Royal Homecoming and World Cup Dreams: Morocco’s U-20 Shines in Rabat
23 October 2025
Royal Welcome and Growing Ambitions
Morocco's under-20 team, fresh from Chile with the World Cup title, was celebrated with a royal welcome that underscored the country's rising football prestige. The royal ceremony in Rabat featured an open-top bus parade through crowded avenues, as thousands cheered the champions and offered encouragement for Moroccan football’s future.
Prince Moulay Hassan led the tributes, symbolizing the close ties between the monarchy and the nation’s football projects. The moment recalled prior celebrations for Moroccan teams returning from major tournaments, reinforcing a narrative of national pride and the belief that youth success can translate into senior glory.
Players and families filled the palace surroundings as the delegation was escorted by federation officials. The Rabat welcome capped a journey that began in Chile and ended with a public display of support, unity, and shared national aspiration.
Lekjaa's Call: Raise the Stakes and the Standards
At the celebration, Fawzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan Football Federation, used the moment to emphasize a bold project for Moroccan football. He urged the youth squad and its coaches to aim for the World Cup title in Qatar, asserting that the federation would back the mission with resources and long-term planning.
In televised remarks, Lekjaa highlighted the program's progress and praised the coaches who helped drive the team to Chile’s success. He noted investments in development and infrastructure designed to elevate Moroccan football across all age groups and to sustain momentum on the world stage.
He recalled past national achievements and framed the current success as a stepping stone toward a broader horizon. The message extended to the under-17 and other youth cohorts, stressing the need for discipline, hard work, and unity to realize Morocco’s aspirational project on both continental and global stages.
“If Argentina lifts the World Cup, we want to claim it on our terms—on our soil, with our fighting spirit, and with the Moroccan flag flying high,” Lekjaa said, underscoring a commitment to maximum effort and resilience even in the face of tough competitions. He also praised the coaches, whose leadership has built a generation of winners across age groups.
Observers pointed to a new era for Moroccan coaches, highlighting the sustained success across clubs and national teams. Lekjaa credited a policy of investment and a culture of development, with the aim of keeping Morocco at the forefront of world football leadership.
As the celebration concluded, the federation signaled a continued, intensified effort to nurture homegrown talent and expand the reach of Moroccan football’s development model. The tone suggested a long-term project where victories across age groups are the rule, not the exception.
“The mission is to keep climbing the ladder—trophy after trophy, from youth to senior levels,” Lekjaa stated, linking today’s triumphs to a broader national strategy for football leadership on the continent and beyond.
And the coaches received praise for their pivotal roles in shaping a culture of excellence, resilience, and team unity that has become a defining hallmark of Moroccan football in recent years. The period’s success, the federation argues, is the fruit of a steady, principled approach to development and competition across age groups.
Punchlines for levity: If ambition were a weapon, Morocco’s youth would be loaded and ready to fire at will—trophies, not apologies. And if we’re dying for glory, let’s hope the trophy has a really long lifebuoy, because this ride isn’t stopping soon.
