In a couple of decades, Morocco went from being regularly eliminated in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and failing to qualify for several successive World Cups to sitting inside the top 10 of the FIFA men’s rankings, reaching the semifinals at the Qatar World Cup in 2022 and being considered credible contenders for the sport’s biggest tournament this summer.Even more impressive is that the Atlas Lions’ success is not limited to the senior men’s national team but has been spread across every age group and category.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listMorocco are currently the 2025 AFCON champions, albeit after Senegal were stripped of the title. They were also 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finalists, 2025 FIFA Arab Cup champions, 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) champions, 2025 U-20 FIFA World Cup champions, 2025 U-17 AFCON champions, 2024 Olympic men’s bronze medallists and 2024 Futsal AFCON champions.There is no magic formula behind the success. A source close to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the media explained that the country’s success rests on three pillars: good governance, financial investment and competent human resources.“King Mohammed VI laid out this strategy during the Skhirat Sports Conference in 2008, which marked the beginning of a long-term national project for football development,” he said.“The first pillar was gover …
