Taranto 2026: Double Bronze for Moroccan Football
Moroccan football wrapped up its campaign at the 20th Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026 with two bronze medals, as both the men’s and women’s national teams secured third-place finishes.
The men’s team opened its campaign with a 2-2 draw against Türkiye, before facing Tunisia in its second group-stage match (0-1). Morocco then produced an emphatic 5-1 victory over North Macedonia, a result that saw the team finish second in the group with four points and secure a place in the semi-finals.
In the last four, Morocco faced Algeria. With the score level at 1-1 after regulation time, a place in the final was decided by a penalty shootout, which ended 4-3 in Algeria’s favour.
Morocco then faced host nation Italy in the bronze-medal match and delivered a convincing 4-1 victory. Mohammed MOUNSSEF opened the scoring in the 9th minute, followed by goals from Abdelali EDDAOUDI (47’), Karim ESSAADI (50’) and Anass BENOMAR (75’), securing a place on the Mediterranean podium.
The women’s team also put together a strong campaign on its way to bronze. Morocco began with an emphatic 4-0 win over Slovenia, followed by a 2-2 draw with Portugal and another 4-0 victory, this time against Kosovo. The final match of the opening phase ended in a 3-1 result in favour of host nation Italy.
With seven points from two wins, one draw and one loss, the Moroccan women finished third and advanced to the bronze-medal match, setting up a second meeting with Slovenia.
With a medal at stake, Morocco once again prevailed, securing a 3-1 victory. Nessma MOURADI gave Morocco the lead in the 14th minute, before Anissa HAMDANI (69’) and Laila BOUSHABA (78’) added two more goals to seal the win and the bronze medal.
With two teams and two bronze medals, Moroccan football leaves Taranto 2026 with both national sides on the podium, each bringing its campaign to a successful close with victory in the bronze-medal match.
