Germany vs Morocco Preview: Women’s World Cup 2023 | Women’s World Cup news

Morocco will become the first Arab team to play in the Women’s World Cup when they face Germany in Group H.

When: Monday, July 24
Where: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
Kick off: 18:30 local time (08:30 GMT)

Months after the men’s groundbreaking run to the semifinals in Qatar, the Moroccan women will make their own World Cup history on Monday.

When the Atlas Lionesses face two-time former champions Germany in Melbourne, they will become the first Arab team to play in the Women’s World Cup.

Morocco’s women enjoyed a surprise run to last year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals, which they hosted, before losing 2-1 to South Africa in front of around 50,000 spectators in Rabat.

At 72, they are one of the lowest ranked of Australia and New Zealand and it would be a surprise if they made it out of the group, but captain Ghizlane Chebbak knows the men have raised expectations.

“The Moroccan fans have this passion, like us players, and we will do everything to make them happy,” he told FIFA.com.

Men have shown us that nothing is impossible if you fight for it and stay focused, he added.

Meanwhile, second-placed Germany is aiming to win its third Women’s World Cup and first since 2007.

Germany’s coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg expects a difficult group stage in the tournament, where South Korea and Colombia will also get into Group H, but the main goal is still the championship.

But there are no guarantees. It was visible in the opening of the tournament: two games decided the details. It will be for us too, already in the group stage, he said.

German team news

Germany are set to start the Women’s World Cup without key players Lena Oberdorf and Marina Hegering due to injury. They will probably be replaced by Chelsea players Sjoeke Nuesken and Melanie Leupolz.

Morocco team news

Morocco has not announced any absences.

Form and the FIFA World Ranking

Germany (second): DWLWL

Morocco (72nd place): LLDDL

From one end to another

The match is the first between Germany and Morocco.

Players to watch

Germany: Captain and goalscorer Alexandra Popp is one of the biggest stars in German sport, having won every club trophy, including two Champions Leagues with Wolfsburg. Despite the injuries, Popp has scored 62 goals in 128 matches for the German national team.

Morocco: Star striker Rosella Ayane scored the penalty kick that clinched a World Cup spot. He chose to play for his father’s home country rather than England and scored seven goals in his first 15 international appearances.

Where to watch the game?

Global listings are available at livesoccertv.com.

You can also follow our live blog on match day.