Sakina Karchaoui (, ; born 26 January 1996) is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back or midfielder for Première Ligue club Paris Saint-Germain, which she captains, and the France national team.
Early life Born in Salon-de-Provence, in the Provence region of France, Karchaoui was raised in the nearby town of Miramas by her Moroccan parents. She began playing football in her neighborhood with boys. After two years at local club, US Miramas, she joined Montpellier.
Club career Montpellier Karchaoui made her professional debut for Montpellier on 18 November 2012 in a 6–0 league win over Vendenheim. During the 2013–14 Division 1 Féminine season, she made six appearances for the club, tallying a total of 475 minutes on the pitch. Montpellier finished in fourth place with a record. The following season, she made 12 appearances with 9 starts. The club finished the 2014–15 season in fourth place with a record.
During the 2015–16 season, Karchaoui started in 19 of the 20 matches in which she appeared. On 1 November 2015, she scored her first goal in a 4–0 win against Rodez. Montpellier finished in third place during the regular season with a record.
Lyon On 24 June 2020, fourteen-time defending league champions Lyon announced the signing of Karchaoui for the 2020–21 season.
Paris Saint-Germain On 10 July 2021, Karchaoui joined reigning league champions Paris Saint-Germain on a three-year deal. On 2 May 2024, she extended her contract with the club until June 2028. In September 2025, she was named as the club captain.
International career Karchaoui earned her first cap with the France national team in April 2016. She was later selected for the 2016 Rio Olympics. At the tournament, she started in the team's group-stage match against New Zealand resulting in a 3–0 win, and the quarter-final match against Canada where the team was eliminated in a 1–0 loss.
In March 2017, she helped France defeat the United States 3–0 to win the 2017 SheBelieves Cup for the first time.
Karchaoui was called up to the France squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2017.
Karchaoui was called up to the France squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
On 30 May 2022, Karchaoui was called up to the France squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.
Karchaoui was called up to the France squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
On 23 February 2024, she scored her first international goal in a 2–1 win against Germany.
In July 2024, Karchaoui was named in France's squad for the 2024 Olympics.
Personal life Karchaoui admired Robin van Persie, Hatem Ben Arfa and Samir Nasri when she was young.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsMontpellier2012–13Première Ligue1000———102013–14Première Ligue6000———602014–15Première Ligue12060———1802015–16Première Ligue20161———2622016–17Première Ligue17020———1902017–18Première Ligue22040—60—3202018–19Première Ligue22210———2322019–20Première Ligue16331———194Total11662220060001448Lyon2019–20Première Ligue—00—30—302020–21Première Ligue18010—50—240Total18010008000270Paris Saint-Germain2021–22Première Ligue19251—91—3342022–23Première Ligue17130—100103112023–24Première Ligue15230—120303322024–25Première Ligue15450—10212352025–26Première Ligue196403051103272026–27Première Ligue21000044—65Total8716201304167115824Career total22122433305567132932
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsFrance20167020171002018402019902020802021502022110202314020241322025153202661Total1026
Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Karchaoui goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Sakina KarchaouiNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 23 February 2024 Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu, France 2–0 2–1 2024 UEFA Women's Nations League Finals2 12 July 2024 Stade Gaston Gérard, Dijon, France 1–0 2–1 2025 UEFA Women's Euro qualification3 20 June 2025 Stade du Hainaut, Valenciennes, France 3–0 5–0 Friendly4 13 July 2025 St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland 5–2 5–2 UEFA Women's Euro 20255 28 November 2025 Stade Auguste-Delaune, Reims, France 1–0 2–1 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League Finals6 7 March 2026 Stade Gaston Gérard, Dijon, France 3–1 4–1 2027 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Montpellier Coupe de France Féminine runner-up: 2014–15, 2015–16
Lyon UEFA Women's Champions League: 2019–20
Paris Saint-Germain Coupe de France Féminine: 2021–22, 2023–24
France U20 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup runner-up: 2016
France UEFA Women's Nations League runner-up: 2023–24
Individual IFFHS World Team: 2020 UEFA Women's Championship team of the tournament: 2022 UNFP Première Ligue young player of the year: 2016–17 UNFP Première Ligue team of the year: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2025–26 LFFP Première Ligue team of the season: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26 Première Ligue Player of the Month: December 2021, February 2025, March 2026
References
External links
Montpellier player profile