French Media: ‘Morocco Has Become a Heavyweight in World Football’

Doha – Morocco’s growing international football presence, recently marked by the men’s team winning the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is attracting attention from international media.

This time, the French publication Le Point has dedicated an article to discussing the North African nation’s meteoric rise in the sport.

According to Le Point, Morocco’s success is no accident. Under the guidance of King Mohammed VI, the country launched an ambitious football development plan in the early 2010s, focusing on infrastructure, talent identification, and attracting dual-national players.

The jewel in the crown is the state-of-the-art Maamora training center near Rabat, which boasts world-class facilities rivaling those of top European clubs.

“The results didn’t come immediately, but we started to see promising young players emerge from the academy,” says Hanif Ben Berkane, a journalist at Foot Mercato and Morocco specialist.

Morocco’s investments have also extended to women’s football, with €60 million earmarked for a “Marshall Plan” to professionalize the game. “We wanted to valorize the role of women through football,” confides an advisor to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).

The country’s growing credibility has made it a key player in African football, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) relying heavily on Morocco’s expertise.

“To date, 45 partnerships have been developed with 54 federations,” notes the FRMF advisor. “Morocco was also the first country to introduce video assistant refereeing (VAR) on the continent.”

Looking ahead, Morocco is set to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and is part of a joint bid with Spain and Portugal for the 2030 World Cup. To support this ambition, a colossal 115,000-seat stadium is planned for Casablanca.

The only thing missing from Morocco’s impressive resume is a continental title. The Atlas Lions last won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1976 and will be eager to shine both on and off the pitch when they host the tournament in 2025-26.

For Achraf Hakimi and his teammates, the challenge is sizeable but the stage is set for Morocco to cement its status as a true heavyweight of world football.