Morocco, Land of Football
The Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) launched the advertising campaign "Morocco, Land of Football" in Rabat to attract 800,000 new visitors to the North African country for the African Cup of Nations (CAN), which will be held in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.
The challenge is to attract 800,000 new visitors by combining the appeal of football and a major football event such as the Africa Cup of Nations with the tourist charm of a country like Morocco, which is already very attractive to all types of tourists, who find the North African country a great option for enjoying their holidays thanks to its varied offerings.
Commitment to football and tourism
The subsequent challenge is to continue the cooperation between the world of football and Moroccan tourism beyond the CAN, linking up with the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will host together with Spain and Portugal, and committing to an even more promising future. This takes into account the current boom in football in Morocco, boosted by the good performances of the national team, which has completed impeccable qualifying rounds for the African Cup of Nations and the next World Cup in 2026, and which has just achieved the milestone of qualifying for the semi-finals of the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, said during the presentation of the campaign in Rabat that this is the beginning of a process that will not end with the 2030 World Cup, but will continue beyond that due to Morocco's strong commitment to football as a phenomenon that goes beyond sport, reaching even social and economic spheres.
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المكتب الوطني المغربي للسياحة يُفعّل إجراءات مهمة استعدادا لاحتضان كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025https://t.co/j19kYYvU6p
L’Office National Marocain du Tourisme déploie un important dispositif pour la CAN 2025https://t.co/4zMTuLbjEY pic.twitter.com/YUCaW8L16X
"The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will undoubtedly mark a milestone for a world-class African sporting event. It will not be limited to matches played in stadiums (...), but will be a major event in which all the vital forces of the country will mobilise around His Majesty King Mohammed VI to make the Africa Cup of Nations a true celebration of humanity and cultural exchange,‘ said Fouzi Lekjaa during the official launch of the ’Morocco, Land of Football" campaign
‘Morocco is a land of football and of major events. It is and always has been a crossroads of civilisations that has always had the ability to unite African, European, Mediterranean, Islamic, Arab and Amazigh civilisations,’ he explained, noting that football has taken root throughout history to promote this mix and the cultural and historical richness of the Kingdom.
Fouzi Lekjaa also indicated that approximately 15,000 volunteers, including 1,500 of African origin, will be mobilised for the Africa Cup of Nations, demonstrating the passion that exists in the country and on the African continent for the spectacle of football.
For his part, the director general of the Moroccan National Tourist Office, Achraf Fayda, highlighted at the event in Rabat the promotion of Morocco by combining sport, in this case football, with tourism, one of the important economic drivers of the North African country.
Achraf Fayda himself indicated that the ONMT and the FRMF have sealed an alliance based on the union of football and tourism with a view to positioning Morocco as a preferred tourist and football destination. The agreement between the two institutions dates back to last April with the challenge of promoting Morocco's image through football.
"Knowing that Moroccan football has become an increasingly powerful and attractive tool since the 2022 World Cup, the ONMT and the FRMF have launched a major tourism promotion campaign aimed at attracting as many visitors as possible during the 2025 CAN and the 2030 World Cup," said Hamid Bentahar, president of the National Tourism Confederation (CNT), who was present at the campaign launch.
Meanwhile, the secretary general of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Mattias Grafström, pointed out that the Africa Cup of Nations will be an important test for the subsequent 2030 World Cup, which will also be organised by Morocco, while the secretary general of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Veron Mosengo-Omba, noted that it will be the best competition in the history of African football in terms of visitors.
The truth is that Africa's top national team football competition is generating a lot of interest. According to Fouzi Lekjaa, 700,000 people of more than 110 nationalities have already bought tickets to attend the African Cup of Nations matches in Moroccan stadiums. ‘This interest, which has only just begun, should continue at least until 2030 because Morocco is becoming the preferred country for football on our continent,’ said the FRMF president.
The aim is to reach 800,000 visitors with this new campaign, which will surely serve to further promote Moroccan tourism and sport on the international stage.
Promotional video
The presentation of the campaign in Rabat was accompanied by a promotional video featuring football and Morocco's great passion for the sport as the basis for the message.
The video follows the line of the last tourism campaign launched more than two years ago by Morocco, under the slogan ‘Morocco, Land of Light’, which served to further promote the tourist appeal of the Moroccan kingdom, and featured football stars such as national team players Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Díaz.
