The Morocco national badminton team (Arabic : المنتخب المغربي لكرة الريشة ; Standard Moroccan Tamazight : ⵟⴰⵖⵍⴰⵎⵜ ⵜⴰⵖⵍⵏⴰⵡⵜ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ ⴱⴰⴷⵎⵉⵏⵜⵓⵏ , romanized: Taɣlamt taɣelnawt lmɣrib badminton ) represents Morocco in international badminton team competitions. The team is controlled by the Moroccan Royal Badminton Federation , the governing body of badminton in Morocco.[ 1]
The team was formed in 1992 after the founding of the Moroccan Royal Badminton Federation . Morocco became the second African team to compete in the Sudirman Cup when the team made their first appearance in the tournament in 1995 . Morocco made their first appearance at the African Badminton Championships in 2002 when it hosted the tournament in Casablanca .
In 2020, the Badminton World Federation suspended the membership of the Moroccan Royal Badminton Federation due to the disputes within the association.[ 2] As a result to this ban, Moroccan players cannot compete under the national flag. Two of Morocco's delegates at the 2024 African Badminton Championships , Driss Bourroum and Anas Idlahoucine competed in the championships as neutrals.[ 3]
History
Men's team
In 2006, Morocco took part in qualifying for the Thomas Cup at the 2006 Thomas Cup African Qualifiers . The team failed to qualify for the Cup after losing 5–0 to South Africa , Mauritius and Zambia .[ 4] The team then lost 3–2 to Seychelles but defeated Kenya to finish in 5th place in the round robin tie.[ 5]
In 2017, the team competed in the 2017 Arab Badminton Championships men's team event and finished in third place behind Bahrain and Algeria .[ 6] In 2018, the team competed in the 2018 African Men's Team Championships . The team were drawn into Group C with Nigeria and Seychelles . The team placed second in their group and qualified for the quarter-finals after defeating Seychelles 3–2.[ 7] The team faced Nigeria for a second time in the quarter-finals and lost 3–0 to the Nigerians.
In the 2020 African Men's Team Championships , the team were drawn to Group B with Egypt , South Africa , Cameroon and Sierra Leone . The team first lost 5–0 to Egypt , then beat Cameroon 5–0 to keep their hopes up for an appearance in the knockout stage. The team failed to qualify for the next round after losing 3–2 to South Africa .
Women's team
Morocco competed in the women's team event at the 2009 Arab Badminton Championships and finished in fifth place.[ 8] Morocco competed in the 2012 Uber Cup African Qualifiers . The team were drawn into Group B with Nigeria and Egypt . They did not advance to the knockout stage after losing 5–0 to both teams in the group.
Mixed team
Morocco made their debut at the Sudirman Cup in 1995 . The team were placed in Group 11 with Slovakia , Malta , Brazil and Argentina .[ 9] The team lost 5–0 to all of their opponents and finished on the bottom of the group.[ 10] [ 11] The team finished in 49th place at the overall rankings. In 2001, the team made their second appearance at the Sudirman Cup . Drawn into Group 7A, the team lost 5–0 to Luxembourg and Mexico but beat the IBF team 3–2. In the playoff for 51st place, the team lost 3–1 to Greenland .
In 2002, Morocco hosted the 2002 African Badminton Championships and competed in the team events. The team did not make it past the group stage. The team also competed in the African Mixed Team Championships in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2013 but were never able to qualify for the knockout stage. In 2019, Morocco debuted in the African Games team event. The team were drawn into Group B with Mauritius and Kenya . The team failed to advance to the next round after being eliminated by Mauritius and Kenya in the group stage.[ 12]
Competitive record
Thomas Cup
Uber Cup
Sudirman Cup
African Games
Mixed team
African Team Championships
Men's team
Women's team
Mixed team
Arab Games
Arab Team Championships
**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Junior competitive record
Suhandinata Cup
African Youth Games
Men's team
Year
Round
2018
Group stage
7th
Women's team
Year
Round
2018
Did not enter
Mixed team
Year
Round
2014
Did not enter
African Junior Team Championships
Mixed team
Arab Junior Team Championships
**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Players
Current squad
As of 2 January 2024
Men's team
Women's team
References