Morocco, the driving engine behind African football, appears to be firmly on track to become the continent's first nation to clinch the World Cup, according to a powerful endorsement from the Spanish sports daily AS on Monday.
The Kingdom is now reaping the rewards of an ambitious, long-term strategy built on a winning foundation: modern infrastructure, a rigorous youth talent scouting and development policy, and top-tier technical coaching, the paper highlights.
"A sports city at the cutting edge of global football, a high-performance center, and a recruitment plan focused on players from the diaspora. This is the formula that has allowed Morocco to build a squad capable of competing with the best footballing nations," the report adds.
AS points out that Moroccan teams, across all categories, have been stacking up successes for several years: the historic semi-final run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Olympic bronze medal at the Paris Games, and, most recently, the U20 squad's qualification for the World Cup semi-finals.
The newspaper also shines a light on the depth of the Moroccan talent pool, powered by dazzling young stars like Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Díaz, Abde, Saibari, and Ilias Akhomach, who play alongside seasoned veterans such as Amrabat and En-Nesyri.
With the co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, the Moroccan project "is only gaining further in scope," the Spanish paper notes. Before that major milestone, Morocco will host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) later this year, where it "holds a clear advantage over its competitors,' AS concluded.
