AS FAR Women’s Football History: From Rabat to Africa

AS FAR’s women’s team has grown from a developing side in Rabat into one of the most successful clubs in African women’s football. Its story is built on long-term investment, domestic consistency and landmark performances in the CAF Women’s Champions League. The team’s journey began in 2001, its rise to Morocco’s top division came in 2009, and its continental breakthrough arrived in 2022. A second African crown in 2025 confirmed AS FAR’s place among the leading forces in the women’s game.

When was the AS FAR women’s team founded?

According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the real debut of the AS FAR women’s team dates back to 2001. The club initially competed below the top flight before securing promotion to Morocco’s first division in 2009. That promotion marked an important turning point: AS FAR could now measure itself regularly against the country’s strongest women’s sides and build a squad capable of challenging for major honours.

The club’s official history highlights the contribution of the late Touria Zriouel, who coached the team during its formative years. Khalid Gurichat and later Abdallah Haidamou also played important roles in the team’s development. The club has credited its training structure in Maâmora with helping create a professional environment for women players, with training standards comparable to those of the men’s programme.

AS FAR’s rise to the top of Moroccan women’s football

There is a discrepancy between two official histories about AS FAR’s earliest league crown. The club’s own women’s football page lists the 2009–10 season among its championship wins, while CAF’s 2024 tournament profile identifies 2012–13 as the team’s first Moroccan league title, won after a 2–0 victory over Wydad Athletic Club. To avoid presenting conflicting records as settled fact, this article notes both accounts. What is clear is that AS FAR went on to establish a long period of domestic dominance.

The club’s official women’s football history lists league championships in 2009–10 and 2012–13 through 2018–19, alongside multiple Throne Cup victories. In May 2025, Morocco’s state broadcaster SNRT, citing the Moroccan News Agency (MAP), reported that AS FAR had won the 2024–25 first-division championship for the 12th time in its history and the 10th consecutive time. The team had collected 66 points by the penultimate round. That milestone underlined the club’s remarkable consistency in the domestic competition.

The breakthrough in the CAF Women’s Champions League

AS FAR made its debut in the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021 and reached the semi-finals, finishing third. The experience gave the Moroccan side a first taste of the continent’s new elite club competition and set a clear target for the following campaign.

In 2022, AS FAR turned that ambition into history. Playing on home soil in Morocco, the team defeated South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns 4–0 in the final to become the first Moroccan winners of the CAF Women’s Champions League. Ibtissam Jraïdi was the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick in the final and finishing the tournament as its leading scorer with six goals. The triumph was a landmark for the club and for Moroccan women’s football, demonstrating that a domestic powerhouse could also dominate the continental stage.

AS FAR remained competitive in subsequent editions. CAF’s tournament records list a third-place finish in 2023, while the club returned to the final in 2024 before losing to TP Mazembe. Those campaigns showed that the 2022 title was not an isolated achievement: AS FAR had become a regular contender among Africa’s leading women’s clubs.

A second African title in 2025

AS FAR reclaimed the continental crown on 21 November 2025, defeating Côte d’Ivoire’s ASEC Mimosas 2–1 in the final in Ismailia, Egypt. Captain Hanane Aït El Haj opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 13th minute. ASEC equalised through Ami Prisca Diallo in the 55th minute, before Zineb Redouani converted a second penalty in the 85th minute to secure the trophy.

The victory gave AS FAR a second CAF Women’s Champions League title, following the 2022 triumph. CAF reported that the Moroccan club joined Mamelodi Sundowns as the only two-time winners at that point. The achievement also helped AS FAR earn the CAF Women’s Club of the Year award at the CAF Awards 2025, announced in January 2026.

Players who helped shape the club’s identity

AS FAR’s rise has been driven by generations of Moroccan players. CAF’s historical profile of the club highlighted figures including Ibtissam Jraïdi, Ghizlane Chebbak, Nouhaila Benzina and Fatima Tagnaout. More recently, the 2025 continental final put captain Hanane Aït El Haj and match-winner Zineb Redouani in the spotlight. The club’s success has also helped provide a pathway for Moroccan players to gain experience in high-level domestic and African competition.

AS FAR’s women’s team is therefore more than a trophy-winning side. Its progress reflects the importance of structured training, sustained club support and regular competition. Its achievements have contributed to the visibility of women’s football in Morocco and offered a benchmark for other clubs seeking to build competitive women’s programmes.

What makes AS FAR important to Moroccan women’s football?

The club’s record combines early participation, domestic dominance and repeated success in Africa. From the team’s 2001 beginnings and 2009 promotion to the 2012–13 league breakthrough and the CAF titles in 2022 and 2025, AS FAR has helped raise expectations for women’s club football in Morocco. Its story also shows how investment in coaching and player development can create a team capable of competing consistently beyond its national league.

For supporters following the wider Moroccan game, AS FAR’s women’s side deserves a place alongside the country’s best-known football institutions. Its history is still being written, but its place in Moroccan and African women’s football is already firmly established.

Frequently asked questions about AS FAR women’s football

When was the AS FAR women’s team established?

CAF says the team’s real debut was in 2001. It later earned promotion to Morocco’s first division in 2009.

How many CAF Women’s Champions League titles has AS FAR won?

AS FAR won the competition in 2022 and 2025, giving the Moroccan club two continental titles.

Who did AS FAR beat to win the 2022 final?

AS FAR defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 4–0 in the 2022 final, played in Morocco.

Who did AS FAR beat in the 2025 final?

AS FAR defeated ASEC Mimosas 2–1 in Ismailia, Egypt, on 21 November 2025. Zineb Redouani scored the winning penalty in the 85th minute.

How many Moroccan league titles had AS FAR won by 2025?

SNRT, citing MAP, reported that the 2024–25 championship was AS FAR’s 12th Moroccan first-division title and its 10th consecutive league crown.

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Sources and further reading

Image credit: Marouane Hamousse / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. The photograph shows Ibtissam Jraïdi during Morocco vs Namibia on 26 October 2023. Jraïdi previously represented AS FAR; the image is not a team photograph.

AS FAR Women’s Football History: From Rabat to African Champions