By Angu Lesley
Nurtured in the kingdom’s finest football incubator, four starlets from the Mohammed VI Academy are ready to shine on home soil during the U17 African Cup of Nations, embodying the bright future of Moroccan football.
The U17 AFCON is a proving ground for Africa’s future stars, and Morocco’s squad features four elite products from the Mohammed VI Football Academy: Ibn Salah Oualid, Boughazir Adam, Harouch Mohamed, and Ezzarky Ayman. Their journey reflects a highly successful sports-study model launched in 2009 by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to elevate national football standards.
The Academy’s holistic approach ensures that talent from all regions of the Kingdom receives equal opportunities to thrive. By focusing on academic discipline alongside elite athletic training, the Academy prepares well-rounded individuals ready for international exposure.
As these four youth internationals take the pitch in 2026, they follow a golden path paved by former graduates who won the U23 AFCON in 2023 and the U20 World Cup in 2025. This seamless transition from youth academies to the global stage highlights a structured, royal-led commitment to athletic excellence.
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