Morocco just knocked the Netherlands out of the 2026 World Cup in a penalty shootout. Morocco reached the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first Arab and first African team ever to get that far.
The diaspora playbook
Achraf Hakimi, arguably the team’s biggest star, came through Real Madrid’s legendary La Fabrica academy. Hakim Ziyech developed at Ajax before moving to Chelsea. These players were born to Moroccan families living in Europe, trained by European clubs, and then chose to represent Morocco internationally.
Morocco invested heavily in the Mohammed VI Football Academy to create a domestic pipeline of talent. The real strategic masterstroke was building relationships with European-born players of Moroccan descent, convincing them that wearing the Atlas Lions jersey was worth more than waiting for a call-up from France or the Netherlands.
Nearly 30% of players at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations were born outside Africa. With Morocco set to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, the country’s model is becoming the standard that federations across the continent are studying.
