Morocco
The 2030 Odyssey

In December and January, the Kingdom of Morocco will host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, a major continental tournament. It will also serve as a full-scale rehearsal for another event taking place in five years' time: the World Cup, co-hosted with Spain and Portugal. The stakes are high and the challenges enormous! The World Cup is about more than just football.

For this historic global event, the Kingdom is planning to build the largest stadium not only on the African continent, but also in the world. With 115,000 seats, the Hassan II sports complex in El Mansouria (in the province of Benslimane, 35 km north of Casablanca) is expected to outclass that in Pyongyang, North Korea, by a thousand seats. Combining tradition and modernity, its bold design reflects the image Morocco wants to project. For the stadium roof, architectural duo Tarik Oualalou and Linna Choi, in association with design firm Populous, drew inspiration from the tents used for Moussem festivals. Worth 3.4 billion dirhams (approximately 300 million euros), its construction has been awarded to the SGTM (Société Générale des Travaux du Maroc) and TGCC (Travaux Généraux de Construction de Casablanca), both Moroccan construction industry giants. Generally eternal rivals, they will join forces for this colossal project, which is scheduled to be officially opened by the end of 2027, a very tight deadline, given the scale of the task!

The ubiquitous Fouzi Lekjaa, President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and also Chairman of the Morocco 2030 Committee, Vice-President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Minister of the Treasury, is nevertheless as confident as he is determined. Such a lofty dream, which is finally coming to fruition, must not fail: the Kingdom has been waiting for the privilege of hosting the World Cup since the 1980s. It hopes the final of the event will be played on Moroccan soil, on African soil.

The road to 2030 has been long and arduous. It began in 1986, nearly thirty years ago. That year, the World Cup was held in Mexico. The Atlas Lions made history as the first Arab and African team to reach the round of 16. After this feat, and as the Kingdom prepared to host the 1988 African Cup of Nations, Hassan II decided to bid for the 1994 World Cup and, in 1989, his Minister of Sport, Abdellatif Semlali, submitted a strong bid to FIFA. The United States, the land of American football and baseball, won the coveted contract. FIFA, then chaired by the all-powerful Brazilian João Havelange, was looking for new markets. An American football league (Major League Soccer) was formed at the last minute in December 1993, just six months before kick-off. The media across the Atlantic published numerous articles and infographics explaining the rules of soccer... It was a bitter pill to swallow, but a decent score of seven votes (against ten for the USA) strengthened the palace's resolve to persevere: Morocco's bid was therefore repeated for the 1998 edition... which was awarded to France. Then, in 2006, to Germany, then three-time winner of the trophy. In 2010, Morocco once again had to bow to South Africa, whose bid benefited from the stature and legend of an aging Nelson Mandela. The year 2026 will be the penultimate stage. The hosting of the 23rd World Cup was once again awarded to the United States, in association with Canada and Mexico. This edition is likely to be heated, given the strained relations between the three countries since Donald Trump's swearing-in.

However, Morocco's perseverance ultimately paid off. On 11 December 2024, FIFA announced that the 2030 tournament would be hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal. This choice was not an obvious one: the rival bid from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay was a strong one. Holding the tournament in South America would have been a powerful symbol, coming a century after the very first World Cup was hosted by Uruguay in 1930. In October 2020, Spain and Portugal officially announced their intention to submit a joint bid for 2030. They sought to put forward a solid, low-cost European project based on largely existing infrastructure. Ukraine, which was initially involved in the project, had to withdraw due to the war ravaging its territory. The duo sought to strengthen their bid. Morocco saw a historic opportunity emerging. Tripartite talks began in early 2022. On 14 March 2023, in a speech read on his behalf by Sports Minister Chakib Benmoussa, King Mohamed VI officially announced Morocco's support for the joint bid by Spain and Portugal.

The move was politically astute. The votes of Europe and the all-powerful UEFA were joined by those of the vast majority of African federations. It was also highly symbolic. A first in the history of football, this joint bid represented “the junction between Africa and Europe, between North and South, between the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds. A bid that brings together the best of all sides and demonstrates an alliance of genius, creativity, experience and resources.” The Strait of Gibraltar is no longer really an impassable border. And on the Moroccan side, the World Cup has become a royal priority, a challenge for the reign. With the King becoming increasingly personally involved in the run-up to 2030.

The CAN trial run

Genius, creativity, determination, experience and resources are all essential for organising a global, outsized competition. For only the second time, after the 2026 North American edition, there will be 48 teams competing instead of 32. Under the enthusiastic rallying cry of Yalla Vamos (‘let's go’ in Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese), the three partner nations will host a total of 101 matches between 13 June and 21 July 2030. Between 30 and 50 are expected to take place in Morocco, which is hoping to host the final [see box]. The trio of host countries will have to welcome over 15 million additional foreign visitors, including at least 1.2 million in Morocco, watched by at least 5 billion spectators across all media. The stakes are high, whether economic, social, security-related or diplomatic. Morocco cannot afford to make any mistakes. The task is immense, but the ambition is clear. In their report on the Iberian-Moroccan bid, FIFA experts express ‘a high degree of confidence’ and highlight the capacity of countries that are major tourist destinations: Spain had 94 million visitors in 2024, Portugal 30 million and Morocco 17.5 million (making it the most visited country in Africa, ahead of Egypt).

In Morocco, as in Spain and Portugal, most of the necessary sports infrastructure is already in place. The gigantic Hassan II stadium will be the only one built for the competition, as the others already exist and are scheduled to be upgraded for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The Africa Cup of Nations, to be held in December 2025 and January 2026, will provide the Kingdom with a large-scale practice run. In July, the FRMF (Royal Moroccan Football Federation) was already able to congratulate itself on the success of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, which the Moroccan women's team lost to Nigeria in the final. “The work underway in the host cities is progressing according to the pre-established schedule,” confirmed Fouzi Lekjaa on 11 July, following a preparatory meeting. Four of the nine stadiums for the Men's Africa Cup of Nations are operational: the Mohammed V complex in Casablanca, the Adrar stadium in Agadir, the Fez sports complex, and the Grand Stade in Marrakech. The other five are expected to be ready by September, including the Tangier stadium and the Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat. The Atlas Lions are preparing for what will also be a national sporting event. Indeed, coach Walid Regragui's men, who managed to reach the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will also have to make up for a lacklustre performance at the 2023 AFCON in Côte d'Ivoire, where they were defeated in the round of 16 by South Africa's Bafana Bafana. On a more structural level, and with a long-term view, the Kingdom continues to build an ambitious football ecosystem. In August 2024, the FRMF announced the creation of a National Football Training Fund, with the support of the OCP Group (Office Chérifien des Phosphates) and other private partners. This fund is ‘dedicated to the professionalisation of training centres and the promotion of young talent in the discipline’, thanks to the ‘pooling of partners' skills and resources’. By taking charge of training the next generation, this public-private fund should enable clubs to focus on training their A teams. This emphasis on training is in line with the Mohammed VI Football Academy, a state-of-the-art training centre built in 2009 in Salé (near Rabat) at a cost of €13 million, which helped revive the Lions (and Lionesses) after their slump in the 2000s.

A lever and a model

For 2030, the aim is therefore to be ready, in sporting terms, for a financially demanding World Cup. The total cost of the competition to be shared by the three host countries is estimated at between $15 billion and $20 billion. Morocco has set a provisional budget of €5.1 billion, covering both organisation and infrastructure. During a World Cup, revenue from ticket sales, marketing and broadcasting goes to FIFA (which had a turnover of $7.6 billion in 2023...). Revenues for the host countries come from other sources: direct and indirect jobs, tourism, hotels and restaurants, transport tickets, construction, events, consumption, new opportunities for businesses, etc. The FRMF expects to create between 70,000 and 120,000 full-time jobs, 40% of which will be in the hotel and restaurant industry, 30% in construction, 15% in services and 15% in commerce and digital technology, particularly for tech start-ups, smart mobility, logistics management and digital security. The economic benefits for Morocco are currently estimated at between $2 billion and $4 billion.

But for Morocco, 2030 means much more than just a sporting event. It's a historic, unique opportunity to ramp up development, invest in infrastructure, and scale up not just in socio-economic terms but also in terms of soft power and influence on the international stage. The expected five billion television viewers represent a tremendous boost to raising the host country's profile. The Kingdom is aiming for 35 million annual visitors by 2030 and intends to strengthen its status as a hub for international events.

“What will be achieved in just six years is equivalent to what would normally take twenty years to achieve. Morocco will therefore gain fourteen years of development,” explained Moncef El Yazghi, an academic and specialist in sports policy, in an interview with our Moroccan colleagues at Finances News Hebdo last January. On 18 July, in Rabat, during the 8th Morocco Today Forum (MTF) business trade show, Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch described the 2030 World Cup as a “lever and accelerator for strategic transformation”. The president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), Chakib Alj, sees this World Cup as “a historic turning point” and sums up the general feeling among political and economic decision-makers: “2030 is not a date, it is already a dynamic in motion.”

This momentum is particularly evident in the rail sector: ‘In the past, projects were often carried out sequentially and independently,’ commented Mohamed Rabie Khlie, Director General of the Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCF), recently. Today, the common deadline of 2030 requires all operators to be ready at the same time, which significantly increases the overall impact. " In order to facilitate travel between cities, airports and stadiums, the Kingdom's entire rail network is set to undergo a quantitative and qualitative leap, whether in terms of high-speed rail (HSR) trains at 320 km/h, express trains at 200 km/h or local trains. Nearly 100 billion dirhams will be invested in the network between now and 2030, more than in the last twenty years. An additional 430 km of high-speed rail lines are expected to be built, bringing the total to 630 km. All major lines are expected to switch to the new high-speed infrastructure: the journey from Fez to Marrakesh will take 3 hours and 40 minutes, compared to the current 6 hours and 30 minutes. Anticipating criticism that the World Cup will be a ‘showcase’ event that only benefits large cities and the wealthiest, the ONCF promises lasting benefits for the population, with the densification of the network bringing ‘better territorial integration’ and ‘immediately visible benefits in terms of journey times’.

Airports, a particular source of concern, are undergoing a massive upgrade programme to accommodate 80 million passengers by the deadline, compared with ‘only’ 38 million today. Marrakech-Menara Airport, designed to handle 9 million passengers per year and currently reaching saturation point, is expected to see its capacity increased to 14.2 million passengers by 2030. Casablanca Airport's capacity is set to increase to 23.3 million, Agadir to 6.3 million, Fez to 2.5 million and Rabat to 2.8 million. Morocco was the first African country to sign an open sky agreement with the European Union in 2006 and is served without hindrance by European low-cost airlines, which FIFA welcomes, highlighting the ease of travelling to the country from Spain and Portugal in particular.

Cities will also need to set up fan zones capable of accommodating crowds of spectators, who will watch the matches on giant screens in a friendly atmosphere. FIFA and the Kingdom are confident about visitor accommodation. The number of beds available is expected to increase from just under 300,000 today to more than 500,000 in the space of five years. Last but not least, there is a need to ‘anticipate and neutralise threats’, secure the territory, protect fans and visitors, and organise the flow of people around the competition venues and stadiums (teams, staff, journalists, VIPs, supporters, etc.). Security will be essential. Morocco will have to adjust its security protocols to FIFA standards. And coordination with European co-organisers adds an unprecedented level of complexity. There will have to be a harmonisation of protocols, software, and visa and transit processes. The three countries are expected to open a joint communications centre and create an official channel to verify information and dispel rumours and fake news. The behaviour of foreign supporters, which may be at odds with Moroccan culture, could also cause tensions. However, the example of Qatar in 2022 seems to show that football fans at the World Cup are much more respectful than we think...

Drawing on resilience to make a difference

In 2021, at King Mohammed VI's request, the country adopted an ambitious roadmap, the New Development Model (NDM). This plan sets out a strategic framework for long-term public policy. It sets demanding targets for 2035: doubling GDP per capita, achieving full employment of young people, and making Morocco an influential and climate-resilient regional player. Central to the NDM is improving citizens' living conditions: job creation, education, health, social security, etc. As mentioned, the World Cup is seen as a catalyst for development. But it will have to comply with the requirement that it benefits everyone, and not be seen as just a costly showcase for Morocco's ambitions. The country is undergoing a process of progress and modernisation that is rare in Africa, but it is also fragile, with significant social emergencies and local disparities, particularly in rural areas. Water stress and sustainable development targets will have to be taken into account: 2% renewable energy by 2030, then carbon neutrality by 2050.

These overlapping challenges are perhaps especially noticeable in Casablanca. The economic capital accounts for a third of the country's GDP. It is undertaking a series of projects with the aim of transforming itself into an ultra-modern smart city by 2030. Under the leadership of Mohamed Mhidia, appointed at the end of 2023 and nicknamed ‘the bulldozer wali’, renovation and construction projects, which had been delayed for years, are now enjoying an unexpected boost! But these major construction projects also come with a social cost, with the destruction of slums and demolition orders, often contested by residents. Associations and trade unions are also concerned about the risk that sub-Saharan migrants, who are particularly vulnerable, will be hired under abusive conditions in the construction industry, with disregard for their safety.

he World Cup held in Qatar in 2022 was the most expensive in the history of the tournament, with the host country spending €220 billion (as of 2010). This had a significant environmental impact. In 2034, Saudi Arabia will be the first nation to host a 48-team World Cup on its own: the Wahhabi Kingdom is expected to build eleven new stadiums at a minimum cost of 100 billion riyals (more than $26 billion) to date. This will also have a significant environmental footprint. The United States is very rich, as is Canada, and even Mexico, comparatively speaking.

Morocco will strive to make a difference with more limited resources. A Morocco 2030 Foundation will coordinate the actions of the key players and work to ensure that the sporting event acts as a catalyst for the Kingdom’s economic and social development, within the framework of the new development model: “The Foundation embodies the royal will to adopt a participatory and inclusive approach,” said FRMF General Coordinator Mouad Hajji at its launch in July. It is responsible for “mobilising all the nation’s stakeholders – administrations, public institutions and enterprises, local authorities, civil society associations, the private sector, Moroccans around the world and African expertise”. By uniting these players, the Kingdom could reconcile the necessary global ambition and the cost of a unique event, while transforming the process into a powerful social and developmental lever. One with which every citizen can identify.

Morocco-Spain, a reinvented relationship  The now cordial relations between Morocco and Spain almost make one forget the tensions that rocked the Strait of Gibraltar not so long ago. In April 2021, the hospitalisation in Madrid of Brahim Ghali, the self-proclaimed president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) based in Algiers, sparked anger in Rabat. In the months that followed, Moroccan security forces demonstrated a certain passiveness in response to the assaults by thousands of would-be emigrants on the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, while illegal landings on the Canary Islands multiplied... In March 2022, Madrid changed course: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE), in a letter to King Mohammed VI, described Morocco's plan for autonomy in the ‘southern provinces’ as ‘serious, realistic and credible’.  Algiers, the Polisario Front's sponsor, took retaliatory measures against Madrid: recalling its ambassador, breaking off trade relations, raising gas prices, etc. Spain was then only the second Western country, after Trump, to validate Morocco's autonomy plan at the end of 2020, while it had already been recognised by most African countries.  As a former colonial power in the Rif, Spain had long sought to maintain a certain equidistance in its relations with both Maghreb rivals. But Rabat's diplomatic offensive to obtain recognition of its sovereignty over the former Western Sahara from as many states as possible prompted Madrid to choose which side to take offence with, in this case, Algiers... On 7 April 2022, Mohammed VI sealed the reconciliation by granting an audience to Pedro Sánchez. Despite the lack of progress on the still unresolved issue of the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, considered by Madrid to be ‘Spanish’ and by Rabat to be ‘occupied territories’, the two monarchies have continued to strengthen their economic, policing, educational and cultural cooperation, even organising an entrepreneurial forum in 2023 to stimulate Spanish investment in Morocco: road and rail infrastructure, seawater desalination plants, etc. Morocco is now Spain's leading African supplier and its largest African customer. And the co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup will logically consolidate this privileged relationship. On 22 July Portugal, in turn, described the autonomy plan as ‘constructive, serious and credible in order to resolve the conflict’. And FIFA, in its 2024 evaluation report, states in black and white that Morocco has ‘3,500 km of coastline’, effectively endorsing Moroccan sovereignty over the former ‘Western Sahara’. With this World Cup, Morocco has already won a major diplomatic victory.