Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
In a few decades, Morocco went from being excluded from the groups of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) and failing to participate in several World Cups in a row to being in the 10th group of FIFA men, reaching the semifinals of the Qatar World Cup in 2022 and being considered as the most successful contenders for this summer’s games.
What is even more remarkable is that the success of the Atlas Lions is not limited to the senior men’s national team but has spread across all divisions and teams.
Recommended Articles
list of 4 itemsend of series
Morocco are currently the 2025 AFCON champions, although Senegal have been taken away from the head. They were also 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finalists, 2025 FIFA Arab Cup champions, 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) champions, 2025 U-20 FIFA World Cup champions, 2025 U-17 AFCON, 2024 Olympic men’s medalists 20AFCON24.
There is no magic formula behind success. A source close to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media explained that the success of the country rests on three pillars: good governance, financial resources and the right people.
“King Mohammed VI launched this initiative at the Skhirat sports conference in 2008, which marked the beginning of a long international project to promote football,” he said.
“The first pillar was the reform of the administration.
“This was followed by massive investments in infrastructure at every level of the game.” For example, thanks to the collaboration with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and the Moroccan government, we built thousands of football pitches called “proximity fields”.
In addition to these public developments, Morocco built Mohammed VI’s palace and academy in Maamoura, outside Rabat. With well-maintained pitches, the latest gym equipment and an on-site hotel, the venue has been compared to the world’s top football venues, including France’s Clairefontaine.
The school has produced some top talent, including several first-timers in the senior men’s team – among them Nayef Aguerd of Olympique de Marseille, Azzedine Ounahi of Girona and Youssef En-Nesyri of Al-Ittihad.
Another big step in building a North African powerhouse came when African organizations pressured FIFA to change the country’s eligibility rules, which opened the door for players from European countries. Thanks to the change in the rules, Morocco got the services of players like Hakim Ziyech, Nordin Amrabat and Brahim Diaz.
The latest addition to the Atlas Lions is Ayyoub Bouaddi. The 18-year-old Lille international is one of the youngest players in France, and French media have reported that even Zinedine Zidane – who is tipped to take charge of the France national team after Didier Deschamps’ World Cup exit – has contacted Bouaddi’s team to ask him to keep him at Les Bleus.
However, Bouaddi was firm in his decision to represent Morocco.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had a promising young player in Morocco,” Tom Yousef Drissi, an Atlas Lions fan, told Al Jazeera.
“It sounds different, … a lot of shaking, which has never happened before.” We’ve had young European-born players join the team in the past, but France are at the forefront of world football, and their midfielders are getting old.
“(Bouaddi) probably had a clear path in this team. He led their U-21 as recently as two months ago. I think with Samir El Mourabet, Neil El Aynaousi and Bilal El Khannous, it is setting us up very well for the next ten years.”
AFCON victory
With Morocco’s football trend pointing upwards, it seems that the only thing that can derail Morocco at the World Cup is the instability caused by the 2025 AFCON finals. In the second half with the game tied at 0-0, goalkeeper Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded a questionable penalty in favor of Morocco.
What followed shook the entire football world. The Senegalese team left the pitch and entered their dressing room while in the stands behind the Moroccan goal, the Senegalese fans clashed with the officials.
Inexplicably, the game did not end. After a 15-minute delay, the Senegal team came back, and Brahim Diaz stepped up to take the penalty and score a penalty. Edouard Mendy didn’t move from his line and calmly shot, and Senegal won in extra time.
At the press conference after the match in Rabat, the first question that coach Walid Regragui – who took Morocco to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup – was: “Can you stop tonight or tomorrow morning?”
Regragui put it aside but resigned after a few weeks. Throughout the tournament, it was known that if Morocco did not lift the trophy, Regragui could be replaced by Tarik Sektioui or Mohamed Ouahbi. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation chose the latter after leading Morocco’s youth team to victory at the U-20 FIFA World Cup in October with an attacking style.
“There is an interesting parallel with Walid Regragui in 2022. … He took over the national team two or three months before the World Cup,” Abadi, a Moroccan journalist and author of The History of African Football, told Al Jazeera.
“Ouahbi’s first friendly game was in March, and he showed that he had already started to follow his thoughts and his style of play. But you can see that many things are not settled yet. Ouahbi is still looking for the right balance between the experienced players from the Regragui era and the new generation. A big overhaul is not possible at this time.”
Although many people think of Ouahbi, the right question remains whether Regragui’s pragmatic style would have suited the events of the World Cup.
In Qatar, Morocco were unbeaten in any game with less than 50 percent possession, and the only game they lost was to France when they won the lion’s share of the ball. It remains to be seen whether Ouahbi’s aggressive approach can provide the same confidence in the knockout game.
The world may have to wait for Morocco at the 2026 World Cup, but those who follow the team understand that this tournament is another important step in the long road that leads four years to the World Cup. they played on their home soil.
“Even the 2030 World Cup is not the ultimate goal,” said a Moroccan federal source.
“It is a very important factor that will help to advance the development of the country in all major areas: infrastructure, human resources, transport, mobility and international attraction.”
