The most recent FIFA report on Morocco, released on Monday, highlights Morocco’s football renaissance, displaying a string of victories in men’s, women’s, and youth football, as well as ground-breaking success in futsal.
The article garnered significant support from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which reposted it on its website while crediting FIFA. This joint honor not only highlights Morocco’s outstanding achievements, but also marks the country’s growth as a powerful force in the world of football.
Quoting FIFA, the men’s national team’s remarkable semifinal run in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the women’s team’s round of 16 appearance, the U-17s advancing to the last 16 at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the U-23s clinching victory in the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations all showcase Morocco’s multifaceted success.
The story started with Morocco’s national futsal team’s historic victory in the FIFA Futsal Confederations Cup 2022, which propelled them to eighth place in the international futsal rankings. The significant quarterfinal qualification in the same competition in 2021 is also included.
These achievements are unprecedented for African and Arab national teams. The Federation stated “Not only were these all firsts for Morocco, but no African or Arab national team had ever achieved any of these feats before.”
The world football body attributed Morocco’s success to a meticulously devised plan spearheaded by Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President, Fouzi Lekjaa, who assumed the role in 2017.
Prior to Lekjaa’s hiring, and as a result of player departures, the FRMF and Moroccan football in general were at the time experiencing a difficult and disappointing transitional period.
This plan, encompassing talent identification, player development, and professionalization, has yielded tangible results across all age groups and genders.
This plan indubitably played a huge role in Morocco’s successful tripartite bid to host the World Cup 2030 along with Portugal and Spain…“a carefully constructed plan. . . which is now bearing fruits for Moroccan football and, with long-term sporting investment, will surely continue to do so in the future.”
The FRMF, headed by Lekjaa, has been working on developing the country’s sporting infrastructure, building new stadiums and renovating existing ones.
Infrastructure development emerges as a key component, with new venues, renovations, and the establishment of a 13 million euro football academy in 2009, showcasing King Mohammed VI’s commitment to nurturing football talent.
Mandatory club foundations have boosted youth and women’s football in Morocco, enabling players to excel in Europe and elevate Moroccan clubs internationally. In 2020, a FIFA grant was used to hire Reynald Pedros and focus on talent identification and development.
Several talented players have emerged from the academy, including Youssef En-Nesyri, Nayef Aguerd, Hamza Mendyl, and Azzedine Ounahi, along with nine U-17 national team players and six women’s team players.
Morocco’s tapping into its diaspora has yielded stars like Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi for the men’s team, and players such as Yasmine Zouhir and Rosella Ayane for the Atlas Lionesses.
FIFA’s feature ends by highlighting Morocco’s commitment to nurturing local coaching talent; specifically, it shines the light on Walid Regragui, now at the helm of the men’s national team, thereby completing Morocco’s comprehensive transformation into a football powerhouse.
In a similar context, FIFA ranks the Atlas Lions’ team in 13th position globally in the latest men’s world ranking of 210 teams. The Atlas Lions remain Africa’s premier team with a total of 1661.69 points, up by 3.2 points from October’s tally.