The 'white gold' helping to power Morocco's football revolution

But it is not without controversy, as battles for territory and geopolitical influence continue

The Moroccan national team’s progress to the semi-finals of FIFA’s men’s World Cup in 2022, was widely celebrated.

It helped the country project soft power and served as the basis for globally representing countries across North Africa and the Middle East.

The team’s success wasn’t accidental, indeed it was part of a long-term strategy designed to promote both the men’s and women’s games in the country.

Morocco’s football revolution will reach a peak in 2030, when the country co-hosts the men’s World Cup.

Meantime, it is scheduled to host the women’s under-17 FIA World Cup for five editions (2025 to 2029).

Later this year, Morocco will also host the African Cup of Nations.

Britain’s foreign minister - David Lammy - recently visited the Moroccan capital Rabat and excitedly announced that his country is looking forward to securing lucrative investment projects in the 2030 men's football World Cup.

Lammy has claimed that, “British businesses [will] score big on football's biggest stage."

This follows an important agreement between the two countries whereby Britain has accepted that Morocco has ultimate sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Western Sahara is a vast, sparsely populated territory on the northwest coast of Africa, primarily consisting of desert flatlands.

It was a Spanish colony until 1975 and is currently the subject of a long-running territorial dispute between Morocco and the Sahrawi people.

The Polisario Front is a Sahrawi nationalist movement that emerged in 1973, initially to fight for the territory’s independence from Spanish rule.

After Spain's withdrawal, they declared the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and launched a guerrilla war against Morocco.

The Polisario Front advocates for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people and is backed by, among others, Algeria with which Morocco has fractious relations.

Currently the border between the two countries is closed hence the movement of football fans from Algeria (which has already qualified for this year’s African Cup of nations tournament) looks likely to be restricted.

Morocco has long been mining phosphates (‘white gold’) in Western Sahara, a controversial endeavour that is mired in issues of human rights abuse and the exploitation of natural resources.

Estimates indicate that Morocco may have earned upwards of US$6 billion from the mining of Western Saharan phosphates.

In total, Morocco is believed to account for 70% of the world’s total phosphate deposits (China is in second place with 6%).

This means that the Moroccan organisation mining the deposits is incredibly powerful.

OCP Group - formerly Office Chérifien des Phosphates - is a Moroccan state-owned company that has become a global powerhouse in the phosphate and fertiliser industry.

As a 95% state-owned entity, OCP is deeply embedded within the Moroccan economy.

It accounts for a substantial portion of the country's total exports (around 20%) and is one of Morocco's largest employers, providing jobs for over 20,000 people.

OCP's revenues are in the billions of dollars annually, contributing significantly to Morocco's national budget.

The company is playing a pivotal role - financially and organisationally - in preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Like Lammy and Britain, Donald Trump and the US have also reaffirmed Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, as Washington moves to address US concerns about the growing influence of Russia and China in North Africa.

So significant are these concerns, that the Spanish government fears that US support is pivoting away from them towards Morocco.

This will suit Rabat, as it seeks to position itself as the gateway to Africa.

Moreover, as the battle for which country will host the 2030 World Cup final, there is increasing confidence in Rabat that Morocco will secure this right (especially given Trumps seemingly close relationship with FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino).

It is very clear, Morocco’s football revolution is not simply a matter of the game itself; natural resources, territorial claims, and geopolitical motives lay behind what is happening.