BBC:
Morocco have reached the last 16 on their debut at the Fifa Women's World Cup, and their success in Australia and New Zealand is no accident, but the result of serious investment.
www.bbc.com
Since 2009, when Morocco's new football academy was opened with the aim of producing international quality footballers of all genders, the country - led by
football-mad King Mohammed VI - has placed heavy focus on the women's game.
In 2019 the $65m King Mohammed VI Training Complex opened near the capital city, Rabat, which is home to both the men's and women's international teams at senior and junior level. It includes eight full-size pitches, futsal and beach pitches, gym and medical facilities, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, classrooms and a 5-star hotel.
In August 2020, the National Women's League became professional. To achieve these aims, the annual budget for women's football rose to $65m - a tenfold increase.
"We are so proud of what we managed to do," Lahmari said after the win over Colombia. "Emotions are running high. We are delighted, and dedicating this win to the people of Morocco and the King."
This is Morocco's
latest step in becoming a global football force, following the
extraordinary achievements of the men's team in Qatar last year.
Having reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup with their men's team, Morocco are the second African nation to reach the knockout stages of successive men's and women's World Cups, after Nigeria in 1998 (men's) and 1999 (women's).
Just as the men took
historic steps in Qatar - they were the first African side to reach a
World Cup semi-final - so have
Morocco in setting up their meeting with France.