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The rise of Moroccan football has been a long-term project for King Mohammed VI and the FRMF.<\/p>\n
The king first discussed his plan to use football as a tool for social and economic development in 2008, before opening an academy in 2009 and a $65m (\u00a348.5m) training facility near the capital Rabat in 2019 – both of which bear his name.<\/p>\n
Five of the players who started the U20 World Cup final attended the academy, as did the likes of Marseille centre-back Nayef Aguerd, Girona midfielder Azzedine Ounahi and Fenerbahce striker Youssef En-Nesyri – all of whom played a part in the Atlas Lions’ historic run to the semi-finals of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.<\/a><\/p>\n “We can’t overlook the major role played by the Mohammed VI Football Academy, a pioneer in this field, where they’ve done remarkable work with young players,” Fathi Jamal, the director of technical development at the FRMF, told Fifa.com., external<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The training facility boasts eight full-size pitches, gym and medical facilities, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a 5-star hotel among its amenities.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the federation has set up its own regional training centres, invested in 7,000 amateur pitches, and looked to modernise its technical staff, emphasising the importance of training local coaches.<\/p>\n Vast sums have also been spent on redeveloping and building stadiums to stage the 2025 Afcon and co-host the 2030 Fifa World Cup – with the total costs reported as $5bn (\u00a33.7bn).<\/p>\n “We are ambitious,” said the spokesperson with knowledge of the FRMF’s plans.<\/p>\n “There is more work to do, but we are in a good direction. Afcon (2025) will be even more exciting.”<\/p>\n