How can the World Cup finals become a Moroccan lever for soft power?
As the 2026 World Cup approaches in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, attention is once again turning to the Moroccan national team, which enters the global competition carrying a historic legacy created during the Qatar 2022 World Cup, when it became the first African and Arab team to reach the semifinals of the World Cup. While Moroccans await what the "Atlas Lions" can achieve on the green pitch, observers and experts pose a parallel question: How can Morocco leverage this global football presence to promote its image as a tourist, economic, and cultural destination?
Observers believe that football is no longer just a sports competition; it has become a tool of soft power that countries use to enhance their international presence, attract investments and tourists, and improve their image in the eyes of global public opinion.
In this context, media personality and sports analyst Adel Rahmouni stated that the Moroccan national team will not participate in the 2026 World Cup just for the sake of presence; rather, it aims to defend the achievements it has accumulated over recent years, foremost among them the historic accomplishment achieved in Qatar in 2022.
Rahmouni explained, in a statement to Hespress, that Morocco has now become one of the teams that enjoys global respect after eliminating major teams such as Spain, Portugal, and Belgium.
The same media personality and sports analyst added that the results achieved by the national team across various age categories, whether at the senior, Olympic, or youth levels, reflect a real development in national football.
The same speaker confirmed that any new brilliance from the "Atlas Lions" in the 2026 World Cup will enhance Morocco's global visibility, especially since the competition will take place in one of the largest media, tourism, and economic markets in the world; this provides the kingdom with an exceptional opportunity to reach hundreds of millions of viewers across different continents.