U.S. Soccer says it is “monitoring the situation in Morocco” and “no changes have been made” ahead of the U-17 Women’s World Cup later this month, which will feature the U.S. women’s national team’s youth squad.
The tournament kicks off in 11 days in Morocco, where youth-led, anti-government protests have disrupted major cities across the North African nation.
The U-17 women’s World Cup, which features three NWSL players who were called up for Team USA, will be staged in its entirety in the city of Rabat, the nation’s capital. However, as some players were saying goodbye to their clubs to join their federations, protests continued to intensify, and Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said by Thursday, at least three were killed.
The demonstrations have been fueled by growing anger over heavy spending on preparations for FIFA’s 2030 men’s World Cup, rather than on public services. Morocco, Spain and Portugal are jointly hosting the competition.
The protests, inspired by similar youth-led demonstrations in Asia and Latin America, began on Sept. 27 after the loosely organized, anonymous group known as “Gen Z 212” made calls through social media platforms like Discord for better education and healthcare. Protests have since spread to several major cities, and on Sunday continued for the ninth consecutive night.
The U-17 Women’s World Cup begins on Oct. 17 with an opening match between Morocco and Brazil at Olympic Stadium in Rabat. In its ninth edition, only five nations have ever lifted the competition’s trophy, with North Korea the reigning champions. Twenty-four nations are participating, including the U.S., which has never won the event.
The Athletic asked the federation whether changes were made to travel and security or if it had been in communication with FIFA as a result of the ongoing protests.
“Our security team is aware and is closely monitoring the situation in Morocco,” a U.S. Soccer spokesperson said. “No changes have been made at this time.”
FIFA has not responded to questions for this story as of Monday afternoon.
Morocco has been heavily investing in its efforts to grow as a footballing nation. In addition to the U17 women’s World Cup, which ends Nov. 8, Morocco will host the men’s Africa Cup of Nations in December. Over the summer, Morocco also hosted a belated edition of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Morocco was also awarded multi-year hosting rights last year for the U-17 women’s World Cup. This year’s tournament will mark the first time an African nation will host the competition, with Morocco scheduled to host the event annually through 2029.
“Football in Morocco has gone from strength to strength in recent years,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a news release last year. “While the men’s team reached the last four at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the women’s team has made such impressive strides, thanks to the support of the government and the Moroccan Football Association, and the talent of the players.
“I believe hosting the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup over five years will inspire so many more girls — and boys — to take up football in the country, and as it is the first time the tournament comes to Africa, that inspiration will spread right across the continent.”
Nine months after that statement, FIFA revealed that Morocco would co-host the men’s World Cup in 2030 with Spain and Portugal. The youth-led protests over the 2030 competition have centered around the heavy spending linked to the men’s World Cup.
According to The New York Times, police said in a statement they were forced to act in self-defense after protesters tried to storm a police building and seize weapons, during which two people were killed. The authorities did not say how the third person died.
The prime minister said in a televised address on Thursday that his government was ready for a “dialogue and discussion within institutions and public spaces,” The New York Times reported. Demonstrators demanded he step down instead, with Gen Z 212 on social media saying the killings amounted to “a serious human rights violation.”
The group has denounced the violence, Reuters reported on Friday, and called for new, peaceful protests in major cities.
