Morocco removes all doubts about organizing the 2030 World Cup

Morocco’s successful staging of the Africa Cup of Nations means there should be no skepticism about its ability to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain, even if Sunday’s final was overshadowed by a walk-off and defeat for the home side.

Impressive stadiums, easy transport links and a well-established tourism infrastructure ensured the 24-team tournament ran smoothly and will dispel any doubts about the World Cup in four years’ time.

Morocco plans to use six venues by 2030, five of which will be for the Cup of Nations, providing world-class playing surfaces and spectacular scenery.

The Grande Stade in Tangier, with a capacity of 75,000 visitors, is an impressive facility in the northern coastal city, less than an hour’s ferry ride from Spain.

In Sunday’s final, Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 after extra time after storming away when a penalty was awarded in stoppage time after 90 minutes. Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the penalty and Senegal won with a goal from Pape Gueye.

The match was played at the Stade Moulay Abdellah in the capital Rabat, which has a capacity of 69,500 spectators. The attendance for the final was 66,526.

The stadiums in Agadir, Fes and Marrakech also more than met the requirements and will now be renovated in the coming years.

But the crowning glory is the proposed 115,000-capacity Stade Hassan II on the outskirts of Casablanca, which Morocco hopes will be chosen to host the final above Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

In total, Morocco will spend $1.4 billion on the six stadiums. Extensive investment in airports is also planned, with around ten Moroccan cities already having direct air links to Europe and many budget airlines offering flights to the kingdom.

An extension is also planned for Africa’s only high-speed rail line, which already offers a comfortable three-hour journey from Tangier to Casablanca, further south to Agadir and Marrakech.

UNRESET APPROACHES ANGER OVER INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING

Morocco hopes all this will modernize its cities and boost the economy, but last September’s youth-led unrest exposed deep-seated anger over poverty and public services amid ambitious infrastructure projects.

The protests exposed a challenge for authorities to maintain order and the pace of economic development while boosting Morocco’s international image ahead of the World Cup.

Morocco has differentiated itself from other non-oil Arab economies by pouring billions into roads, railways, ports, renewable energy and manufacturing.

Poverty has been nearly halved, according to the country’s statistics agency, but rioters demanded more money for health and education, chanting: “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?”

On the pitch, Morocco will be hoping to mount a credible challenge for a first African World Cup success, although the country continued its poor showing in the Cup of Nations on Sunday, where it achieved its only victory 50 years ago.

It surprised with a thrilling run to the last four at the Qatar 2022 World Cup as the first African country to get this far and will be hoping for a similar impact at this year’s finals in North America. It is in Group C with Brazil, Scotland and Haiti.

Published on January 19, 2026