The Botola Pro season runs from August to May, with each of the 16 teams playing 30 matches (facing every other team twice, once at home and once away), totaling 240 matches per season. Most games are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, while others are played on weekday evenings. The league is currently sponsored by Inwi. From 2015 to 2019, it was known as Botola Maroc Telecom due to its previous sponsorship agreement with Maroc Telecom.[1]
The LNFP was officially established in 2015 by the FRMF to oversee the organization and development of professional football in Morocco, including the Botola Pro. This reform aimed to enhance the management of the domestic league and take advantage of growing commercial and broadcasting opportunities. Moroccan sports channel Arryadia holds the rights to broadcast Botola Pro matches, contributing to the league's media presence and revenue generation.[3]
The current champions are RS Berkane, who won the title in the 2024–25 season.[7]
History
Botola trophy
The Moroccan Football Championship was launched in the Sultanate in 11 June 1915. Organised by the Moroccan football league. The new organisation under the Royal Moroccan Football Federation took place in January 1957, Wydad AC was crowned with the edition of the 1956–57 season, which was its sixth title.[8] In the following season, the Kawkab Marrakech club was crowned, and then the following two seasons were crowned by the youth star and KAC Kénitra.[9][10][11]
The start of great rivalry (1960–1970)
AS FAR dominated the championship for four consecutive seasons despite the competition being played by strong teams, namely Maghreb de Fès and Kawkab Marrakech, where the Askari Club was able to enter history as the first club to achieve four consecutive titles in the years (1961–1964).[12][13][14][15] Then in the 1964–1965 season, Maghreb de Fès won its first title, then Wydad AC won the league title in the 1965–1966 season, which is the beginning of the competition between Raja CA and Wydad AC in the tournament, where the derby was repeated due to the public entering the stadium which ended with Raja winning 2–1; But when it was replayed, it ended in a 0–0 draw, and thus Wydad AC won the championship by one point over Raja CA.[16][17][18]
New champions (1971–1995)
New teams were able to crown the championship title during this period, including RS Settat,[19]Racing de Casablanca,[20]Raja Beni Mellal,[21]MC Oujda,[22]SCC Mohammédia,[23] and others that had previously been crowned as Wydad, who won the league for three consecutive seasons. Kenitra was able to obtain the championship in the 1973–1972 season in a dramatic way in a season known as the famous case of the Car Dial Fez, where it noticed the survival of Wydad from going down to the second national division due to the cancellation of the interview of Maghreb de Fès with Wydad AC in the last round due to a malfunction in the bus that was carrying the players of Maghreb Fez, which automated a loss for fez and Wydad got 4 points, KAC Kénitra won the league.[24]
Maghreb de Fès was able to add two more titles to its treasury at this stage. KAC Kénitra managed to win two successive titles,[25][26] while Olympique de Casablanca won their first title,[27] and the competition was strong between Wydad AC and the AS FAR, where the Military Club won three titles, bringing the total of its titles to 10 to hang its first star, and then Wydad was able to win four titles, bringing its total titles to 15. While the Kawkab Marrakech club was satisfied with its second title only, while another new competitor appeared, Raja CA, which won its first title in the 1987–1988 season.[28]
Raja's glory (1995–2002)
In the seven seasons between 1995 and 2002, Raja CA arose quickly making it one of the most supported club in Morocco, as it managed to obtain the championship for six consecutive seasons in a golden period during which a generation of excellent players appeared. This period coincided with the emergence of Raja CA on the scene International in the African Champions League and Club World Cup.[29] Appearing in 3 CAF Champions League Final winning 2 but losing the 2002 CAF Champions League Final[30] and ending 7th in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship.[31]
New champions (2002–2011)
Hassania Agadir managed to win the championship twice in a row, despite the competition from the two poles of the economic capital.[32] After that, the tournament became more exciting between the two poles of Casablanca, Wydad and ASFAR as the tournament was not decided until the last two rounds or the last round. FAR and Wydad Casablanca won two titles, while Olympique Khouribga won its first title in its history.[33] While Raja continued the race to try to catch up with Wydad and the Army, as it won three titles, bringing its total to ten titles, to be the third team to suspend the ten titles. Botola was placed third as the best African league of the world of the first decade (2001-2010) by IFFHS.[34]
The start of Botola Pro (2011–present)
In light of the league's strength, it was necessary for the Moroccan League to move Moroccan football from the abyss to professionalism, so the first professional season was 2011–12 which was crowned by the Maghreb Tetouan club for the first time in its history.[35]Raja CA managed to win the title in the 2012–13 season, then followed by Maghreb Tetouan in the 2013–14 Botola.[36] In the 2014–15 season, Wydad Casablanca returned after 5 years again to win the 18th title in its history. FUS Rabat also won the 2015–16 season title for the first time in its history,[37] while Wydad Casablanca won the 2016–17 Botola League title for the 19th time in its history. In 2017–18, IR Tanger managed to win their 1st league title in its history.[38] On 4 October 2020, the FRMF introduced the Virtual Offside Line in Botola.[39] Botola has been ranked in the top 40 world's strongest national league of the decade by International Federation of Football History & Statistics.[40] On 25 May 2021, Botola was placed third as the best African league of the world of the second decade (2011-2020) by IFFHS.[41] On 27 December 2022, The President of the National League stated that the winter transfer market will depend on the financial status of the clubs and to resolve all standing disputes related to player contracts, as well as the technical and medical staff of the clubs.[42] Since 2018, Botola has been ranked top 3 strongest African leagues by IFFHS.[43][44]
Competition format
There are 16 clubs in the Botola. During the course of a season (from August to May) each club plays the others twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents', for 30 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank.
A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Botola and the Botola 2. The two lowest placed teams in the Botola are relegated to the Botola 2, and the top two teams from the Botola 2 promoted to the Botola.
Number of clubs in Botola throughout the years
Period (in years)
No. of clubs
1956–1958
16 clubs
1958–1966
14 clubs
1966–67
16 clubs
1967–68
18 clubs
1968–1980
16 clubs
1980–81
20 clubs
1981–82
18 clubs
1982–1985
16 clubs
1985–86
20 clubs
1986–87
24 clubs (2 groups) + playoffs
1987–88
18 clubs
1988–present
16 clubs
Sponsorship
Since 2020, inwi has been the official sponsor of the Botola for a 15 million dirham per year contract.[45]
In September 2007, the SNRT Group (Al Aoula, 2M TV and Arryadia) paid 225 million dirhams for the rights to broadcast the following three seasons of the Botola.[48]
Throughout the week, every game played in the Botola is broadcast live by at least one TV channel.
Botola clubs in Africa
The Botola is currently second in the CAF 5-year ranking of African leagues, after being first for the past three years. This ranking is based on the performances of domestic clubs in African competitions over a five-year period.
The club ranking is used for seeding in the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. Pending equality in ranking points, the team receiving more points in the previous season is considered as the higher-ranked team.[52]
↑ Despite relegation, MAS qualified for the Confederation Cup as Throne Cup winners.
All-time Botola Pro table (since 2011)
The all-time Botola Pro table is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in Botola Pro since its new format inception in 2011. The table is accurate as of the end of the 2023–24 season. Teams in bold are part of the 2024–25 Botola season.
↑ HUSA deducted 2 points due to the involvement of 4 foreign players against CRA in 2011/12 Season
↑ OCK deducted 2 points because of two matches being awarded against them in 2013/14 season
↑ 2 points were added to CRA in 2011/12 season because of HUSA's inclusion of 4 foreign players against them. And in 2013/14 season 1 point deducted because of one match being awarded against them
↑ JSS deducted 3 points Because his coach Mohamed El Sebki was on the bench of his club without being legally qualified, in the match he won against US Touarga 1–0 in the 2023/24 season
↑ CODM deducted 1 point after the masses rioted in front of MAS 2011/12 season
Player records
Most goals (since 2011)
The table shows the Botola Pro top scorers since its new format inception in 2011. The table is accurate as of the end of the 2024–25 season[citation needed].
Boldface indicates a player still active in Botola Pro1. Italics indicates a player still active outside Botola Pro1.
↑ "Inwi, nouveau sponsor de la Botola Pro"[Inwi, new sponsor of the Botola Pro]. leconomiste.com. L'ECONOMISTE. 21 November 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
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