Morocco have reached the last 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup despite losing their final Group A match, with Japan’s victory over Venezuela confirming their progress.

The Atlas Lionesses were left waiting after suffering a heavy 5-1 defeat by Argentina on Friday evening. That result left Youness Rabie’s side dependent on results elsewhere to determine whether they would advance as one of the best third-placed teams.

Their qualification was confirmed on Saturday when Venezuela were beaten 2-0 by Japan in Group D. The result guaranteed Morocco a place ahead of both Venezuela and Canada, regardless of the outcomes in Groups E and F.

It is only the second time in Morocco’s history that they have reached the knockout stage of the competition, and the achievement comes in successive editions. Their next opponents will be either Korea DPR, the two-time defending champions, or Brazil, who finished fourth at the previous tournament.

Morocco also advanced through the best third-placed teams at last year’s edition. They met Brazil in the group stage and Korea DPR in the last 16, losing those matches 3-0 and 6-1 respectively.

Whichever opponent they face this time, Morocco will be seeking to overturn that record and reach the quarter-finals of the Women’s U17 World Cup for the first time.

Their campaign began with an emphatic 4-0 victory over New Zealand in their opening match. They then suffered their first setback against Germany, going down 4-2, before the defeat by Argentina left their qualification hopes in the balance.

The identity of Morocco’s last-16 opponents will be determined once the remaining group-stage matches have been completed.