Football in Morocco
Football in Morocco | |
---|---|
Governing body | Royal Moroccan Football Federation |
National team(s) | national football team |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
Champions League CAF Confederation Cup Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup FIFA World Cup(National Team) African Cup of Nations(National Team) |
Football is the most popular sport in Morocco. The governing board for Moroccan football is the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.[1] Football in Morocco witnessed a great development in the last stage, which gained international fame, after the honor and representation of the honorable Moroccan team Raja in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup, the FIFA international tournament hosted by Morocco when Raja Club Athletic reached the final match against the great German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.
National competitions
Nationally, professional football is divided into 2 leagues: the top-tier GNF 1 and the second-tier GNF 2.
Coupe du Trône
The Moroccan Throne Cup is a football cup competition in Morocco open to both professional and amateur squads.
The 2007, 2008, and 2009 winner was FAR Rabat who also won the most cups with a total of 11. The 2010 winner was FUS de Rabat. The 2011 winner was MAS Fès.
International competitions
Morocco men's national football team
The Morocco national football team, nicknamed Lions de l'Atlas (Atlas Lions), is the national team of Morocco and is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. They were the first African team to qualify directly to the World Cup finals, as they did in 1970. They were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and England. Morocco fell to eventual runner-up West Germany 1-0 in the second round.[2]
Morocco won the African Nations Cup once, in 1976.[3]
Morocco women's national football team
The Morocco women's national football team represents Morocco in international women's football and is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The team played its first international match in 1998, as part of the third African Women's Championship.
References
- ^ Alami, Aida (2012-05-09). "Morocco Struggles to Rein in Soccer Hooligans". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ "World Cup Soccer Roundup : Morocco Gains the Second Round in a Stunner - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1986-06-12. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ "BBC SPORT | Football | African Cup of Nations | Morocco rise again". BBC News. 2004-02-06. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
External links