Morocco, gearing up to host the 2030 World Cup, is a "country that breathes football," writes Argentina's leading sports daily, Olé.
In an article by its correspondent in Morocco, Maxi Friggieri, Olé captures the football fervor sweeping through the streets of Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Tangier, and cities across the Kingdom.
The author adds that the daily wandered through mosques, construction stadiums, the medina, the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, monuments, and numerous football fields. "There, as in Argentina, the round ball is in the air: wherever you look, you find one, whether it’s in a square, on the beach, on a five-a-side field, or in the incredible high-level training center."
Referring to the planned schedule for the 2030 World Cup, which will begin with the trio of Argentina-Uruguay-Paraguay, followed by the trio of Spain-Morocco-Portugal, the newspaper adds that among these six countries, "Morocco is an example of the convergence of customs: it is a land where Arab, African, and also Western history meet."
Olé then provides insight into Morocco's political system and the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, whose "growth strategy for the country is closely tied to the evolution of sports, with football at its core."
It then quotes remarks from the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, who "boldly stated the Atlas Lions' ambition: 'We can be champions in 2026,' he said, without waiting for 2030."
The Argentine publication recalls that "Morocco made history at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Its players broke the 'psychological barrier' – as Fouzi Lekjaa calls it – of merely competing and reached the semifinals," adding that "Argentine and Moroccan fans were the two largest supporter groups at the last World Cup in Qatar."
