The city of Chefchaouen will host the Fútbol Más Festival from July 1 to 4, 2026, an initiative jointly organized by the Association of Moroccan Graduates in Spain (ADME), the Municipality of Chefchaouen, and the international Fútbol Más Foundation, with the support of the Agency for the Promotion and Development of the North (APDN).
The festival aims to launch a pilot initiative demonstrating how sport—and football in particular—can serve as a powerful tool for human, social and economic development through a community-based and socio-educational approach.
The event marks the culmination of a preparatory online training programme delivered over recent months to football coaches, sports instructors, youth leaders and community facilitators. Participants have been introduced to the Fútbol Más Foundation’s internationally recognized methodology, which promotes sport as a catalyst for positive social change.
Rather than focusing solely on competition, the programme uses football to foster values such as equality, respect and empathy while strengthening essential life skills, including emotional intelligence, teamwork, resilience and conflict resolution. Its broader objective is to improve the well-being and personal development of children and young people.
The Fútbol Más Foundation recently received the prestigious Laureus Sport for Good Award in Madrid, recognizing its outstanding global contribution to social development through sport.
Training workshops and practical sessions will take place on July 1, 2 and 3, followed by a closing football tournament on Saturday, July 4, at 10:30 a.m. at the Municipal Stadium of Chefchaouen. The tournament will provide participants with an opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired during the training while bringing together local football clubs, partner institutions, community stakeholders, families, schoolchildren and the general public.
Beyond the festival itself, the organizers hope this pilot project will lay the foundations for a long-term programme positioning Chefchaouen as a national reference centre for Sport for Development. The initiative is expected to generate lasting social, educational, professional, economic and tourism benefits for the region.
The project will directly benefit local football coaches, children and young people from participating clubs, partner organizations and public institutions, families, as well as pupils from schools across the city of Chefchaouen.
