Baku: The Mohammed VI Football Academy in Sal© is emerging as a cornerstone for the development of future talents in Moroccan football. The academy’s influence is becoming increasingly evident as it supplies the national teams with skilled players.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, the academy’s success is largely attributed to its comprehensive recruitment strategy, which sees about 90% of its children coming through locally based recruitment units. This sports-study complex spans 17 hectares and features ten pitches, changing rooms, classrooms, weight rooms, games rooms equipped with consoles and table football, multiple dormitories, a three-story medical center, a swimming pool, and a mosque.

The academy’s recruitment units focus on identifying promising players from as young as six or seven years old. These young talents then undergo extensive athletic development programs. A notable success story is striker Yassir Zabiri, who was part of the Moroccan team that won the U-20 World Cup in Chile, marking the first global trophy for a Moroccan team.

France 24, citing AMF scout Tarik El Khazri, reports that the academy has produced 26 players who are now regulars in the Moroccan first division, with approximately 30 others playing in European leagues, including defender Abdelhamid At-Boudlal at Rennes in France. Many graduates from the Mohammed VI Academy are expected to be key players in upcoming major sporting events, particularly the 2026 World Cup and the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.