The influence of Generation Z on Morocco's success in 2025 and 2030
- Health, education and social justice before the CAN and the World Cup
- Call for a boycott of the CAN and the World Cup
- Atlas Lions in support of GenZ 212
Generation Z protesters, coordinated by the ‘GenZ 212’ collective, are calling for a boycott of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2025) and the 2030 World Cup, expressing their demands for improved basic public services such as health and education and criticising the exorbitant budgets allocated to these sporting events.
This stance, which goes beyond comments on social media and slogans in the streets to become a disturbing reality for the Moroccan government, now makes Generation Z a key factor in the success or possible failure of the Africa Cup of Nations, pending proper management of the situation in the country by its leaders.
These movements, organised through social media, particularly via the Discord app, continue to call for demonstrations, and some football ultras have joined the movement, urging a boycott of upcoming matches.
‘While Morocco has competed to build a jewel of a stadium in record time, it has not yet managed to build quality hospitals, modern schools and universities that develop scientific research where students learn to think rather than recite,’ claim protesters in different cities across the Moroccan kingdom.
Health, education and social justice before the CAN and the World Cup
Less than a month after proudly inaugurating Morocco's new sporting jewel, the Moulay-Abdellah stadium in Rabat, demonstrations have been taking place since last Saturday in all the country's major cities to demand reforms in the public health and education sectors.
The success of the 2025 and 2030 events is not just a matter of modern stadiums, but of trust between the state and its citizens. According to Generation Z, it is a reconnection between expectations and achievements in an attempt to re-evaluate the North African country's priorities by placing Moroccan citizens at the centre of the government's political action.
These young people are aware that the festivities cannot hide the bitter reality of most of the marginalised regions of the Moroccan kingdom and are asking to be heard and for their needs to be met without repression or silencing their voices of protest. They want to celebrate the success of this event, but first they demand that priority be given to citizens to lead a dignified life, calling for the renovation of hospitals and the reduction of class sizes, which currently exceed 40 pupils per class.
Young people compare how leaders are ready to invest billions in sports infrastructure and the organisation of international competitions, yet refrain from investing in human capital and basic public services, which, according to voices at the demonstrations, has deeply outraged the Moroccan people.
These protests express a generational anger at turning their backs on these connected and informed young people, which could have unexpected consequences. In fact, the boycott of major competitions is no longer just a slogan chanted by Generation Z protesters, but a call to action reflected in comments on social media that now speak not only of football, but of dignity, justice and the unbalanced development that is generating more and more injustices in Morocco.
Call for a boycott of the CAN and the World Cup
Under the slogan ‘The stadiums are there, but where are the hospitals?’, waves of protest from Gen Z are now calling for a boycott of the African Cup of Nations, which begins on 21 December, repeating that ‘health, education and social justice come before the World Cup and the CAN’.
These are the legitimate demands that young and old alike are making in terms of health and education as the basis for a strong Morocco that progresses and prospers equitably for the benefit of its citizens.
From social media to the streets, protests have reached the stadiums, where anger is also being expressed. On Sunday, Wydad Casablanca fans unfurled a banner reading ‘No education, no doctors, and good luck to the poor and their families,’ and chanted their support for the GenZ 212 movement. Other groups, such as the Orange Boys 2007 from Berkane, the Ultras Shark from Safi, and the Hercules 2007 from Ittihad Tangier, have also announced a strike in support of the Generation Z protests.
For its part, the national team support group, Rosso Verde, announced its boycott of the Atlas Lions' upcoming matches against Bahrain and Congo. The fans believe that their role ‘is not limited to cheering in the stands, but also includes expressing their commitment to the problems of the nation and society.’
Atlas Lions in support of GenZ 212
Several Moroccan players have expressed their full solidarity and support for the GenZ 212 youth movement to improve public services in Morocco, including Marseille defender Nayef Aguerd and FC Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Nayef Aguerd posted a message of solidarity on Instagram, writing: ‘My heart is with everything that is happening in Morocco,’ calling for these protests to continue peacefully before concluding with the national slogan: ‘God, Country, King.’
This image, which has gone viral, was also shared by other Atlas Lions such as full-back Mohamed Chibi, centre-back Abdel Abqar, midfielders El Azzouzi, Bilal Nadir and Abdelhamid Sabiri, forwards Amine Adli and Ez Abd, and the iconic Hakim Ziyech.
For his part, Yassine Bounou shared a post that read: ‘For our rights, for dignity, for health and education.’
Sofyan Amrabat also wrote his own message on Instagram: ‘Together, with respect and unity, for a better and stronger Morocco, Insha'Allah!’
At the same time, other players such as Azzedine Ounahi and Jawad El Yamiq have shared images of the arrests, without comment, as a sign of support for the movement.
At the press conference, when the Atlas Lions' squad list for these two matches was announced, national coach Walid Regragui supported the movement's demands, stating: ‘There is not a single Moroccan in the world who does not want better education and better schooling. What we want is for all this to be done with respect and without violence.’