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Can the remarkable achievement of Morocco’s football development approach be duplicated in other areas of the country’s economy? This is the inquiry raised by Hassan Bousetta, an Associate Professor at the University of Liège and an FNRS researcher, along with Hicham Jamid, a Sociology Doctor and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Neuchâtel.

Can the remarkable success of Morocco’s football development strategy be applied to other areas of the national economy? Following the Moroccan team’s accomplishments at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and Morocco’s triumph at the U20 World Cup in 2025 in Chile, this question is worth considering. It keeps sparking debates in the media and among policymakers, highlighting a shared belief: if Morocco has created a model of sporting excellence, why not achieve similar results in economic and social domains? However, despite the obvious reasoning, the answer is not simple.

Football has demonstrated that Morocco can enhance its global position by embracing a well-defined vision, maintaining strategic consistency, and building infrastructure that matches its goals. The modern Mohammed VI Football Complex exemplifies this achievement. It is more than just a training facility; it serves as a blueprint for development based on thorough planning, stability, unity, and efficiency among all involved parties and coaches. Therefore, the question arises: if Morocco has succeeded in creating a high-performing sports environment, why not implement the same strategy in other key sectors, beginning with the national economy?

This is where the idea of sectoral clusters, in line with the concept of territorial competitiveness hubs, becomes fully significant. In numerous countries (Belgium, France, the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea), these hubs have demonstrated great effectiveness. They establish ecosystems that gather companies, universities, research centers, and public institutions within a specific area to convert innovation into economic value. They substitute fragmented efforts with a structured, territorial approach. In Morocco, this concept already exists, particularly within the New Development Model, but the institutional link that turns intention into operational capability—and capability into concrete outcomes—still needs to be established.

The Part of the Diaspora

The Moroccan diaspora has the potential to be a key component of this vision. For many years, it has been recognized as a valuable resource, but there has not been a clear economic strategy to harness its capabilities. Creating a «Global Morocco» Competitiveness Hub, connected to active sector-specific and regional hubs, could enable it to fully participate in the nation’s industrial development. This structure would go beyond mere symbolism: it would create a lasting platform where the expertise, connections, funding, and innovations of Moroccans worldwide could be turned into large-scale industrial initiatives, instead of being limited to isolated or sentimental efforts.

For these hubs to thrive, they need to be based on a sustainable vision, collaborative governance involving public institutions, economic players, and the diaspora, along with robust links between research, education, innovation, and business. They would adopt the same approach that drove Morocco’s football success: thinking in terms of an ecosystem, professionalism, and a long-term commitment to excellence. In short, it would involve achieving for innovation and the economy what Morocco has already done for football, merging national aspirations with effective execution.

The triumph of football has created a foundation of self-assurance and duty. Establishing a network of competitive centers might, in return, lead to effective growth that fully harnesses the diaspora’s capabilities. Morocco now has the chance to transform symbolic momentum into economic power. The key is shifting from scattered talent to organized performance, from a feeling of connection to strategic involvement, from the vision of Morocco to a productive Morocco. If the country has managed to create a continental champion in football, it can certainly aim to develop economic champions on the world stage.