraoui’s WAFCON influence grew during Morocco’s previous campaign. She scored the second-half equaliser in the semi-final against Ghana, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 1-1 draw. Morocco then won the penalty shoot-out 4-2, and Ouzraoui received the Player of the Match award.

That performance carried Morocco into a second straight continental final and showed how her role had changed since 2023. She entered her first World Cup as a new international. She now arrives at WAFCON with experience from a global knockout match, two continental finals and regular football in Spain.

Vilda has also described her as a decisive part of Morocco’s collective attack. Her dribbling can move the team through pressure, while her semi-final goal against Ghana showed that she can finish a move when Morocco need a response. Both skills matter in a short qualification tournament.

The wider squad has changed around her. Ouzraoui said Morocco now have more experienced players from strong leagues and greater competition for places. She also described a national-team setup supported by nutritionists, physiotherapists, massage staff and training technology.

Morocco’s recent record creates a clear expectation at home. A third consecutive WAFCON final would include the semi-final win required for direct World Cup qualification. Falling in the quarter-finals would force the hosts into play-offs and extend their route to Brazil.

Ouzraoui enters the campaign with a larger leadership role than she held in 2023. Morocco need her ball carrying and final-third decisions through Group A, but the decisive test comes in the quarter-final that can turn another strong continental run into a place at Brazil 2027.

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