U-20 World Cup Final: Morocco looks to build after victory over Argentina

The rise of Moroccan football has been a long-term project of King Mohammed VI and the Royal Football Federation.

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 (£48.5m) training facility near the capital Rabat in 2019 – both bearing his name.

Five players who started in the U-20 World Cup final have joined the academy, as have Marseille defender Naif Agrd, Girona midfielder Azzedine Ounahi and Fenerbahce striker Youssef En-Nesyri – all of whom played a role in the Atlas Lions’ historic run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.

Fathi Jamal, director of technical development at the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, told FIFA.com, “We cannot ignore the great role played by the Mohammed VI Football Academy, a leader in this field, as it has done a wonderful job with young players.”, external

The training facility includes eight full-size courts, a gym, medical facilities, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a 5-star hotel among its amenities.

At the same time, the federation established its own regional training centres, invested in 7,000 amateur stadiums, and looked to modernize its technical staff, emphasizing the importance of training local coaches.

Huge sums have also been spent on redeveloping and building stadiums to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup – with total costs reaching $5 billion (£3.7 billion).

“We are ambitious,” said a spokesperson familiar with the FRMF’s plans.

He added: “There is more work to be done, but we are moving in a good direction. The African Cup of Nations (2025) will be more exciting.”

However, recent Gen Z protests have shown anger at the amounts spent on football with calls for the money to be directed to education, healthcare, housing, transport and job creation instead.

On Sunday, before the U-20 World Cup final, the Royal Palace issued a statement promising to allocate 140 billion dirhams ($15 billion, £11.2 billion) in the 2026 budget for health and education, an increase of 16% on last year.