The strong presence of graduates from the Mohammed VI Football Academy within the Moroccan national team for under-17, participating in the African Cup of Nations finals held in Morocco, is clear evidence of the success of a comprehensive sports project founded on a long-term vision aimed at developing national football and creating a new generation of talents.
Since its inauguration in 2009, the Mohammed VI Academy has become one of the most prominent training centers on the African continent, established by a royal initiative from King Mohammed VI to set up a modern professional model that meets global standards in preparing young players, both in terms of infrastructure and training and technical supervision methods.
The academy’s project is based on combining athletic training with academic education, through an integrated system that aims to prepare the player both athletically and humanely, with a focus on refining talents from various regions of Morocco and providing them with suitable conditions for development.
The list of the national team participating in the African U-17 Cup included four players who graduated from the academy: Walid Ibn Saleh, Adam Bougazir, Mohamed Harrouch, and Ayman Zirki. Their presence in this continental event reflects the fruits of the continuous work within this sports institution.
These players are an extension of many names who have made a strong impact in recent years, either with the senior national team or youth categories, such as Youssef En-Nesyri, Nayef Aguerd, and Aziz Ouahi, in addition to the players who contributed to the Moroccan under-23 national team’s triumph in the African Cup, as well as the under-20 team that won the 2025 Chile World Cup.
Moreover, hosting part of the continental tournament matches at the Mohammed VI Football Complex confers special symbolism to this project, which has become one of the pillars of the development of Moroccan football, reflecting the continued ambition to enhance Morocco’s stature continentally and internationally in the sports field.
