Morocco hopes to become Africa’s leading football nation

Morocco hopes to become Africa’s leading football nation by way of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) this year as the pay off for a long term investment into the sport, according to BBC on December 19th.

The country is hosting the tournament this year after competing bids from Algeria, Zambia and a joint bid from Nigeria and Benin were all withdrawn before the selection. 

Morocco have not won the cup since it was hosted in Ethiopia in 1976, but have achieved significant feats in the world of football in the last few years. In 2022, Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup, which was hosted in Qatar. More recently, Morocco has also won the Arab Cup, after eliminating both the Syrian and Emirati teams, as well as winning an action packed final match against Jordan. 

According to Moroccan football analyst Jamal Bounouar, “Morocco’s primary and most immediate goal is to win AFCON” and that it would be “the final piece of the puzzle” of their success. He also claims that Morocco’s recent football successes have been due to “years of strategic planning and a long-term national project supported by the highest levels of Moroccan authorities”.

This is due to the fact that Morocco has invested in building two of Africa’s most advanced football training facilities, the Mohammed VI Football Academy (opened in 2009) and the Mohammed VI Training Complex (opened in 2019), used by both the male and female, junior and senior teams.

However, the public reaction to this investment in football has not always been positive, with protests erupting in October over Morocco’s economic decline. Gen Z protesters were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of spending on healthcare, in comparison to the increased spending on facilities for the 2030 World Cup, of which Morocco is a joint host with both Spain and Portugal.

Bounouar affirms that “there are differing opinions” but that “the majority of Moroccans view football as an essential national project that provides benefits beyond the field”. The team itself has seen great successes, having won 18 consecutive games since March 2024. Morocco just won their opening game of AFCON 2025 according to BBC Sport.

BBC Sport, Maghrebi.org