Rabat – A marathon meeting between Moroccan professional football clubs and the National Professional Football League (LNFP) on Monday, August 17, ended without the consensus needed to advance a proposal to expand the country’s professional leagues to 20 teams.
The meeting, held in Rabat, brought together presidents of clubs from Morocco’s first and second divisions alongside LNFP officials to discuss a major restructuring of the national league system.
According to the results of the vote, 17 clubs supported the move to a 20-team format, while seven clubs rejected the proposal. Another three clubs abstained.
Although the proposal secured a majority among the votes cast, the lack of unanimous support emerged as a major obstacle. The project therefore could not proceed to the next stage, which would involve consideration by the eDxecutive office of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).
Majority not enough to move proposal forward
The outcome highlighted the difficulties surrounding any major change to Morocco’s professional football structure.
While the proposal received more votes in favor than against, the regulations reportedly require broader agreement for a reform of this scale. The LNFP also does not have the authority to independently change the number of clubs competing in the two professional divisions.
Current competition regulations established by the FRMF set the number of clubs in both the first and second divisions at 16 teams.
As a result, expanding either division to 20 clubs would require changes to the existing regulatory framework rather than a simple decision by the professional league.
Legal and structural challenges
The proposal also faces legal and structural complications within the federation’s statutes.
One of the key issues concerns Article 18 of the FRMF regulations, which establishes representation at the federation’s General Assembly based on the existing structure of 16 clubs in each of the first and second divisions.
Any move toward a 20-team format could therefore require broader institutional changes, potentially extending beyond the LNFP and involving the federation’s General Assembly.
This makes the proposed expansion significantly more complicated than a conventional league-format adjustment.
Clubs remain divided
The vote reflects a clear divide among Moroccan professional clubs over the proposed reform.
Supporters of the 20-team format continue to push for an expansion, which would increase the number of clubs competing at the highest level and potentially reshape the promotion and relegation system.
Opponents, however, remain concerned about the implications of such a structural change and have prevented the proposal from securing the level of agreement reportedly required to advance.
With seven clubs voting against the project and three others abstaining, around 10 votes were not in favor of the proposal.
For now, the 20-team league project appears to have reached an impasse.
Further discussions could still produce a compromise or lead some clubs to reconsider their positions. However, unless the regulatory and institutional obstacles are addressed, the proposal will struggle to move to the FRMF’s decision-making bodies.
The coming days are therefore expected to be crucial in determining whether Moroccan professional football moves toward a 20-team league structure or maintains the current 16-team format.
