Morocco leverages Mohammed VI Academy to cement continental football leadership ahead of AFCON 2025

Morocco is leveraging its football infrastructure and continental influence to assert itself as a powerhouse ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Mohammed VI Football Academy, highlighted by French sports daily L’Équipe, stands as a central symbol of this strategy, combining elite training with social development programs.

Established in 2008, the academy reflects King Mohammed VI’s vision of using football as a tool for education, professional training, and upward mobility for young Moroccan talent.

Over the years, it has developed state-of-the-art facilities and implemented programs that extend beyond Morocco, offering guidance to other African nations seeking to build academies, stadiums, and training centers.

Many of these advisory services are provided free of charge, helping foster a sustainable football ecosystem across the continent.

The academy is just one component of a broader national plan. Nine additional centers, modeled on the Mohammed VI Academy, are under construction in regions throughout Morocco.

Each center is directly managed by the Moroccan Football Federation and linked to professional clubs to ensure seamless development pathways for young players.

Morocco’s football ambitions intersect with wider diplomatic and economic strategies. Since rejoining the African Union in 2017, the country has strengthened continental ties through initiatives like visa exemptions for citizens of Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, and infrastructure projects including the Nigeria–Morocco gas pipeline and the Dakhla Atlantique port. These efforts reinforce Morocco’s role as a hub for both sport and economic integration in Africa.

The Kingdom’s influence in football has also been recognized internationally. FIFA opened its Africa office in Salé, near the Mohammed VI complex, signaling Morocco’s growing importance in continental football governance.

Ahead of AFCON 2025, which begins December 21, Morocco will showcase not only its talented “golden generation” but also its capacity to organize and inspire a new era of African football.

The academy and its surrounding initiatives underscore the country’s ambition to compete among the elite-on the pitch, in player development, and in the broader governance of African football.