• In the running to organize CAN 2025
• And the 2030 World Cup
Le Morocco’s bet for the next 7 years is big! Play in the big leagues and confirm its status as a great football nation. King Mohammed VI wants his country to organize the 2025 African Cup and the 2030 World Cup. It must be said that football is almost a religion in Morocco; the demonstration of the supporters of Wydad of Casablanca once morest the Saudi club of Al Hillal, last February 4, in Marrakech, illustrates well this overflowing passion of Moroccans for football.
The saying goes that whoever wants to go far spare his mount. Morocco has put the means and has tied up its strategy well. Sports scorekeepers, experienced lobbyists, well versed in the practices of sports diplomacy, high-end infrastructure and in quantity, the Moroccan authorities wanted to put the odds on their side. Here, the Federation is not an association. It is almost a state structure: it is the minister delegate in charge of the budget who is in charge. Here, money is not what is lacking! Football is a state affair! The rest is a well-thought-out infrastructure investment program which, today, gives Morocco an indisputable position in terms of continental leadership. It is therefore no surprise that teams suspended from the organization of official home matches, such as Burkina Faso, choose Morocco as their home for their official matches. As such, for the next CAN qualifying matches, Morocco will host the oppositions Burkina-Togo, Gambia-Mali and Guinea Bissau-Nigeria.
When Omar Khyari, communications advisor to the Moroccan Football Federation, talks regarding his country’s strengths to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, it is with confidence. He argues that it’s been a long time since his country hosted a CAN (1988 was the very last).
With six homologated stadiums, CAF standards, four at standard FIFA, road infrastructure made of highway that can connect Casablanca to Agadir in 2 hours by TGV, airports in the main cities of Morocco. Carlo Ancelloti, Real Madrid coach, present in Morocco for the World Cup clubs confirms: “Morocco has shown that it loves football. The sports infrastructure is excellent, the stadiums are very beautiful”. Major stadiums in Rabat (52,000 seats), Agadir (42,000 seats), Fez (46,092 seats), Tangier (44,500 seats) and Marrakech (45,240 seats), Mohamed V stadiums in Casablanca I (67.00 places) and Hassan II of Fez (45000 places), the platform is there! Fallen under the spell of the means deployed by Morocco, a Tanzanian journalist by the name of Ali Saleh claims “The way I see it, they have a better chance than any African country to host the World Cup, because it’s not just regarding the facilities, but when you look at the airports, the way they are well organised, when you look at the roads, because the supporters often have To traveling by road from one city to another, and we have experienced it by plane, by bus, we have seen how well organized they are and I say it : one of the countries – I will not say African but of the world – which has the chance to host the World Cup, it is Morocco, they can have this chance and they have the capacity to do it well “ ! FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrived in Casablanca on Tuesday to attend the Club World Cup. A distinguished guest whose point of view will count in the choice of the host country of the 2030 World Cup.
Morocco wants to organize the World and African Cups, it also wants to win them and has provided the means for its ambitions.
Special correspondence from Ouézen Louis Oulon, back from Fez, Casablanca, Agadir, Tangier and Rabat.
