Sport in Morocco

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Sports in Morocco refers to the sports played in the Kingdom of Morocco. As of 2007, Moroccan society participated in many sports, including handball, football, golf, tennis, basketball, and athletics. Hicham El Guerrouj, a retired middle distance runner for Morocco, won two gold medals for Morocco at the Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics. [1]

Contents

Association football has historically been particularly popular amongst persons of African descent and is Morocco's most popular sport. Other popular sports include: athletics, Futsal, basketball, boxing, golf, netball, swimming, surfing and tennis.

Ministry of Youth and Sports

The Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports was founded in August 1964 and houses all the sporting federations in the country. Despite the Ministry's mission to engage young people in sporting opportunities, many Moroccan athletes denounce the institution as not giving young Moroccans enough sponsorship or opportunities to play sports professionally. [2]

Host of events

Morocco will host the FIFA World Cup in 2030 with Portugal and Spain to be the first by more than one continent to host the tournament which Morocco finally won the right having failed five times. It will be the first time that Morocco has hosted it, the second country in African after 2010 in South Africa, the second Arab country after Qatar in 2022 and the first in North Africa. [3]

Morocco hosted the 2019 African Games in Rabat; it was the first time that the country hosted the event. It was the largest African Games ever and the largest sporting event to be hosted by Morocco.

In 2019, it was announced that Morocco would host the inaugural African Para Games in Rabat in January 2020. [4] however, due to poor relations between the Africa Paralympic Committee and the country's authorities, Morocco withdrew and the event took place in Cairo, Egypt.

Morocco has hosted many international events such as the 1988 African Cup of Nations, [5] 2013 FIFA Club World Cup, [6] 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, 2018 African Nations Championship, [7] 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, [8] 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, [9] 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations [10] and the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. [11] Most of the events hosted are football related since it is the most popular sport in the country.

Other events hosted include:

By Sport

Football

Morocco at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia Iran-Morocco by soccer.ru 12.jpg
Morocco at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
Moroccan football fans at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Iran-Morocco by soccer.ru 17.jpg
Moroccan football fans at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation based in Rabat is the governing body of football in Morocco. Morocco qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times and bid for the World Cups 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2026 but lost out to United States, France, Germany, South Africa and Canada/Mexico/United States in these bids. On 4 October 2023, The FIFA Executive Committee has unanimously accepted the Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid as a candidate to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. [21] [22] [23]

Botola

The "Botola" Pro is the top league competition for football clubs in Morocco. Each season 16 teams compete for the championship. Champion and runner-up participate in the African Champions League. The most successful clubs in the league are: AS FAR, and Wydad Casablanca, and Raja Casablanca. [24]

The Moroccan top-flight has produced the second-highest number of CAF Champions League titles, with three Moroccan clubs having won seven African trophies in total. [25] [26] They also produced the highest number of CAF Confederation Cup titles, with five Moroccan clubs having won seven African confederation trophies. [27]

Futsal

Morocco's popularity for Futsal has risen over the years due to its similarity to football. Morocco national futsal team is a major force in the African and Arab world. They hosted the 2020 Africa Futsal Cup of Nations and the 2024 Futsal Africa Cup of Nations. [28] Their first major trophy came in 2016, after defeating Egypt in the final. [29] They have won the Africa Futsal Cup of Nations three times. [30] They also won the Arab Futsal Cup three times. [31] [32]

Morocco qualified for the FIFA Futsal World Cup three times, Their best performance was in 2021, where they reached the round of 16. [33] [34] Morocco is the only African and Arab country to have won the Futsal Confederations Cup. [35] [36]

Basketball

Morocco first joined the FIBA in 1936. It has won one AfroBasket title and one AfroCan title. [37] [38]

Kickboxing

Morocco is known for having great Kickboxing fighters, Badr Hari is considered to be one of the best Kickboxer in the world.

Equestrian sports

Morocco has a vibrant equestrian sports community headed by the Royal Moroccan Equestrian Federation. Morocco's most famous equestrian, Abdelkebir Ouaddar, represented the country in the 2014 Normandy World Equestrian Games and 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [39]

Motorsport

Mehdi Bennani is Morocco's most notable racing driver. He has competed in the World Touring Car Championship since 2009, where he has scored a number of top three finishes. In 2014 he scored his first WTCC win at the championship's Shanghai round. [40]

Cricket

Morocco hosted the 2002 Morocco Cup, which was well attended. [41] Sri Lanka beat South Africa in the final. [42]

Morocco boasts an ICC approved ground capable of hosting full internationals, the National Cricket Stadium in Tangier. It has so far hosted a One Day International triangular tournament, the Morocco Cup in 2002, where Sri Lanka won ahead of South Africa and Pakistan.

Basketball

Morocco, represented by the Moroccan Royal Basketball Federation, has been affiliated to FIBA since 1936. [43] The men's national team has won one FIBA Africa Championship title in 1965. The professional national league is Nationale 1. On 16 July 2023, Morocco won the 2023 FIBA AfroCan Final after beating Cote d'Ivoire 78-76 that took place in Luanda, Angola, Thus marking their first continental trophy since 1965. [44] [45] [46]

Women's volleyball

Morocco has a successful women's national volleyball team which lastly qualified for the 2021 Women's African Nations Volleyball Championship [47] where it won the bronze medal.

Rugby union

Rugby union came to Morocco in the early 20th century, mainly by the French who occupied the country. [48] As a result, Moroccan rugby was tied to the fortunes of France, during the first and second World War, with many Moroccan players going away to fight. [48] Like many other Maghreb nations, Moroccan rugby tended to look to Europe for inspiration, rather than to the rest of Africa.

Notable Moroccan players include:

Ice Hockey

Morocco was admitted into the International Ice Hockey Federation on May 22, 2010. [49]

Stadiums

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederation of African Football</span> Governing body of association football in Africa

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) (in French Confédération Africaine de Football) is the administrative and controlling body for association football, beach soccer, and futsal in Africa. It was established on 8 February 1957 at the Grand Hotel in Khartoum, Sudan by the national football associations of: Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa. following formal discussions between the aforementioned associations at the FIFA Congress held on 7 June 1956 at Avenida Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morocco national football team</span> Mens association football team

The Morocco national football team represents Morocco in men's international football, and is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Moroccan Football Federation</span> Sport governing body

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation is the governing body of football in Morocco. It was established in 1956. It became a member in the FIFA in 1960, and in the same year it also became a member of CAF. It organizes the football league, the Botola, the Morocco national football team and the Morocco women's national football team. It is based in Rabat. it is also a member of the UAFA and UNAF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stade Mohammed V</span> Multi-purpose stadium in Casablanca, Morocco

The Mohammed V Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium which is part of the Mohammed V Athletic Complex which is named after King Mohammed V and situated at the heart of Casablanca, Morocco, in the western part of the Maârif neighborhood. The stadium has a seating capacity of 45,891, and is the oldest football stadium in Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium</span> Multi-purpose stadium in Rabat, Morocco

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium (Arabic: المجمع الرياضي الأمير مولاي عبد الله) was a multi-purpose stadium in Rabat, Morocco. It was named after Prince Moulay Abdellah of Morocco, It has been the home of AS FAR since their formation in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CAF Super Cup</span> Football tournament

The CAF Super Cup is an annual African association football competition contested between the winners of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. The competition was first held in 1993 and is organized by the CAF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wydad AC</span> Professional football club in Casablanca, Morocco

Wydad Athletic Club commonly referred to as Wydad AC and known as Wydad, Wydad Casablanca, or simply as WAC, is a Moroccan sports club based in Casablanca. Wydad AC is best known for its professional football team that competes in Botola, the top tier of the Moroccan football league system. They are one of three clubs to have never been relegated from the top flight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AS FAR (football club)</span> Association football club

Association sportive des Forces armées royales, commonly known as AS FAR, is a professional sport club based in Morocco's capital Rabat, that competes in Botola, the top tier of Moroccan football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morocco women's national football team</span> Womens national association football team representing Morocco

The Morocco women's national football team represents Morocco in international women's football and is managed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The team played its first international match in 1998, as part of the third Women's Africa Cup of Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Futsal Africa Cup of Nations</span> Football tournament

The Futsal Africa Cup of Nations is the main national futsal competition of the Confederation of African Football nations. It was first held in 1996 and has been played every four years. It is a qualification to FIFA Futsal World Cup.

The Morocco national futsal team, nicknamed Ousoud Al Atlas , represents Morocco in international futsal competitions. It is affiliated to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and is one of the strongest teams in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anas Zniti</span> Moroccan footballer

Anas Zniti is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and captain for Botola side Raja CA and the Morocco national team. He previously played for Maghreb Fez and AS FAR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morocco national beach soccer team</span>

The Morocco national beach soccer team represents Morocco in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Morocco.

The Morocco national under-17 football team is the national under-17 football team of Morocco and is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The team competes in the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, UNAF U-17 Tournament, Arab Cup U-17 and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 CAF Champions League final</span> Football match

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badr Benoun</span> Moroccan footballer (born 1993)

Badr Benoun is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Qatar Stars League club Qatar SC and the Morocco national team. He is nicknamed "Sultan". He started his professional career playing for Raja CA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soufiane Rahimi</span> Moroccan footballer (born 1996)

Soufiane Rahimi is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a forward for UAE Pro League club Al Ain and the Morocco national football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations</span> 14th edition of the WAFCON

The 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, officially known as the 2022 TotalEnergies Women's Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship purposes, was the 14th edition of the biennial African international women's football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), hosted by Morocco from 2 to 23 July 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fouzi Lekjaa</span> Moroccan Politician

Fouzi Lekjaa is a senior Moroccan civil servant, sports executive and politician, who is the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation since 2014, and a member of the FIFA Council since 2021. On 7 October 2021 he was appointed Minister Delegate for the Budget. He also holds the position of President of the CAF Finance Commission and Vice-President of the Commission in charge of the organization of interclub competitions and the management of the club licensing system within CAF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AS FAR (women)</span> Association football womens club

The Association's Sports of Forces Armed Royal, , is a Moroccan professional women's football club based in Morocco's capital (Rabat-Salé), that competes in Moroccan Women's Championship, the top tier of Moroccan football.

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