Botola

Botola
Organising body	Royal Moroccan Football Federation
Founded	1956; 65 years ago
Country	Morocco
Confederation	CAF
Number of teams	16
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Botola 2
Domestic cup(s)	Moroccan Throne Cup; Moroccan Super Cup
International cup(s)	CAF Champions League ; CAF Confederation Cup
Current champions	Wydad AC (21st title) ; (2021–22)
Most championships	Wydad AC (21 titles)
TV partners	Al Aoula, Arryadiya
	Current: 2021–22 Botola

The Botola Pro (Arabic: البطولة الاحترافية‎, romanized: al-buṭūla l-iḥtirāfiyya), is a Moroccan professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Moroccan football league system, it is the country's primary football competition.

The Botola Pro is a corporation in which the 16 member clubs act as shareholders, Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 30 matches each (playing each team in the league twice, home and away) totalling 240 matches in the season. Most games are played in the afternoons of Saturdays and Sundays, the other games during weekday evenings. It is sponsored by Inwi^[1] and thus known as the Botola Pro Inwi. From 2015 to 2019, the league was called Botola Maroc Telecom for sponsorship reasons.

The competition formed as the FRFM on 20 February 1992 following the decision of clubs in the Botola Pro to break away from the UNAF, which had been founded in 1911, and take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal. This deal is worth 55 million MAD a year domestically as of 2015–16, with Arryadia securing the domestic rights to broadcast games respectively. The league generates 123 million MAD per year in domestic and international television rights.

The current champions are Wydad AC who won the title in 2020–21 season.^[2]

History[]

Botola trophy

The first edition of the Moroccan Football League under the Royal Moroccan Football Federation took place in 1956–57, soon after Morocco became an independent country.

Competition[]

Each year 16 teams compete for the championship. The two lowest-placed teams are relegated to Botola Elite 2 and the top two teams from Botola Elite 2 are promoted in their place to Botola Pro.

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.

Sponsorship[]

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

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.^[3]

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

BeIN Sports network also broadcasts a few matches every week.

Clubs[]

The most popular Moroccan clubs are Wydad Casablanca, AS FAR, and Raja Casablanca. Other historically established sides include CODM Meknes, KAC Kenitra, Maghreb Fès, Moghreb Tétouan, Fath Rabat, and Kawkab Marrakech. Hassania agadir

Qualification for African competitions[]

Association ranking for 2021–22 CAF competitions[]

Association ranking for 2021–22 CAF Champions League and 2021–22 CAF Confederation Cup will be based on results from each CAF tournament (Champions League and Confederation Cup) from 2017 to 2020–21.

Legend

CL: CAF Champions League
CC: CAF Confederation Cup
Associations ranked 1–12 and eligible to enter two teams in each CAF tournament (Champions League and Confederation Cup)

Rank			Association	2017 (× 1)		2018 (× 3)		2018–19 (× 3)		2019–20 (× 4)		2020–21 (× 5)		Total
2021	2020	Mvt	Association	CL	CC	CL	CC	CL	CC	CL	CC	CL	CC	Total
1	1	—	Morocco	6	3	5	7	5	7	8	8	4	6	183
2	2	—	Egypt	7	0.5	5	3	4	5	11	6	8	3	173.5
3	3	—	Tunisia	7	5	9	0	8	6	6	0	4	3	131
4	5	+1	Algeria	4	2	5	2	5	1	3	1	6	5	109
5	6	+1	South Africa	3	4.5	2	0	6	0	3	0.5	8	2	93.5
6	4	–2	DR Congo	1	5	3	4	5	0	4	1	4	0	75
7	9	+2	Guinea	0	1	3	0	3	0	0	3	2	0	38
8	8	—	Nigeria	0	0.5	0	3	2	1	0	3	0	2	37.5
9	7	–2	Zambia	2	2	2	0	0	2.5	1	2	0	1.5	35
10	10	—	Angola	0	1	4	0	0	0.5	4	0	1	0	31.5

Stadiums[]

Current stadiums[]

Casablanca	Rabat	Agadir	Tanger
Stade Mohamed V	Stade Moulay Abdellah	Stade Adrar	Stade de Tanger
Capacity: 67,000	Capacity: 53,000	Capacity: 45,000	Capacity: 45,000

Fes	Oujda	El Jadida	Tétouan
Fez Stadium	Honneur Stadium	Stade El Abdi	Stade Saniat Rmel
Capacity: 45,000	Capacity: 35,000	Capacity: 15,000	Capacity: 15,000

Safi	Berkane	Rabat	Berrechid
Stade El Massira	Stade Municipal de Berkane	Stade Moulay Hassan	Stade Municipal de Berrechid
Capacity: 15,000	Capacity: 15,000	Capacity: 12,000	Capacity: 10,000

Other stadiums[]

Marrakech	El Aaiún	Meknes	Kénitra
Stade de Marrakech	Stade Cheikh Laaghdef	Stade d'Honneur	Stade Municipal de Kénitra
Capacity: 45,000	Capacity: 30,000	Capacity: 20,000	Capacity: 15,000

Al Hoceima	Khouribga
Stade Mimoun Al Arsi	Complexe OCP
Capacity: 12,000	Capacity: 10,000

List of champions[]

Season	Champion	Runner-up
1956–57	Wydad AC	Kawkab Marrakech
1957–58	Kawkab Marrakech	Wydad AC
1958–59	Étoile de Casablanca	Wydad AC
1959–60	KAC Kenitra	AS FAR
1960–61	AS FAR	Maghreb Fez
1961–62	AS FAR	Racing de Casablanca
1962–63	AS FAR	Kawkab Marrakech
1963–64	AS FAR	Stade Marocain
1964–65	Maghreb Fez	Racing de Casablanca
1965–66	Wydad AC	Raja CA
1966–67	AS FAR	Renaissance de Settat
1967–68	AS FAR	Renaissance de Settat
1968–69	Wydad AC	Maghreb Fez
1969–70	AS FAR	Union Sidi Kacem
1970–71	Renaissance de Settat	AS FAR
1971–72	Racing de Casablanca	Wydad AC
1972–73	KAC Kenitra	FUS Rabat
1973–74	Raja de Beni Mellal	Raja CA
1974–75	Mouloudia Oujda	Maghreb Fez
1975–76	Wydad AC	Difaa El Jadida
1976–77	Wydad AC	Mouloudia Oujda
1977–78	Wydad AC	Maghreb Fez
1978–79	Maghreb Fez	KAC Kenitra
1979–80	Chabab Mohammédia	Wydad AC
1980–81	KAC Kenitra	FUS Rabat
1981–82	KAC Kenitra	Wydad AC
1982–83	Maghreb Fez	Renaissance de Berkane
1983–84	AS FAR	Olympique Khouribga
1984–85	Maghreb Fez	KAC Kenitra
1985–86	Wydad AC	Raja CA
1986–87	AS FAR	Kawkab Marrakech
1987–88	Raja CA	Kawkab Marrakech
1988–89	AS FAR	Maghreb Fez
1989–90	Wydad AC	IR Tanger
1990–91	Wydad AC	AS FAR
1991–92	Kawkab Marrakech	Raja CA
1992–93	Wydad AC	Raja CA
1993–94	Olympique de Casablanca	Wydad AC
1994–95	CODM de Meknès	Olympique de Casablanca
1995–96	Raja CA	Olympique Khouribga
1996–97	Raja CA	Wydad AC
1997–98	Raja CA	Kawkab Marrakech
1998–99	Raja CA	Kawkab Marrakech
1999–00	Raja CA	Wydad AC
2000–01	Raja CA	FUS Rabat
2001–02	Hassania Agadir	Wydad AC
2002–03	Hassania Agadir	Raja CA
2003–04	Raja CA	AS FAR
2004–05	AS FAR	Raja CA
2005–06	Wydad AC	AS FAR
2006–07	Olympique Khouribga	AS FAR
2007–08	AS FAR	IZK Khemisset
2008–09	Raja CA	Difaa El Jadida
2009–10	Wydad AC	Raja CA
2010–11	Raja CA	Maghreb Fez
2011–12	Moghreb Tétouan	FUS Rabat
2012–13	Raja CA	AS FAR
2013–14	Moghreb Tétouan	Raja CA
2014–15	Wydad AC	Olympique Khouribga
2015–16	FUS Rabat	Wydad AC
2016–17	Wydad AC	Difaa El Jadida
2017–18	IR Tanger	Wydad AC
2018–19	Wydad AC	Raja CA
2019–20	Raja CA	Wydad AC
2020–21	Wydad AC	Raja CA

Performances[]

Performance by club[]

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning Seasons
Wydad AC⭐	16	12	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
Raja CA⭐	12	10	1987–88, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2019-20
ASFAR⭐	12	7	1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1988–89, 2004–05, 2007–08
Maghreb Fez	4	7	1964–65, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1984–85
KAC Kenitra	4	2	1959–60, 1972–73, 1980–81, 1981–82
Kawkab Marrakech	2	6	1957–58, 1991–92
Hassania Agadir	2	1	2001–02, 2002–03
Moghreb Tétouan	2	–	2011–12, 2013–14
FUS Rabat	1	5	2015–16
Olympique Khouribga	1	3	2006–07
Racing de Casablanca	1	2	1971–72
Renaissance de Settat	1	2	1970–71
IR Tanger	1	1	2017–18
Olympique de Casablanca	1	1	1993–94
Mouloudia Oujda	1	1	1974–75
CODM de Meknès	1	–	1994–95
Chabab Mohammédia	1	–	1979–80
Raja de Beni Mellal	1	–	1973–74
Étoile de Casablanca	1	–	1958–59

Performance comparison since 2011[]

Performance comparison of top teams since 2011.


Teams	11–12	12–13	13–14	14–15	15–16	16–17	17–18	18–19	19–20	20–21
WAC	3	4	6	1	2	1^[a]	2	1^[a]	2	1
RCA	4	1	2	8	5	3^[a]	6	2^[a]	1	2
FUS	2	6	3	5	1^[a]	7	4	9	4	10
MAT	1	5	1	4	6	12	11	13	7	16
DHJ	5	9	5	7	13	2	5	8	11	11
IRT	-	-	-	-	3	5	1	5	14	8
MAS	6	3	14	10	16^[b]	-	-	-	-	7
FAR	7	2	7	11	4	6	8	14	6	3
HUSA	12	10	8	6	8	8	3	3	8	6
RSB	-	7	9	9	7	4	9	7	3	4
League champions Champions League Confederation Cup Arab Championship Relegation

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Participated also in the Arab Championship.
^ Despite relegation, MAS qualified for the Confederation Cup as Throne Cup winners.

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. The table is accurate as of the end of the 2020–21 season. Teams in bold are part of the 2021–22 Botola season.

All-time Botola Pro table hide
Pos	Team	S	Pts	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	T	Debut	Since/ Last App	Best
1	Wydad AC	10	559	300	155	94	51	439	243	+196	4	3	1	1	–	9	2011–12	2011–12	1
2	Raja CA	10	536	300	148	92	60	449	262	+187	2	3	1	1	1	8	2011–12	2011–12	1
3	Fath US	10	460	300	119	103	78	330	262	+68	1	1	1	2	1	6	2011–12	2011–12	1
4	AS FAR	10	439	300	111	106	83	360	306	+54	–	1	1	1	–	3	2011–12	2011–12	2
5	MA Tétouan	10	429	300	110	99	91	336	312	+24	2	–	–	1	1	4	2011–12	2020–21	1
6	DH Jadida	10	418	300	104	105	91	327	287	+40	–	1	–	–	3	4	2011–12	2011–12	2
7	HUS Agadir	10	393^[a]	300	97	104	99	327	338	−11	–	–	2	–	–	2	2011–12	2011–12	3
8	RS Berkane	9	387	270	93	108	69	275	239	+36	–	–	1	2	–	3	2012–13	2012–13	3
9	OC Safi	10	364	300	86	106	108	290	356	−66	–	–	–	1	–	1	2011–12	2011–12	4
10	OC Khouribga	9	319^[b]	270	79	84	107	262	319	−57	–	1	–	–	–	1	2011–12	2019–20	2
11	CR Al Hoceima	8	265^[c]	240	64	72	104	215	295	−80	–	–	–	–	–	–	2011–12	2018–19	8
12	IR Tanger	6	255	180	66	57	57	179	173	+6	1	–	1	–	2	4	2015–16	2015–16	1
13	KAC Marrakech	6	220	180	55	55	70	183	204	−21	–	–	1	1	–	2	2013–14	2018–19	3
14	Maghreb AS	6	211	180	48	77	55	186	189	−3	–	–	1	–	–	1	2011–12	2020–21	3
15	Kenitra AC	6	185	180	41	62	77	151	222	−71	–	–	–	–	–	–	2011–12	2016–17	11
16	MC Oujda	4	154	120	39	37	44	130	142	−12	–	–	–	–	2	2	2015–16	2018–19	5
17	RC Oued Zem	4	143	120	33	44	43	113	128	−15	–	–	–	–	–	–	2017–18	2017–18	9
18	CAY Berrechid	3	108	90	27	27	36	92	114	−22	–	–	–	–	–	–	2018–19	2018–19	6
19	CA Khénifra	3	95	90	21	32	37	78	102	−24	–	–	–	–	–	–	2014–15	2017–18	10
20	WA Fes	3	89	90	19	32	39	77	112	−35	–	–	–	–	–	–	2011–12	2013–14	11
21	RCA Zemamra	2	64	60	15	19	26	71	81	−10	–	–	–	–	–	–	2019–20	2020–21	12
22	COD Meknès	2	60^[d]	60	15	16	29	44	66	−22	–	–	–	–	–	–	2011–12	2012–13	10
23	IZ Khemisset	2	51	60	10	21	29	38	72	−34	–	–	–	–	–	–	2011–12	2014–15	16
24	R Beni Mellal	2	36	60	5	21	34	35	84	−49	–	–	–	–	–	–	2012–13	2019–20	16
25	SCC Mohammédia	1	35	30	7	14	9	26	25	+1	–	–	–	–	–	–	2020–21	2020–21	9
26	AS Sale	1	29	30	6	11	13	25	33	−8	–	–	–	–	–	–	2013–14	2013–14	15
27	JS Massira	1	28	30	7	7	16	24	42	−18	–	–	–	–	–	–	2011–12	2011–12	15
28	JS Kasbah Tadla	1	28	30	7	7	16	25	47	−22	–	–	–	–	–	–	2016–17	2016–17	15
29	Racing AC	1	17	30	3	8	19	22	54	−32	–	–	–	–	–	–	2017–18	2017–18	16
30	JS Soualem	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2021–22	–	–

League or status for 2021–22 season hide
	2021–22 Botola
	2021–22 Botola 2

^ HUSA deducted 2 points due to the involvement of 4 foreign players against CRA in 2011/12 Season
^ OCK deducted 2 points because of two matches being awarded against them in 2013/14 season
^ 2 points were added to CRA in 2011/12 season because of HUSA's inclusion of 4 foreign players against them. And in 2013/14 season 1 point deducted because of one match being awarded against them
^ CODM deducted 1 point after the masses rioted in front of MAS 2011/12 season

Top scorers[]

Season	Player	Team	Goals
1956-57	Abdelkarim Zidani	KAC Marrakech	18
1957-58		Difaâ El Jadida	22
1958-59	Mohamed Khalfi	Wydad AC	21
1959-60		Raja CA	22
1960-61		Étoile de Casablanca	19
1961-62	Abdelkarim Zidani	Chabab Mohammédia KAC Marrakech Étoile de Casablanca	13
1962-63	Kébir Mezzour	FUS Rabat	17
1963-64		Chabab Mohammédia	13
1964-65	Fettah Filali	FUS Rabat	16
1965-66		Mouloudia d'Oujda	14
1966-67	Houmane Jarir	Raja CA Difaâ El Jadida	18
1967–68		Difaa El Jadida	19
1968–69	Ahmed Faras	Chabab Mohammédia	16
1969–70		Union Sidi Kacem	17
1970–71		Union Sidi Kacem	19
1971–72		Difaâ El Jadida	18
1972–73	Ahmed Faras	Chabab Mohammédia	16
1973–74		AS Salé TAS Casablanca	11
1974–75		Difaa El Jadida	12
1975–76	Hassan Amcharrat	Chabab Mohammédia	17
1976–77	Mohamed Boussati	KAC Kenitra	17
1977–78	Mustapha Chahid	Wydad AC	16
1978–79		Renaissance Berkane	17
1979–80		AS FAR	15
1980–81	Mohamed Boussati	KAC Kenitra	17
1981–82	Mohamed Boussati	KAC Kenitra	25
1982–83	Abdeslam Laghrissi	AS FAR	14
1983–84		Wydad AC Mouloudia d'Oujda	11
1984–85		Renaissance Berkane	13
1985–86	Hassan Nader Mohammed Chaouch	Wydad AC Kawkab Marrakech	13
1986–87	Abderrazak Khairi Hassan Nader	AS FAR Wydad AC	12
1987–88	Lahcen Anaflous	AS FAR	17
1988–89	Hassan Nader	Wydad AC	18
1989–90	Abdeslam Laghrissi	AS FAR	22
1990–91	Lahcen Anaflous	AS FAR	15
1991–92	Lahcen Anaflous	AS FAR	11
1992–93	Youssef Fertout	Wydad AC	18
1993–94	Ahmed Bahja	Kawkab Marrakech	14
1994–95	Abdeslam Laghrissi	AS FAR	15
1995–96			16
1996–97		AS Salé	17
1997–98	Rachid Rokki	Chabab Mohammédia	15
1998–99		Olympique Khouribga	16
1999–00	Mustapha Bidoudane	FUS Rabat	17
2000–01		Kawkab Marrakech	12
2001–02		Tihad Sportif Casablanca	14
2002–03	Mustapha Bidoudane	Raja CA	14
2003–04	Mustapha Bidoudane	Raja CA	13
2004–05	Mohamed Armoumen	AS FAR	12
2005–06	Mamadou Ba Camara	Olympique Khouribga	9
2006–07	Jawad Ouaddouch	AS FAR	12
2007–08		AS FAR	13
2008–09	Mustapha Allaoui	AS FAR	14
2009–10		Widad Fez	12
2010–11	Jawad Ouaddouch	AS FAR	11
2011–12	Karl Max Barthelemy	Difaa El Jadida	17
2012–13	Abderazak Hamdallah	Olympic Safi	15
2013–14	Zouhaur Naim Zoumana Kone	Moghreb Tétouan Hassania Agadir	11
2014–15	Malick Evouna	Wydad AC	16
2015–16	Mahdi Naghmi	AS FAR	12^[4]
2016–17	William Jebor	Wydad AC	19
2017–18	Mouhssine Iajour	Raja Casablanca	17
2018-19	Mouhssine Iajour Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba	Raja CA RS Berkane	19
2019-20	Brahim El Bahraoui	Rapide Oued Zem	16
2020-21	Ayoub El Kaabi	Wydad Casablanca	18

Player records[]

Most goals[]

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 2020–21 season.

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

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Years active	Goals
1	Mouhcine Iajour	Wydad AC (5), Raja CA (53), MA Tétouan (12), RS Berkane (9)	2011–2015, 2017–2019, 2020–	79
2	Mehdi Naghmi	AS FAR (40), IR Tanger (22), MC Oujda (3)	2011–2020	65
3	Zakaria Hadraf	DH Jadidi (47), Raja CA (9), RS Berkane (5)	2011–2019, 2020–	61
4	Abdelilah Hafidi	Raja CA (49)	2011–	49
5	Abdessamad El Mobarky	CR Al Hoceima (35), RS Berkane (1), RCA Zemamra (12)	2011–	48
6	Jalal Daoudi	DH Jadidi (2), Fath US (1), HUS Agadir (34), AS FAR (4)	2011–2019, 2021–	41
7	Karim El Berkaoui	HUS Agadir (40)	2013–2020	40
8	Reda Hajhouj	Wydad AC (15), OC Khouribga (21), Fath US (3)	2014–2017, 2017–2018, 2020–	39
9	Brahim El Bahraoui	OC Safi (8), Fath US (7), RC Oued Zem (16), RS Berkane (6)	2011–	37
9	Mourad Batna	HUS Agadir (5), Fath US (32)	2011–2016	37

Notes[]

References[]

^ "Inwi nouveau sponsor de la Botola Pro".
^ "الوداد يحقق رسميا "درع البطولة" الـ21 في تاريخه بعد انتصار في قلب وجدة" [Wydad officially achieves the 21st "Championship Shield" in its history after a victory in the heart of Oujda]. www.elbotola.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-07-14.
^ La SNRT décroche les droits TV du GNF Archived July 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine www.lavieeco.com
^ "Mehdi Naghmi meilleur buteur".

External links[]

BOTOLA FACEBOOK Archived 2020-11-04 at the Wayback Machine
League at fifa.com
RSSSF competition history
Botola 1 - Hailoosport.com (Arabic)
Botola 1 - Hailoosport.com

[AC-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Participated also in the Arab Championship.

[5] Despite relegation, MAS qualified for the Confederation Cup as Throne Cup winners.

[6] HUSA deducted 2 points due to the involvement of 4 foreign players against CRA in 2011/12 Season

[7] OCK deducted 2 points because of two matches being awarded against them in 2013/14 season

[8] 2 points were added to CRA in 2011/12 season because of HUSA's inclusion of 4 foreign players against them. And in 2013/14 season 1 point deducted because of one match being awarded against them

[9] CODM deducted 1 point after the masses rioted in front of MAS 2011/12 season

[1] "Inwi nouveau sponsor de la Botola Pro".

[2] "الوداد يحقق رسميا "درع البطولة" الـ21 في تاريخه بعد انتصار في قلب وجدة" [Wydad officially achieves the 21st "Championship Shield" in its history after a victory in the heart of Oujda]. www.elbotola.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-07-14.

[3] La SNRT décroche les droits TV du GNF Archived July 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine www.lavieeco.com

[10] "Mehdi Naghmi meilleur buteur".

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