Hosts Morocco face Brazil in FIFA Women’s U17 World opener on Friday

The inaugural Women’s World Cup on African soil kicks off tonight, with hosts Morocco playing Brazil in a Group A match at the Olympic Stadium Annex Sports Complex Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat City.

This marks Brazil’s eighth appearance at the U-17 Women’s World Cup, with only Japan and New Zealand having participated in more editions, totalling nine.

For Morocco, this is their second time competing, following their debut in 2022. The Brazilian team, known as the Seleção, has reached the quarter-finals of this tournament on four occasions, the latest being in 2022.

Morocco is striving to become the first host nation to advance to the knockout stages, as all previous hosts New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Jordan, Uruguay, India, and the Dominican Republic were eliminated in the group stage.

The tournament features 24 teams divided into six groups, with the final scheduled for November 8th. Group A includes Morocco, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Italy, while the reigning champions, Korea DPR, are in Group B with Mexico, Cameroon, and the Netherlands.

The USA, Ecuador, China, and Norway are in Group C, while Nigeria, Canada, France, and Samoa make up Group D.

Spain is in Group E, competing against Colombia, Korea Republic, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Group F consists of Japan, Zambia, New Zealand, and Japan.