\n<\/p>\n
To get this far, Morocco has invested heavily, especially in football infrastructure, including two of Africa’s most advanced facilities – both of which bear King Mohammed’s name.<\/p>\n
Together, the Mohammed VI Football Academy and Mohammed VI Training Complex host youth and senior national teams – men and women – combining elite training with education, accommodation and sports science.<\/p>\n
“This evolution of Moroccan football is not a random achievement,” said Bounouar.<\/p>\n
“It came through years of strategic planning and a long-term national project supported by the highest levels of Moroccan authorities.”<\/p>\n
King Mohammed first discussed his plan to use football as a tool for social and economic development in 2008, before opening the academy in 2009 and the $65m (\u00a348.5m) training complex in 2019.<\/p>\n
“The idea was to give young talents modern facilities, good coaches, good education and a healthy environment,” Bounouar added.<\/p>\n
This structure has helped to create a steady pipeline for both domestic clubs and the national team, alongside an increasing number of players competing at top European clubs.<\/p>\n
Nigerian photojournalist Sulaiman Adebayo, who has visited Morocco many times, agrees that the country’s rising football profile is no accident.<\/p>\n
“Everything they’ve done for the past four to five years has been deliberate in terms of building facilities and improving their football,” he said.<\/p>\n
“They are strategic and intentional – and it shows.”<\/p>\n
While fans have enjoyed the improved performances of Morocco’s national teams, recently the size of the investment has come under greater scrutiny.<\/p>\n
This year’s so-called Gen Z protests saw the country’s younger generation call for “hospitals not stadiums”<\/a>, as Morocco continues to spend big on new facilities before co-hosting the 2030 World Cup<\/a> alongside Spain and Portugal.<\/p>\n “There are differing opinions,” Bounouar said.<\/p>\n “The majority of Moroccans view football as an essential national project that provides benefits beyond the field.<\/p>\n “Most of them believe success in football is a great way to unite a diverse population and raise Morocco’s profile globally, attracting attention like tourism.”<\/p>\n According to statistics from Fifa and the Moroccan FA, participation at grassroots level has increased.<\/p>\n Bounouar believes the sport has become “even more embedded in daily life”, with more children playing outside of school – something not limited to boys and men, with increased social acceptance of girls playing football having been an original part of King Mohammed’s plan.<\/p>\n This has been helped by the Atlas Lionesses reaching successive Women’s Cup of Nations finals on home soil, while captain Ghizlane Chebbak is the new African player of the year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n