Morocco-Algeria Rivalry Escalates: Sports Becomes New Battleground in Sahara Dispute

Modified emblem and replaced official sponsor... Algeria, whose team is participating in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Moroccan territory, is pursuing its offensive against Moroccan football and Morocco in general. The point of friction between the two neighboring countries remains the Sahara issue. Algeria, the protector of the Polisario, is not about to abandon this issue. Morocco claims this former colony, while the Polisario Front, an independence movement, demands a self-determination referendum. It controls about 20% of Western Sahara, along the Algerian and Mauritanian borders, while the kingdom controls 80%.

"It’s a deaf conflict," summarizes French historian Pierre Vermeren, a specialist in the Maghreb, to Le Parisien. He adds: "Morocco emphasizes the historical allegiance of certain nomadic tribes to the Sultan. Algeria, on the other hand, defends the idea that the borders inherited from colonization should not be touched." However, he points out that the rivalries between Algiers and Rabat go beyond this burning issue. "It concerns several fronts, such as deeply divergent international alliances. Algeria maintains bilateral relations with Iran, while Morocco has ties with Israel," he explains. "With their relations at a standstill, it’s almost surprising that Algiers sent a delegation to Rabat."

The professor of contemporary history at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne since 2012 believes that the 2025 WAFCON "serves as a dress rehearsal." "This competition is preparing for the 2030 World Cup, which will take place in Portugal, Morocco and Spain. This is bothering the Algerian authorities, who are already outraged by Morocco’s place on the international stage," explains the author of the book "Morocco in 100 Questions, a Kingdom of Paradoxes" (Taillandier, 2020).