The Botola Pro (Arabic: البطولة الوطنية الإحترافية, romanized:al-Buṭūla al-Waṭaniyya al-Iḥtirāfiyya, lit. "Professional National Championship"), officially known as the Botola Pro Inwi for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Morocco and the top tier of the Moroccan football league system. Organized by the Ligue Nationale de Football Professionnel (LNFP), under the authority of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), the league features 16 clubs and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Botola Pro 2.

The Botola Pro season runs from August to May, with each of the 16 teams playing 30 matches (facing every other team twice, once at home and once away), totaling 240 matches per season. Most games are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, while others are played on weekday evenings. The league is currently sponsored by Inwi. From 2015 to 2019, it was known as Botola Maroc Telecom due to its previous sponsorship agreement with Maroc Telecom.

The LNFP was officially established in 2015 by the FRMF to oversee the organization and development of professional football in Morocco, including the Botola Pro. This reform aimed to enhance the management of the domestic league and take advantage of growing commercial and broadcasting opportunities. Moroccan sports channel Arryadia holds the rights to broadcast Botola Pro matches, contributing to the league's media presence and revenue generation.

The Moroccan top-flight has produced the second-highest number of CAF Champions League titles, with three Moroccan clubs having won seven African trophies in total. They also produced the highest number of CAF Confederation Cup titles, with five Moroccan clubs having won seven African confederation trophies.

The current champions are RS Berkane, who won their first title in the 2024–25 season.

History

Botola Pro Trophy

The Moroccan Football Championship was launched in the Sultanate on 11 June 1915. Organised by the Moroccan football league. The new organisation under the Royal Moroccan Football Federation took place in January 1957, Wydad AC was crowned with the edition of the 1956–57 season, which was its sixth title. In the following season, the KAC Marrakech club was crowned, and then the following two seasons were crowned by the youth star and Kénitra AC.

The start of the great rivalry (1960–1970)

AS FAR dominated the championship for four consecutive seasons despite the competition being played by strong teams, namely MAS Fes and KAC Marrakech, where the Askari Club was able to enter history as the first club to achieve four consecutive titles in the years (1961–1964). Then in the 1964–1965 season, MAS Fes won its first title, then Wydad AC won the league title in the 1965–1966 season, which is the beginning of the competition between Raja CA and Wydad AC in the tournament, where the derby was repeated due to the public entering the stadium which ended with Raja winning 2–1; But when it was replayed, it ended in a 0–0 draw, and thus Wydad AC won the championship by one point over Raja CA.

New champions (1971–1995)

New teams were able to crown the championship title during this period, including RS Settat, RAC Casablanca, Raja Beni Mellal, MC Oujda, SCC Mohammédia, and others that had previously been crowned as Wydad, who won the league for three consecutive seasons. Kenitra was able to obtain the championship in the 1973–1972 season in a dramatic way in a season known as the famous case of the Car Dial Fez, where it noticed the survival of Wydad from going down to the second national division due to the cancellation of the interview of MAS Fes with Wydad AC in the last round due to a malfunction in the bus that was carrying the players of Maghreb Fez, which automated a loss for fez and Wydad got 4 points, Kénitra AC won the league.

MAS Fes was able to add two more titles to its treasury at this stage. Kénitra AC managed to win two successive titles, while CO Casablanca won their first title, and the competition was strong between Wydad AC and the AS FAR, where the Military Club won three titles, bringing the total of its titles to 10 to hang its first star, and then Wydad was able to win four titles, bringing its total titles to 15. While the KAC Marrakech club was satisfied with its second title only, while another new competitor appeared, Raja CA, which won its first title in the 1987–1988 season.

Raja's glory (1995–2002)

In the seven seasons between 1995 and 2002, Raja CA arose quickly making it one of the most supported club in Morocco, as it managed to obtain the championship for six consecutive seasons in a golden period during which a generation of excellent players appeared. This period coincided with the emergence of Raja CA on the scene International in the African Champions League and Club World Cup. Appearing in 3 CAF Champions League Final winning 2 but losing the 2002 CAF Champions League Final and ending 7th in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship.

New champions (2002–2011)

HUS Agadir managed to win the championship twice in a row, despite the competition from the two poles of the economic capital. After that, the tournament became more exciting between the two poles of Casablanca, Wydad AC and AS FAR as the tournament was not decided until the last two rounds or the last round. FAR and Wydad Casablanca won two titles, while OC Khouribga won its first title in its history. While Raja CA continued the race to try to catch up with Wydad and the Army, as it won three titles, bringing its total to ten titles, to be the third team to suspend the ten titles. Botola was placed third as the best African league of the world of the first decade (2001-2010) by IFFHS.

The start of Botola Pro (2011–present)

In light of the league's strength, it was necessary for the Moroccan League to move Moroccan football from the abyss to professionalism, so the first professional season was 2011–12 which was crowned by the MA Tétouan club for the first time in its history. Raja CA managed to win the title in the 2012–13 season, then followed by MA Tétouan in the 2013–14 Botola Pro. In the 2014–15 season, Wydad AC returned after 5 years again to win the 18th title in its history. FUS Rabat also won the 2015–16 season title for the first time in its history, while Wydad AC won the 2016–17 Botola League title for the 19th time in its history. In 2017–18, IR Tanger managed to win their 1st league title in its history. On 4 October 2020, the FRMF introduced the Virtual Offside Line in Botola. Botola has been ranked in the top 40 world's strongest national league of the decade by International Federation of Football History & Statistics. On 25 May 2021, Botola was placed third as the best African league of the world of the second decade (2011-2020) by IFFHS. On 27 December 2022, The President of the National League stated that the winter transfer market will depend on the financial status of the clubs and to resolve all standing disputes related to player contracts, as well as the technical and medical staff of the clubs. Since 2018, Botola has been ranked top 3 strongest African leagues by IFFHS.

Competition format

There are 16 clubs in the Botola Pro. During the course of a season (from August to May) each club plays the others twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents', for 30 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank.

Champion and runner-up participate in the African Champions League. The third-place team and Coupe du Trône winner qualify to participate in the African Confederation Cup.

Promotion and relegation

A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Botola Pro and the Botola Pro 2. The two lowest placed teams in the Botola Pro are relegated to the Botola Pro 2, and the top two teams from the Botola Pro 2 promoted to the Botola Pro.

Number of clubs in Botola Pro throughout the years
Period (in years)No. of clubs
1915–378 clubs
1937–3910 clubs
1939–4127 clubs (4 groups) + playoffs
1941–4210 clubs
1942–4627 clubs (4 groups) + playoffs
1946–5614 clubs
1956–5816 clubs
1958–6614 clubs
1966–6716 clubs
1967–6818 clubs
1968–8016 clubs
1980–8120 clubs
1981–8218 clubs
1982–8516 clubs
1985–8620 clubs
1986–8724 clubs (2 groups) + playoffs
1987–8818 clubs
1988–202416 clubs
2024–present16 clubs + relegations playoffs

Sponsorship

Since 2020, inwi has been the official sponsor of the Botola for a 15 million dirham per year contract.

PeriodSponsorBrand
2011–2015No sponsorBotola Pro
2015–2019Maroc TelecomBotola Maroc Telecom
2019–2020No sponsorBotola Pro 1
2020–presentInwiBotola Pro 1 Inwi

Broadcasting rights

In September 2007, the SNRT Group (Al Aoula, 2M TV and Arryadia) paid 225 million dirhams for the rights to broadcast the following three seasons of the Botola.

Throughout the week, every game played in the Botola is broadcast live by at least one TV channel.

Botola clubs in Africa

The Botola is currently second in the CAF 5-year ranking of African leagues, after being first for the past three years. This ranking is based on the performances of domestic clubs in African competitions over a five-year period.

Raja CA and Wydad AC have been in the top ten most successful clubs in African football in terms of total African trophies. These two clubs, along with AS FAR and MAS Fes, are four of the most successful teams in African competition history. HUS Agadir, OC Khouribga, DH El-jadida and FUS Rabat are the joint fourth-most participating Moroccan team in the Champions League with MAS Fes — after Raja CA, Wydad AC and AS FAR. AS FAR is the first Moroccan club to win an international cup after defeating AS Bilima in the 1985 African Cup of Champions Clubs Finals.

Moroccan Clubs are the most titled in the CAF Confederation Cup with 8 titles and the second most titled Clubs in the CAF Champions League and CAF Super Cup. AS FAR became the first Moroccan club to play back-to-back finals in the African Confederation Cup winning the 2005 Confederation Cup and losing the 2006 Confederation Cup.

Qualification for African competitions

Association ranking for the 2025–26 CAF club season

The association ranking for the 2025–26 CAF Champions League and the 2025–26 CAF Confederation Cup will be based on results from each CAF club competition from 2020–21 to the 2024–25 season.

Legend

  • CL: CAF Champions League
  • CC: CAF Confederation Cup
  • : Associations points might increase on basis of its clubs performance in 2024–25 CAF club competitions
  • Associations ranked 1–12 are eligible to enter two teams in each CAF club competition.
RankAssociation2020–21 (× 1)2021–22 (× 2)2022–23 (× 3)2023–24 (× 4)2024–25 (× 5)Total
20252024MvtCLCCCLCCCLCCCLCCCLCC
11Egypt837482.577104190.5
22Morocco4695822455142
34+1South Africa82544341.593131
43-1Algeria6571652355130
56+1Tanzania30.50234602482.5
65-1Tunisia4351426130.582.5

Historical rankings since 2011

Legend

  • Associations ranked 1–12 and eligible to enter two teams in each CAF club competition.
  • — No rank (0 Points)
AssociationRank (points)
201120122013201420152016201720182018–192019–202020–212021–222022–232023–242024–25
Morocco8 (20)7 (27)4 (62)5 (53)4 (44)7 (29)7 (24)6 (41)4 (84)2 (153)1 (190)1 (183)1 (194)1 (180)2 (148)

Club ranking for the 2024–25 CAF club season

The club ranking is used for seeding in the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. Pending equality in ranking points, the team receiving more points in the previous season is considered as the higher-ranked team.

The club ranking for the 2024–25 CAF Champions League and the 2024–25 CAF Confederation Cup is be based on results from each CAF club competition from the 2019–20 to the 2023–24 seasons.

RankClub2019–20 (× 1)2020–21 (× 2)2021–22 (× 3)2022–23 (× 4)2023–24 (× 5)Total
1Egypt Al Ahly SC6656687
2Tunisia ES Tunis3434561
3Morocco Wydad AC4465260
4South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns3334454
5Egypt Zamalek SC5222548
6Morocco RS Berkane5150442
12Morocco Raja CA4533035
36Morocco AS FAR000208
58Morocco HUS Agadir300003

Clubs

2025-2026 season

ClubCityStadiumCapacityManager
US Yacoub El MansourRabatRabat Olympic Stadium21,000Mehdi El Jabry Morocco
COD MeknèsMeknesHonneur Stadium12,000Abdelaziz Dnibi Morocco
DH El-JadidaEl JadidaBen M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium10,000Rui Almeida Portugal
AS FARRabatPrince Moulay Abdellah Stadium69,500Alexandre Santos Portugal
FUS RabatRabatMoulay Hassan Stadium22,000Saïd Chiba Morocco
HUS AgadirAgadirAdrar Stadium45,480Amir Abdou France
IR TangerTangerIbn Batouta Stadium75,000Pepe Mel Spain
MAS FesFesFez Stadium45,000Pablo Franco Spain
Olympique DcheiraDcheira El JihadiaAdrar Stadium45,480Abderrahim Essaidi Morocco
OC SafiSafiEl Massira Stadium10,000Zakaria Aboub Morocco
Raja CACasablancaMohammed V Stadium45,000Fadlu Davids South Africa
RCA ZemamraZemamraAhmed Choukri Stadium3,000Mehdi Mrani Alaoui Morocco (caretaker)
RS BerkaneBerkaneBerkane Municipal Stadium10,000Mouin Chaâbani Tunisia
KAC MarrakechMarrakeshMarrakesh Stadium45,000Hicham Dmiai Morocco
UTS RabatRabatAl Medina Stadium18,000Abdelouahed Zamrat Morocco
Wydad ACCasablancaMohammed V Stadium45,000Mohamed Amine Benhachem Morocco

Stadium and locations

Botola Pro is located in Morocco
Locations of the 2025–26 Botola teams

Stadiums

Current stadiums

CasablancaTangerRabatAgadirRabat
Stade Mohammed VIbn Batouta StadiumPrince Moulay Abdellah StadiumAdrar StadiumMoulay Hassan Stadium
Capacity: 45,000Capacity: 75,000Capacity: 68,000Capacity: 45,480Capacity: 22,000
FesMeknesSafiBerkaneRabat
Fez StadiumHonneur StadiumEl Massira StadiumBerkane Municipal StadiumAl Medina Stadium
Capacity: 45,000Capacity: 12,000Capacity: 8,000Capacity: 15,000Capacity: 18,000
MarrakeshRabatZemamraEl Jadida
Marrakesh StadiumRabat Olympic StadiumAhmed Choukri StadiumBen M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium
Capacity: 45,240Capacity: 21,000Capacity: 1,000Capacity: 10,000

Other stadiums

MohammediaMarrakeshKhemissetKenitra
El Bachir StadiumEl Harti Stadium18 November StadiumKenitra Municipal Stadium
Capacity: 15,000Capacity: 10,000Capacity: 5,000Capacity: 28,000

List of champions

Performance by club

RankClubWinnersSeasons
1Wydad AC221947–48, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22
2Raja CA131987–88, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2019–20, 2023–24
3AS FAR131960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1988–89, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2022–23
4MAS Fes41964–65, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1984–85
Kenitra AC41959–60, 1972–73, 1980–81, 1981–82
6RAC Casablanca31944–45, 1953–54, 1971–72
Stade Marocain31927–28, 1930–31, 1943–44
8MA Tétouan22011–12, 2013–14
HUS Agadir22001–02, 2002–03
KAC Marrakech21957–58, 1991–92
11RS Berkane12024–25
IR Tanger12017–18
FUS Rabat12015–16
OC Khouribga12006–07
COD Meknès11994–95
CO Casablanca11993–94
SCC Mohammédia11979–80
MC Oujda11974–75
Raja Beni Mellal11973–74
RS Settat11970–71
EJS Casablanca11958–59

By city

CityChampionshipsClubs
Casablanca40Wydad AC (22), Raja CA (13), RAC Casablanca (3), CO Casablanca (1), Étoile de Casablanca (1)
Rabat17AS FAR (13), Stade Marocain (3), FUS Rabat (1)
Fez4MAS Fes (4)
Kenitra4KAC Kénitra (4)
Marrakesh2KAC Marrakech (2)
Agadir2Hassania Agadir (2)
Tétouan2MA Tétouan (2)
Khouribga1OC Khouribga (1)
Settat1RS Settat (1)
Tangier1IR Tanger (1)
Oujda1MC Oujda (1)
Meknes1COD Meknès (1)
Mohammedia1SCC Mohammédia (1)
Beni Mellal1Raja Beni Mellal (1)
Berkane1RS Berkane (1)

By region

RegionChampionshipsClubs
Casablanca-Settat42Wydad AC (22), Raja CA (13), RAC Casablanca (3), CO Casablanca (1), Étoile de Casablanca (1), RS Settat (1), SCC Mohammédia (1)
Rabat-Salé-Kénitra21AS FAR (13), KAC Kénitra (4), Stade Marocain (3), FUS Rabat (1)
Fez-Meknes5MAS Fes (4), COD Meknès (1)
Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima3MA Tétouan (2), IR Tanger (1)
Marrakesh-Safi2KAC Marrakech (2)
Souss-Massa2Hassania Agadir (2)
Béni Mellal-Khénifra2OC Khouribga (1), Raja Beni Mellal (1)
Oriental2MC Oujda (1), RS Berkane (1)

Performance comparison since 2011

Performance comparison of top teams since 2011.

Teams11–1212–1313–1414–1515–1616–1717–1818–1919–2020–2121–2222–2323–2424–25
WAC34612121211253
RCA41285362122515
ASFAR7271146814633122
MAT15146121113716-13915
FUS263517494105374
IRT----351514813141210
DHJ5957132581111816-9
OCK10131421211121115-1015--
RSB-7997497346631
HUSA1210868833861271013
MAS63141016----7410117
KACM--4314131415------
OCS8121112997413117468
League champions Champions League Confederation Cup Arab Cup Relegation

All-time Botola Pro table (since 2011)

The all-time Botola Pro table is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in Botola Pro since its new format inception in 2011.

All-time Botola Pro table (2011–)
PosTeamSPtsGPWDLGFGAGD1st2nd3rd4th5thTDebutSince/ Last AppBest
1Wydad AC1478642021912972608342+26654211132011–122011–121
2Raja CA1476042020913378611349+26234113122011–122011–121
3AS FAR14682420182136102561400+161132172011–122011–121
4FUS Rabat14654420171141108485362+1231123292011–122011–121
5RS Berkane1359439014914794432338+9412242012–132012–131
6OC Safi14540420130150140419470−51222011–122011–124
7HUS Agadir14530420132136152449478−29222011–122011–123
8DH Jadida13523390129135126419413+61342011–122024–252
9MA Tétouan13517390128133129416421−521142011–122024–251
10IR Tanger103873009893109297328−3111242015–162015–161
11OC Khouribga1138333092109129323392−69112011–122019–202
12MAS Fès103703008412888309303+61122011–122020–213
13CR Al Hoceima82652406472104215295−802011–122018–198
14MC Oujda7244210596784215261−46222015–162023–245
15KAC Marrakech6220180555570183204−211122013–142025–263
16Kenitra AC6185180416277151222−712011–122016–1711
17RC Oued Zem5172150405258132167−352017–182017–189
18CAY Berrechid5154150364668138206−682018–192023–246
19RCA Zemamra4151120403149140145−52019–202020–218
20SCC Mohammédia5129150294279112204−922020–212024–259
21JS Soualem4124120323157120166−462021–222024–259
22UTS Rabat31159029283399107−8112022–232022–234
23COD Meknès3969024254171110−392011–122024–2510
24CA Khénifra3959021323778102−242014–152017–1810
25WA Fes3899019323977112−352011–122013–1411
26IZ Khemisset251601021293872−342011–122014–1516
27R Beni Mellal23660521343584−492012–132019–2016
28AS Sale12930611132533−82013–142013–1415
29JS Massira1283077162442−182011–122011–1215
30JS Kasba Tadla1283077162547−222016–172016–1715
31RAC Casablanca1173038192254−322017–182017–1816
32US Yacoub El Mansour10300000002025–262025–26
33Olympique Dcheira10300000002025–262025–26
League or status for 2025–26 season
2025–26 Botola
2025–26 Botola 2
2025–26 National
2025–26 Amateur I
2025–26 Amateur II
2025–26 Regional League
Club no longer exists

Player records

Most goals (since 2011)

The table shows the Botola Pro top scorers since its new format inception in 2011. The table is accurate as of the end of the 2024–25 season[citation needed].

Boldface indicates a player still active in Botola Pro1. Italics indicates a player still active outside Botola Pro1.

RankPlayerClub(s)Years activeGoals
1Morocco Mouhcine IajourWydad AC (5), Raja CA (53), MA Tétouan (12), RS Berkane (9)2011–2015, 2017–2019, 2020–2179
2Morocco Zakaria HadrafDH Jadidi (52), Raja CA (10), RS Berkane (5), RCA Zemamra (5)2011–2019, 2020–202472
3Morocco Mehdi NaghmiAS FAR (41), IR Tanger (22), MC Oujda (3)2011–2020, 202266
4Morocco Abdelilah HafidiRaja CA (50)2011–2021, 2023–202450
Morocco Brahim El BahraouiOC Safi (13), Fath US (7), RC Oued Zem (16), RS Berkane (14)2011–
6Morocco Abdessamad El MobarkyCR Al Hoceima (35), RS Berkane (1), RCA Zemamra (12)2011–202148
7Morocco Reda HajhoujWydad AC (15), OC Khouribga (21), Fath US (11)2014–2017, 2017–2018, 2020–2022, 2024–47
8Ivory Coast Lamine DiakiteDH Jadidi (4), Fath US (8), MC Oujda (21), AS FAR (13)2014–46
Morocco Hamid AhaddadDH Jadidi (17), Raja CA (16), Fath US (9), MAS Fes (4)2015–2018, 2019–2020, 2021–
10Morocco Jalal DaoudiDH Jadidi (2), Fath US (1), HUS Agadir (34), AS FAR (4), Wydad AC (3)2011–2019, 2021–202344

The historical top scorer of the competition is Ahmed Faras with 127 goals.

See also

Notes

External links

  • on Facebook ( 4 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine)
  • at FIFA.com (archived 3 July 2007)
  • at the RSSSF
  • [dead link] – Hailoosport.com (in Arabic)
  • [dead link] – Hailoosport.com