AFCON
Where Legends Live Forever: Inside Morocco’s New Football Museum
By KUNLE SOLAJA, Rabat, Morocco
In Maâmoura, just outside Rabat, the spirit of Moroccan football now has a permanent home.
Nestled within the same grounds that host FIFA’s Regional Office for Africa and the state-of-the-art Mohammed VI Football Complex, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has unveiled a national museum.
The experience at the Moroccan Football Museum is captivating.
It feels less like a building and more like a living, breathing chronicle of the game.
Stepping inside is like opening a storybook written in green, red, and white. These are the colours of a kingdom.
This kingdom has always seen football as more than just a pastime.
Here, history is not simply preserved, it is staged with drama and reverence, each exhibit designed to remind visitors that Morocco’s passion for the game has shaped its identity for more than a century.
The museum, inaugurated in March 2024 after three years of meticulous work, is the brainchild of the FRMF president Fouzi Lekjaa. Beyond football, he is Morocco’s Minister Delegate for the Budget.
Fouzi Lekjaa whose brainchild is the football museum
To bring his vision of a football museum to life, Lekjaa assembled a scientific committee of 22 renowned researchers and journalists, ensuring that the narrative of Moroccan football would be told with both precision and poetry.
“It is a project for generations,” explained deputy curator Oumay Walid, her voice carrying equal parts pride and responsibility as she guided guests past glittering trophies and fragile black-and-white photographs.
Deputy curator Oumay Walid, explains what the football museum is all about
The architecture itself feels like part of the exhibition. It includes 1,350 square metres of permanent display space and a 310-square-metre gallery for temporary shows. There is also an intimate 42-seat projection hall, VIP lounges, and a documentation centre.
Even the museum store, lined with Moroccan football apparel, speaks to a modern vision where sport and culture are intertwined with commerce.
But it is within the thematic journey of the museum that the soul of Moroccan football truly unfolds. Six distinct zones map out a century of triumphs and trials.
The opening section, The Royal Vision, pays tribute to King Mohammed VI and his predecessors, who elevated football to a pillar of national identity.
From there, The Pioneers transports visitors back to Morocco’s earliest victories and the figures who first carried the Atlas Lions’ roar beyond their borders.
The museum captures the past and presents the present.
The mood shifts in The Land of Excellence, where shimmering displays celebrate national and club successes from the 1950s to the present day.
It is a room heavy with pride, charting the ascent that culminated in Morocco’s historic World Cup semi-final run in Qatar 2022.
The Hall of Fame is a quieter, more intimate space, yet perhaps the most emotional: a gallery of players, coaches, administrators, and even fans whose devotion shaped the narrative of Moroccan football.
Nearby, Prestigious Moments relives the tournaments hosted on Moroccan soil, the international stars who graced its stadiums, and the milestones that confirmed Morocco’s place on the global stage.
Finally, Objects of Memory anchors the entire experience. Behind glass, battered leather footballs, scuffed boots, and sepia-toned match programmes whisper of sweat-soaked afternoons and nights when an entire nation held its breath.
Past national trophies are well preserved in encased glass shelves.
Enormous audiovisual screens loom above, replaying goals that once made the streets erupt in song.
What makes the museum compelling is not only what it displays but what it represents. Since 1906, football in Morocco has been more than a game; it has been a mirror of society, a theatre of dreams, and a unifier across generations.
By curating this legacy with such care, Morocco positions itself as Africa’s custodian of football heritage—a country determined to show the continent that football is both memory and future, emotion and enterprise.
As visitors step back into the Rabat sunlight, the symbolism is impossible to miss.
Morocco may be Africa’s top-ranked footballing nation, but here it proclaims something greater: it is a Kingdom of Light, illuminating the way football can inspire, educate, and even fuel economies.
The national museum is not simply a monument to the past—it is a beacon for the continent’s footballing future.
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Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has praised Morocco’s King Mohammed VI for what he described as a powerful gesture of unity and reconciliation following the royal pardon granted to Senegalese supporters convicted over offences linked to the final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
In a statement released on Saturday, Motsepe expressed deep appreciation on behalf of CAF’s 54 member associations, hailing the Moroccan monarch’s decision as a demonstration of football’s ability to foster peace and solidarity across the continent.
“I would like to express our deep gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, for granting His Royal Pardon to the Senegalese supporters convicted of offences relating to the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025,” Motsepe stated.
The CAF president said the pardon reflected Morocco’s enduring commitment to African unity and highlighted football’s growing role as a bridge between nations and cultures.
“CAF has consistently emphasised its commitment to utilise football to contribute to uniting our people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he said.
“The pardon by His Majesty King Mohammed VI is an uplifting and motivating illustration of the power of football to unite and bring our people together in Africa and worldwide.”
Motsepe also revealed that during recent visits to both Morocco and Senegal, he had been struck by the deep historical and cultural bonds shared by the two countries.
“I was amazed and impressed when I was briefed about the historic and extensive ties between the people of Senegal and Morocco,” he added.
The statement further reinforced Morocco’s rising influence within African football, especially after successfully hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and positioning itself as one of Africa’s leading football destinations ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
Motsepe also extended CAF’s best wishes to Africa’s representatives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expressing confidence that the continent’s teams would perform strongly on the global stage.
Among the African nations mentioned were Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Former African champions Algeria and Zambia are set for an early showdown after the release of the Group I fixtures for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Algeria host Zambia on Matchday One on September 21, 2026, in what is expected to be one of the headline fixtures of the qualifying campaign, while Togo entertain Burundi in the group’s other opening tie.
The Desert Foxes are favourites to qualify, but Zambia’s growing consistency and Togo’s unpredictability could make the race highly competitive.
Algeria travel to Burundi on Matchday Two before facing Togo in back-to-back encounters across Matchdays Three and Four. Zambia also meet Burundi home and away during the same period.
The potentially decisive fixture comes on March 22, 2027, when Zambia host Algeria in a clash that could determine the final standings.
Group I Fixtures
Matchday 1 — September 21, 2026
- Algeria vs Zambia
- Togo vs Burundi
Matchday 2 — October 6, 2026
- Zambia vs Togo
- Burundi vs Algeria
Matchday 3 — October 2026
- Algeria vs Togo
- Zambia vs Burundi
Matchday 4 — November 17, 2026
- Togo vs Algeria
- Burundi vs Zambia
Matchday 5 — March 22, 2027
- Zambia vs Algeria
- Burundi vs Togo
Matchday 6 — March 30, 2027
- Togo vs Zambia
- Algeria vs Burundi
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By Kunle Solaja.
African heavyweights Senegal will launch their quest for another Africa Cup of Nations appearance with a home clash against Mozambique in Group J of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
The Lions of Teranga, among the continent’s strongest teams in recent years, headline a group that also includes Sudan and Ethiopia.
Senegal host Mozambique on Matchday One on September 21, 2026, while Sudan tackle Ethiopia in the other opening encounter.
Senegal are strong favourites to dominate the group, but Sudan and Mozambique are expected to battle fiercely for qualification points.
The key fixtures may emerge in the double-header between Senegal and Sudan across Matchdays Three and Four, while Mozambique and Ethiopia also face each other home and away.
Senegal travel to Mozambique on Matchday Five before ending their campaign at home against Ethiopia on March 30, 2027.
Group J Fixtures
Matchday 1 — September 21, 2026
- Senegal vs Mozambique
- Sudan vs Ethiopia
Matchday 2 — October 6, 2026
- Mozambique vs Sudan
- Ethiopia vs Senegal
Matchday 3 — October 2026
- Senegal vs Sudan
- Mozambique vs Ethiopia
Matchday 4 — November 17, 2026
- Sudan vs Senegal
- Ethiopia vs Mozambique
Matchday 5 — March 22, 2027
- Mozambique vs Senegal
- Ethiopia vs Sudan
Matchday 6 — March 30, 2027
- Sudan vs Mozambique
- Senegal vs Ethiopia
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