This generated image is a generic editorial illustration of the match.
A winning start on home soil
Morocco began the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup with a convincing 4-0 victory over New Zealand. The opening Group A fixture was played on Saturday, October 17, on Pitch 3 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, with kickoff at 18:00 local time. The host nation therefore started its campaign with a clear win over its first opponent in the tournament.
The result contrasts with Morocco’s path in the preceding edition. The team had to wait until its third group match to record its first victory on that occasion, whereas it won its opening fixture in 2026. That comparison underlines the difference between the two starts without determining what follows, as Morocco still had two scheduled Group A matches remaining after the New Zealand game.
A goalless first half
The final margin does not fully convey how the first half unfolded. Morocco created chances, but neither side scored before the interval. New Zealand notably produced a double save in the 38th minute, preserving the goalless score and delaying Morocco’s breakthrough. The hosts had to wait until after the restart to convert their attacking opportunities and begin building the decisive advantage.
The match reached halftime without a goal before changing completely in the second period. All four Moroccan goals were scored after the interval, with the first arriving only in the 57th minute. The entire scoring sequence unfolded over twenty-five minutes, from Sonia Abajiou’s opening header to Hiba Youssoufi’s penalty in the 82nd minute, turning a tight contest into a 4-0 result.
Abajiou makes the breakthrough
Sonia Abajiou broke the deadlock in the 57th minute, heading in a cross delivered from the right. Hiba Youssoufi supplied the ball and was therefore directly involved in the goal that ended New Zealand’s resistance. The finish began the productive second-half spell in which Morocco converted its pressure into goals and progressively established the commanding margin reflected in the final score.
Morocco’s second goal followed in the 70th minute. After an effort by Nessma Mouradi, the goal was officially credited as an own goal by New Zealand defender Eden Chaytor. The distinction matters when recounting the scoring sequence: the official FIFA and CAF accounts attribute the goal to Chaytor rather than recording it as Mouradi’s personal goal, while identifying Mouradi’s effort as the action that preceded it.
Dhissi and Youssoufi complete the scoring
Six minutes after the second goal, Imane Dhissi made it 3-0. Her 76th-minute finish followed a collective move that began on the left. Morocco had then scored three times since the 57th minute, giving the match a very different shape from the goalless first half. The third goal further expanded the advantage before the hosts completed their scoring sequence six minutes later.
Hiba Youssoufi converted a penalty in the 82nd minute to complete the scoring. Having already provided the cross for Abajiou’s opening header, she contributed directly to both the first and final goals of the match. Youssoufi was subsequently named Player of the Match. Her penalty established the final 4-0 result and confirmed that every Moroccan goal had come after halftime.
Recent tournament experience within the squad
Seven players in Morocco’s 2026 squad had already taken part in the preceding U-17 Women’s World Cup edition. Their presence provides a clear element of continuity between the two campaigns, although one result cannot establish how the full tournament will develop. The confirmed comparison is narrower: this Morocco team won its opening game after the side in the previous edition had waited until its third group fixture for a first victory.
The win over New Zealand represents only the first stage of Morocco’s Group A schedule. It confirms a successful opening, but it does not confirm qualification, with two fixtures still to be played. As of the October 19 run date, the match against Germany had not taken place, and the final scheduled group game against Argentina also remained ahead on Morocco’s tournament calendar.
Germany up next in Group A
Germany is Morocco’s second Group A opponent. The match is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 18:00 local time at the Mohammed VI Football Complex. Germany also won its opening fixture, defeating Argentina 2-1 in the other first-round Group A match. No score, lineup, qualification outcome or updated position from the Morocco-Germany game can be stated before that fixture is played.
Morocco’s final scheduled Group A match is against Argentina on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 18:00 local time. The campaign must therefore continue through those two fixtures after the opening win over New Zealand. Any assessment of qualification or the final group outcome must await the relevant results, while the confirmed record at this stage remains Morocco’s four-goal, second-half victory in its first match.
