The Most Popular Sports in Morocco (Top 20 Ranked)

Soccer leads Morocco, ahead of Athletics and Handball. Ranking of 20 sports.

This page ranks the sports of Morocco by the evidence behind each one, because this ranking is ordered by the weight of the evidence for each sport in Morocco, not by a single national participation count. No comparable membership or license figure covering all sports was retrieved in this fast pass, so each entry names what supports its place instead of a shared number.

Soccer is on top, followed by Athletics and Handball. The full table below covers 20 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.

The Most Popular Sports in Morocco

The table counts evidence, not people who say they like a sport. It is the figure that is published the same way for every sport in the list, which is what makes the rows comparable.

#	Sport	Basis for the placing
1	Soccer	Morocco reached the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first African and Arab nation ever to do so, and the sport draws by far the largest number of clubs, players and spec
2	Athletics	Morocco has one of the strongest middle and long distance running traditions in Africa, with multiple Olympic and world champions, and athletics clubs are common in schools and uni
3	Handball	Morocco’s men’s national handball team competes regularly at the African Championship and has qualified for the IHF World Championship, and club handball has a substantial organize
4	Boxing	Moroccan boxers regularly reach the medal rounds at Olympic and African level, and boxing clubs have a long standing presence in working class neighborhoods of Casablanca, Rabat an
5	Basketball	Basketball has a growing domestic club scene in Morocco, with a men’s national league and increasing youth participation in schools, and the men’s and women’s national teams both c
6	Tennis	Morocco hosts an annual ATP Tour event, the Grand Prix Hassan II, and the country has produced a top level ATP professional, which together give tennis a higher public profile in M
7	Judo	Judo has an established club network across Morocco and the national federation regularly sends competitors to African and international level tournaments, giving the sport a solid
8	Volleyball	Volleyball is widely played in Moroccan schools and universities, and the men’s and women’s national teams compete regularly at the African Nations Championship.
9	Rugby union	Morocco’s national rugby team competes in the Rugby Africa Cup and in Rugby World Cup qualifying, and the sport has an organized club structure concentrated in Casablanca and Rabat
10	Golf	Morocco has hosted the Hassan II Trophy, one of the oldest professional golf tournaments in Africa, since the 1970s, and the country has an unusually large number of golf courses f
11	Equestrian sports	Tbourida, a traditional Moroccan equestrian display performed in choreographed troupes, was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Human
12	Cycling	Morocco runs a national road cycling calendar including a multi day stage race, and the sport has an organized club base that regularly sends riders to continental level competitio
13	Swimming	Swimming has an organized federation and club network in Morocco’s larger coastal cities, and Moroccan swimmers regularly compete at African championship level.
14	Karate	Karate has a wide network of clubs across Moroccan cities and towns, and the national federation regularly sends competitors to African and world championship level events.
15	Taekwondo	Taekwondo has an organized club network in Morocco and the national federation regularly enters competitors in African and international level tournaments.
16	Wrestling	Wrestling has an organized federation and a smaller but consistent club base in Morocco, with national competitors taking part in African championship events.
17	Padel	Padel has expanded rapidly in Morocco over the past several years, with a fast growing number of dedicated courts opening in Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech, mirroring the sport’s
18	Surfing	Morocco’s Atlantic coast, particularly around Taghazout and Anchor Point, is home to some of the best known surf breaks in Africa, drawing both a domestic surfing community and int
19	Motorsport (rally)	Morocco has a long running rally tradition, including the historic Rallye du Maroc and desert stages that have featured in world level rally raid competition, supported by an organ
20	Skiing	Morocco is one of the few African countries with an organized domestic ski sport, centered on the Oukaimeden resort in the High Atlas mountains, with a national federation running

Is There a National Sport of Morocco?

Morocco has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No law or government decree establishing an official national sport for Morocco was identified.

• Soccer. Soccer is widely treated as Morocco’s de facto national sport, reflecting its far larger participation base and audience compared with every other sport in the country.

Sports That Were Invented in Morocco

• Tbourida (equestrian fantasia). Tbourida, a traditional Moroccan group horseback riding display, was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021.

#1 Soccer

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF)
• Top national league: Botola Pro
• Best known athlete: Achraf Hakimi. Captain of the Morocco national team and Paris Saint-Germain right back, he led Morocco to the 2022 World Cup semifinal, the deepest run by an African or Arab team in the tournament’s history

Soccer is Morocco’s most played and most watched sport by a wide margin. It is organized nationally by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, with the Botola Pro as the top domestic men’s league, and school and neighborhood level play is common in almost every city and town.

The men’s national team’s run to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, led by captain Achraf Hakimi, was the first time an African or Arab country had reached that stage, and it further increased participation and interest in the sport across the country.

#2 Athletics

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation (FRMA)
• Best known athlete: Hicham El Guerrouj. Won gold in both the 1500 meters and 5000 meters at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the first man since 1924 to complete that double, and he still holds the world record in the mile, set in 1999

Athletics, and middle distance running in particular, is one of Morocco’s traditionally strongest sports. The Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation oversees school, university and club level competition that has produced generations of internationally competitive runners.

Hicham El Guerrouj is the sport’s best known Moroccan athlete, having completed the rare 1500 meters and 5000 meters double at the 2004 Athens Olympics and having held world records over several middle distance events, including the mile.

#3 Handball

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Handball Federation (FRMHB)
• Top national league: Championnat National de Handball

Handball ranks among Morocco’s more established team sports, with a domestic club league organized by the Royal Moroccan Handball Federation and a long standing presence in school and university sport programs.

The men’s national team has repeatedly reached the African Championship and taken part in the IHF World Championship, giving the sport a consistent international profile alongside its domestic club competition.

#4 Boxing

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Boxing Federation (FRMB)
• Best known athlete: Mohamed Rabii. Won the bronze medal in the men’s welterweight division at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Boxing has a long history in Morocco, supported by a dense network of neighborhood clubs, particularly in Casablanca. The Royal Moroccan Boxing Federation trains and selects fighters for African and Olympic level amateur competition.

Mohamed Rabii brought recent international attention to the sport by winning the bronze medal in the men’s welterweight division at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, continuing a tradition of Moroccan success in Olympic boxing.

#5 Basketball

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Basketball Federation (FRMBB)
• Top national league: Nationale 1

Basketball has expanded steadily in Morocco over the past two decades, with the Royal Moroccan Basketball Federation running a domestic men’s league and youth programs in most major cities.

Both the men’s and women’s national teams take part in the FIBA Africa Championship, and the sport has become one of the more commonly played team sports among younger Moroccans, alongside soccer and handball.

#6 Tennis

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Tennis Federation (FRMT)
• Top national league: Grand Prix Hassan II (ATP)
• Best known athlete: Younes El Aynaoui. Reached a career high ATP ranking of world number 14 in 2003 and is remembered for a five set quarterfinal loss to Andy Roddick at the 2003 Australian Open widely regarded as one of the sport’s classic matches

Tennis has a higher profile in Morocco than in most African countries, helped by the annual Grand Prix Hassan II, an ATP Tour event held in Marrakech, and by a network of clubs in Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech.

Younes El Aynaoui remains the country’s best known men’s player, having reached a career high ranking of world number 14 in 2003 and having played one of the sport’s most celebrated Grand Slam matches against Andy Roddick that same year.

#7 Judo

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Judo Federation (FRMJ)

Judo is one of the more organized combat sports in Morocco, with clubs affiliated to the Royal Moroccan Judo Federation active in most large cities and a regular presence of Moroccan judoka at African championship level.

The sport is commonly taught to children and teenagers through school and club programs, which has built a steady base of practitioners feeding national and continental level competition.

#8 Volleyball

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Volleyball Federation (FRMVB)

Volleyball has a broad grassroots base in Morocco, particularly in schools and universities, which feeds a domestic club league organized by the Royal Moroccan Volleyball Federation.

Both the men’s and women’s national teams take part regularly in the African Volleyball Championship, and the sport remains one of the more commonly practiced team sports among Moroccan students.

#9 Rugby union

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Rugby Federation (FRMR)

Rugby union is a smaller but organized sport in Morocco, with a club structure built mainly around Casablanca and Rabat and a national federation that runs domestic competitions and youth programs.

The national team regularly takes part in the Rugby Africa Cup and in World Cup qualifying rounds, giving the sport a continuing international presence even though it remains well behind soccer and handball in overall reach.

#10 Golf

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Golf Federation (FRMG)
• Top national league: Trophee Hassan II

Golf has a longer organized history in Morocco than in most African countries, supported since the 1970s by royal patronage and by a network of courses built under King Hassan II and his successors.

The Trophee Hassan II, a fixture on the professional golf calendar since 1971, has helped keep the sport visible domestically, even though the number of active Moroccan players remains small compared with soccer or athletics.

#11 Equestrian sports

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Equestrian Federation (FRME)

Equestrian sport in Morocco spans both modern show jumping and dressage, organized by the Royal Moroccan Equestrian Federation, and the traditional group riding display known as Tbourida, or fantasia, performed by troupes on horseback at festivals across the country.

Tbourida was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021, formal recognition of a tradition that remains widely practiced at moussems and other public celebrations throughout Morocco.

#12 Cycling

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Cycling Federation (FRMC)

Cycling in Morocco is organized nationally by the Royal Moroccan Cycling Federation, which runs a domestic road racing calendar and sends riders to African championship events.

Club level cycling has grown gradually in cities such as Casablanca and Marrakech, and Morocco has a longer running domestic stage race tradition than most of its North African neighbors.

#13 Swimming

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Swimming Federation (FRMN)

Swimming is organized in Morocco through a network of clubs concentrated in coastal cities such as Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier, under the Royal Moroccan Swimming Federation.

Competitive swimming remains a smaller sport than soccer or athletics in terms of participation, but it has a consistent presence at the African Championships and in national school competitions.

#14 Karate

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Karate Federation (FRMK)

Karate is one of the more widely practiced martial arts in Morocco, with clubs run under the Royal Moroccan Karate Federation present in most cities and many smaller towns.

The sport draws a large number of children and teenagers through school linked programs, and Moroccan karateka compete regularly at African and world championship level.

#15 Taekwondo

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Taekwondo Federation (FRMTKD)

Taekwondo is practiced through a national club network affiliated with the Royal Moroccan Taekwondo Federation, with a particular following among younger practitioners in urban areas.

Moroccan taekwondo athletes compete regularly at African championship level, and the sport has built a steady base of participants through school and club programs over the past two decades.

#16 Wrestling

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Wrestling Federation (FRML)

Wrestling is a smaller organized sport in Morocco, run by the Royal Moroccan Wrestling Federation with a club base concentrated in a handful of cities.

Moroccan wrestlers compete at the African Wrestling Championships, and the sport retains a modest but consistent following compared with the country’s larger combat sports such as boxing and judo.

#17 Padel

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Tennis Federation (FRMT)

Padel is among the fastest growing sports in Morocco in recent years, with new dedicated courts opening steadily in Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech and a rising number of amateur clubs and tournaments.

The sport is organized under the Royal Moroccan Tennis Federation, and its rapid expansion mirrors the wider padel boom seen across Spain, France and other parts of North Africa over the same period.

#18 Surfing

• Governing body: Royal Moroccan Surfing Federation (FRMS)

Surfing has grown into an organized sport in Morocco, centered on Atlantic coast towns such as Taghazout, which is home to Anchor Point, one of the best known right hand point breaks in Africa.

The Royal Moroccan Surfing Federation oversees domestic competition, and the sport has built a visible local surfing community alongside the international surf tourism the coastline attracts.

#19 Motorsport (rally)

• Governing body: Federation Royale Marocaine des Sports Automobiles et Motocyclistes (FRMSAM)

Motorsport, and rally raid in particular, has a long history in Morocco, built around the country’s varied desert and mountain terrain, and it is organized nationally by the Federation Royale Marocaine des Sports Automobiles et Motocyclistes.

The Rallye du Maroc has run for decades as one of the region’s best known cross country rallies, and Moroccan desert stages have also featured in international rally raid events, giving the sport a higher profile than in most neighboring countries.

#20 Skiing

• Governing body: Federation Royale Marocaine de Ski et de Montagne (FRMSM)

Skiing is a small but organized sport in Morocco, made possible by the High Atlas mountains, where the Oukaimeden resort near Marrakech provides the country’s main skiable terrain during the winter season.

The Federation Royale Marocaine de Ski et de Montagne runs domestic competitions and has entered Moroccan skiers in Winter Olympic and world championship events, a rare presence for an African nation in Alpine and cross country skiing.

Sources

• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, Morocco

Figures on this page come from national federations and statistics offices and are only as current as their latest published report. Last reviewed: August 2026.

FAQ