21.10.2025 22:21
Morocco, the winner of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, is drawing attention with its successes in football. The semi-final achievement in the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar has made Morocco a country followed by football authorities. Morocco is seen as a team likely to achieve some of the most surprising results in the coming years.
Morocco, which became the champion by defeating Argentina 2-0 in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, is making a name for itself with its successes in football.
IT BECAME THE SECOND AFRICAN COUNTRY In the final match held in Chile, Morocco, which won with two goals from Yassir Zabiri, who wore the jersey of the Portuguese team Famalicao, became the second African country to lift the trophy after Ghana, the champion of the 2009 tournament.
Morocco, which is preparing to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup along with Spain and Portugal, sees football as a means to contribute to the country's international image and to meet the expectations of football-loving people.
With its success in the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar, Morocco has been positively discussed in international football, becoming the first African and Arab country to reach the semi-finals. The success of Morocco is actually rooted in the investments the country has made in football in the past. Morocco, which has renovated or rebuilt stadiums in its five largest cities: Casablanca, Tangier, Agadir, Marrakech, and Rabat, has started to reap the fruits of the infrastructure initiative it launched years ago.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES The Kingdom of Morocco has invested $8.7 billion in railways so far, materializing plans and projects that will help it host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. More investment has been allocated for the development and construction of new stadiums.
For example, the Ibn Battuta Stadium, named after one of the most important travelers in history and one of Morocco's largest stadiums, opened in 2011 with a capacity of 45,000 spectators and has been renovated to increase its seating capacity to 75,000.
Professional clubs and national teams established the King Mohammed VI Football Academy in 2009 to discover, train, and develop young footballers. The academy was inaugurated in 2010 by King Mohammed VI of Morocco. Academies, training centers, and sports facilities can be found in almost every city in Morocco. Significant educational scholarships are provided to boys and girls to continue their football careers.
With over 700 Moroccan footballers showcasing their talents in important European clubs abroad and the international successes in recent years, it shows how right the investments have been. In the country, football is becoming the preferred sport not only for men but also for women. Morocco, which values women's football alongside men's football, seems to have reaped the rewards of its investment in women's football in the last two Women's Africa Cup of Nations. The Moroccan Women's National Football Team, which made the country proud by reaching the finals of the 2022 and 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, aims to win the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, which it will host.
THE GOAL IS TO LIFT THE TROPHY AT A SENIOR NATIONAL LEVEL TOURNAMENT Morocco, a semi-finalist in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has proven that this success is not a coincidence. Morocco, which won all 8 matches it played in Group E of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Qualifiers, managed to outpace its closest rival Niger by 9 points. By finishing first in its group, Morocco earned the right to participate directly in the World Cup and aims to achieve new successes under the leadership of national team head coach Walid Regragui.
THE 2030 WORLD CUP WILL BE HELD IN 6 COUNTRIES ACROSS 3 CONTINENTS In addition to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco is preparing to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup along with Spain and Portugal. The organization is planned to be held in Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech, and Agadir, in addition to the capital Rabat. Matches will also be played in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay as part of the 2030 World Cup. The first matches of the tournament will be held in South America in honor of the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, while the remaining matches will take place in Spain, Morocco, and Portugal.