When the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Sunday, hosts Morocco hope it will be the culmination of an ambitious long-term plan to become the continent's leading football nation.
Since last lifting the Afcon trophy in Ethiopia in 1976, the Atlas Lions have rarely come close to repeating the feat. This long wait stands in stark contrast to recent achievements in other countries.
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“Every time I bet [on] The Moroccan shirt is an amazing feeling,” midfielder Sofyan Amrabat told the BBC World Service.
The former Manchester United player was a key member of the Moroccan team. reached the semi-finals the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the first African country to achieve such deep participation in the tournament.
“It's hard to explain. It's what you feel in your heart,” the 29-year-old said of representing his country.
“I'm really looking forward to this Afcon, especially because it will be at home. And, of course, we hope that it will be ours.”
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Moroccan football analyst Jalal Bounoir's expectations are clear.
“Morocco's main and immediate goal is to win the Afcon,” he told BBC Sport Africa.
“Winning the continental title is seen as the final piece of the puzzle.”
A semi-final defeat to France in Qatar 2022 was followed by an under-23 bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. under 20 years old – world champions after beating Argentina in the October final.
Morocco has also won the last three African Nations Championships, international tournaments for players only from the national leagues they competed in (2018, 2020 and 2024). The team also won the FIFA Arab Cup final against Jordan this week.
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Bounoir says it's not surprising that these successes have raised expectations.
“We haven’t been able to win the African Cup of Nations since 1976, can you imagine?” – he said.
“This is the only [senior] title in the history of Moroccan football, so it's time to win it.”
The infrastructure behind the ambitions
The purpose-built Mohammed VI Academy, built in Salé near Rabat, covers an area of 25 hectares and includes world-class training grounds, dormitories, training halls and medical centres. [Getty Images]
To achieve this, Morocco has invested heavily, especially in football infrastructure, including two of the most modern facilities in Africa, both of which bear the name of King Mohammed.
Together, the Mohammed VI Football Academy and the Mohammed VI Training Complex host youth and senior national teams – men's and women's – combining elite training with education, accommodation and sports science.
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“This evolution of Moroccan football is not an accidental achievement,” Bounoir said.
“This was made possible through many years of strategic planning and a long-term national project supported by Moroccan senior leadership.”
King Mohammed 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 (£48.5m) training complex in 2019.
“The idea was to give young talent modern facilities, good coaches, good education and a healthy environment,” Bounoir added.
This structure has helped create a stable squad for both domestic clubs and the national team, as well as increasing the number of players competing at top European clubs.
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Nigerian photojournalist Suleiman Adebayo, who has visited Morocco many times, agrees that the country's rise in football status is no coincidence.
“Everything they have done over the last four or five years has been thought through in terms of building facilities and improving their football,” he said.
“They are strategic and purposeful – and it shows.”
While fans have enjoyed the improved performances of Morocco's national teams, the size of the investment has recently come under greater scrutiny.
This year's so-called Gen Z protests have seen the country's younger generation call for “hospitals, not stadiums”as Morocco continues to spend heavily on new facilities before co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup along with Spain and Portugal.
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“There are different opinions,” Bounoir said.
“Most Moroccans view football as an important national project that brings benefits beyond the football field.
“Most of them believe that success in football is a great way to unite a diverse population and raise Morocco’s profile around the world, attracting attention such as tourism.”
According to statistics from FIFA and the Moroccan FA, participation at the grassroots level has increased.
Bounoir believes the sport has become “even more integrated into everyday life” as more children play outside of school, not just boys and men, and increasing social acceptance of girls playing football was an original part of King Mohammed's plan.
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This was facilitated by the fact that the Atlas Lionesses consistently reached the final of the Women's Nations Cup on home soil, and the captain Ghizlan Chebbak is the new African Player of the Year.
Hakimi “Most Important Player”
Moroccan team Atlas Lions are ranked 11th in the latest FIFA World Rankings – the highest-ranked African team. [Getty Images]
Morocco will enter the home tournament as clear favourites.
Currently on a run of 18 consecutive wins – a world record in international football – dating back to March 2024, the Atlas Lions have scored 50 goals and conceded just four in 20 months, although the quality of their opposition must be taken into account.
Like many others, Amrabat expects home advantage to play a role.
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“We have amazing stadiums with very good fields. The weather will be good, it’s not very hot in Morocco right now,” he said.
“Because the fans support us, they can push us a lot. We need that energy to go and press and show that intensity.”
Besides Amrabat, Morocco boasts the continent's best goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Real Madrid playmaker Brahim Diaz and Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi, who was recently named African Player of the Year.
Hakimi is the team captain and an undoubted star – you see his name on shirts all over Morocco – but doubt remains about his participation due to ankle injury received during a Champions League match against Bayern Munich in November.
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“We will do everything for him to perform at 100%,” coach Walid Regraghi said recently.
“But if this is not the case, he will be with us no matter what.
“He is the most important player for us, whether on the field or in the dressing room.”
Morocco opens its campaign against Comoros on Sunday (1900 GMT).
And although this is the first game of the tournament, it is still far from the start of Morocco's recent football journey.
“This is our moment,” Amrabat said. “I think we have to do it now, especially at home.
“I dream about this moment. We want to give this [to] people and make everyone happy.”
