Can the spectacular success of Morocco's football development strategy be replicated in other sectors of the national economy? This is the question posed by Hassan Bousetta, Associate Professor at the University of Liège and FNRS researcher, and Hicham Jamid, Doctor of Sociology and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Neuchâtel. Is it possible to extend the spectacular success of Morocco's football development strategy to other sectors of the national economy? After the achievements of the Moroccan team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and Morocco's victory at the U20 World Cup in 2025 in Chile, the question is worth asking. It continues to fuel discussions in the media as well as in decision-making circles, reflecting a collective intuition: if Morocco has managed to build a model of sporting excellence, why shouldn't it be able to achieve the same in the economic and social fields? Yet, despite the apparent logic, the answer is far from straightforward. Through football, Morocco has shown that a country can elevate its standing when it adopts a clear vision, ensures strategic continuity, and develops infrastructure aligned with its ambitions. The modernity of the Mohammed VI Football Complex illustrates this success. It is not merely a training center, but a model of development built on planning, stability, coherence, and efficiency across its actors and trainers. The question therefore seems legitimate: if Morocco has managed to build a high-performing ecosystem in sports, why not apply this same approach to other strategic areas, starting with the national economy? This is where the concept of sectoral clusters, aligned with the idea of territorial competitiveness hubs, takes on full meaning. In many countries (Belgium, France, the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea), such hubs have proven highly effective. They create ecosystems that bring together companies, universities, research centers, and public institutions within a single territory to transform innovation into economic value. They replace scattered initiatives with an organized, territorial dynamic. In Morocco, this reflection already exists, notably within the New Development Model, but the institutional bridge that translates intention into operational capacity—and capacity into tangible results—still remains to be built. The Role of the Diaspora The Moroccan diaspora can play a central role in this vision. For decades, it has been cited as a strategic asset, yet without a concrete economic framework to channel its potential. Establishing a «Global Morocco» Competitiveness Hub, linked to dynamic sectoral and territorial hubs, would allow it to become a fully integrated player in the country's industrial growth. Such a structure would be more than symbolic: it would provide a permanent space where the skills, networks, capital, and innovations of Moroccans around the world could be transformed into scalable industrial projects, rather than remaining isolated or emotional contributions. To succeed, these hubs must rest on a sustainable vision, shared governance between public institutions, economic actors, and the diaspora, and strong connections between research, training, innovation, and entrepreneurship. They would follow the same logic that underpinned Morocco's football revolution: ecosystem thinking, professionalism, and a long-term culture of excellence. In essence, it would mean doing for innovation and the economy what Morocco has already accomplished for football, combining national ambition with operational efficiency. Football's success has paved a path of confidence and responsibility. Building a strategy of competitiveness hubs could, in turn, pave the way for productive development that fully mobilizes the diaspora's potential. Morocco now has the opportunity to turn symbolic momentum into economic strength. The challenge lies in moving from dispersed talent to structured performance, from a sense of belonging to strategic contribution, from the dream of Morocco to a productive Morocco. If the nation has built a continental champion in football, it can surely aspire to build economic champions on the global stage.
