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Rabat – Morocco U-17 women’s national team now has a clearer picture of the task ahead. The official draw for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026 took place today at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, setting the stage for a tournament that will once again be hosted in Morocco.
The competition is scheduled to run from October 17 to November 7 and will have an expanded field of 24 teams. Morocco, as hosts, entered the draw as a seeded nation and was placed in Group A alongside France, Chile, and Australia.
For the young Atlas Lionesses, the draw has an interesting mix of opponents. France is one of Europe’s strongest youth development systems and regularly competes among the continent’s elite at the youth level. Australia brings international experience and a physical style of play, and Chile will be hoping to emerge as one of the tournament’s surprise packages.
The tournament’s 24 qualified nations have been divided into 6 groups of four:
Group A: Morocco, France, Chile, Australia
Group B: Spain, Germany, Poland, Argentina
Group C: Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico
Group D: North Korea, China, CAF 3, Venezuela
Group E: Japan, CAF 1, CAF 4, Norway
Group F: United States, CAF 2, Samoa, Brazil
Os grupos da #U17WWC estão definidos! 👀
Qual será o mais difícil? pic.twitter.com/C6v2ba5pz4
— Copa do Mundo FIFA🏆 (@fifaworldcup_pt) May 21, 2026
The four remaining African representatives, listed as CAF 1 to CAF 4, are still competing in the qualification rounds organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Their identities will be confirmed once the continental qualifiers end.
When the tournament starts, the top 2 teams from each group, along with the 4 best third-placed sides, will advance to the Round of 16. North Korea is the defending champion after lifting the title in the 2025 edition.
FIFA previously awarded Morocco hosting rights for annual editions of the U-17 Women’s World Cup through 2029.
The Atlas Lionesses made history and progressed to the knockout stage of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup for the first time ever. So expectations will naturally be high for the host country this year.
