Rabat – Morocco’s Botola Pro will remain a 16-team competition for the 2026-27 season, putting an end to the latest push to expand the country’s professional leagues to 20 clubs.
The National Professional Football League (LNFP) announced on Friday that the draw for the 2026-27 Botola Pro “Inwi” season will take place on August 28 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Maâmoura.
The league also confirmed that the upcoming season will follow the existing competition format, with 16 clubs in the first division and 16 in the second one.
The announcement comes only days after Moroccan professional clubs held a formal meeting with the LNFP to consider a proposal that would have significantly changed the structure of the national league system.
20-team proposal reached formal vote
The proposal to expand both professional divisions from 16 to 20 teams was not simply an informal suggestion. It reached the level of a formal vote during a meeting between club presidents and LNFP officials in Rabat on August 17.
According to the voting results, 17 clubs supported the expansion, seven opposed it, and three abstained. Despite receiving a clear majority, the proposal failed to obtain the broader agreement reportedly required for such a structural reform.
As a result, the project could not move forward to the next stage, which would have involved consideration by the executive office of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).
The vote exposed divisions among Moroccan professional clubs over how the country’s league system should be restructured.
Why the expansion could not be implemented
The difficulty was not only a matter of the vote.
The existing FRMF competition regulations set the number of clubs in both the first and second professional divisions at 16 teams. As a result, increasing the number to 20 would require changes to the regulatory framework rather than a decision by the LNFP alone.
The proposal also raised broader institutional questions. Article 18 of the FRMF regulations links representation at the federation’s General Assembly to the existing structure of 16 clubs in each professional division.
A move to 20 teams could therefore require changes that extend beyond the league itself and potentially involve the federation’s wider institutional structure.
LNFP confirms 16-team format
The LNFP’s latest announcement now provides the clearest indication of the outcome.
The 2026-27 season will proceed under the current 16-team format, despite the recent attempt to introduce a 20-team system.
The league said the competitions would be organized according to the regulations and procedures currently in force, while stressing that all arrangements would be implemented with transparency and in accordance with the applicable rules.
The announcement effectively means that the proposed expansion will not be implemented for the 2026-27 season.
August 28 draw to set the new season
With the 20-team proposal unable to advance, attention now turns to preparations for the new campaign.
The LNFP will hold the official Botola Pro draw on August 28 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Maâmoura.
Further details concerning the fixtures, scheduling, and other organizational arrangements for the 2026-27 season will be announced through the LNFP’s official channels.
For Moroccan football, the episode marks the latest attempt to reform the structure of the professional leagues. While the 20-team project gained significant support from clubs, securing a majority was not enough to overcome the regulatory and institutional requirements needed to change the current format.
For the upcoming season, therefore, Botola Pro remains a 16-team league.
