Sakina Karchaoui

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 15–6–1 record. The following season, she made 12 appearances with 9 starts. The club finished the 2014–15 season in fourth place with a 13–4–5 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 15–3–5 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.

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.

Karchaoui admired Robin van Persie, Hatem Ben Arfa and Samir Nasri when she was young.

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.