Morocco’s run at the global tournament ended with a quarter-final loss to France. Yet even a short off-season break is not an option for officials of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, now featuring 16 teams, kicks off in Rabat this Sunday, just a week after the World Cup final in New Jersey. Later in the autumn, Morocco will also stage the Under-17 Women’s World Cup.
Yet the primary concern, with roughly 1,400 days until the opening of the centenary 2030 World Cup – which Morocco will co-host alongside Spain and Portugal – is to manage preparations professionally for only the second World Cup held in Africa.
With an estimated 50–60 billion dirhams (£4–4.8bn) allocated for direct football investment, plus additional infrastructure spending reported at around £17bn, the undertaking is enormous. An IMF review indicated that accelerated spending between 2024 and 2030 would amount to 11.9% of the country’s 2024 GDP.
The Morocco 2030 Foundation – the national body tasked with tournament preparations since 2024 – has devoted extensive time in the United States studying how the World Cup was organized there.
Monthly gatherings with counterparts from Spain and Portugal aim to “synchronize cooperation,” and FIFA is likely to announce the host cities by the end of this year. A decision is also expected on whether to return to a local organising committee model, which was abandoned for this year’s tournament after FIFA directed preparations from its Miami bureau.
“For Morocco, the World Cup transcends the sport; it’s about building infrastructure that will serve the country long afterwards,” said a senior official who asked not to be named. “Our venues in Rabat and Tangier are fully prepared.”
The late King Hassan II, who reigned for nearly four decades until his death in July 1999, launched the country’s ambition to stage the tournament with an unsuccessful bid for the 1994 edition. Three further attempts – for 2006, 2010 and 2026 – also fell short before Morocco was awarded co-hosting rights for 2030 under the current monarch, King Mohammed VI.
“Having lived through all the failed World Cup bids, I can personally testify to that journey,” says journalist Amine El Amri. “Staging a World Cup is a project that mobilizes every Moroccan around a shared ambition, accepting that while a World Cup has a price tag, it also massively upgrades infrastructure for a youthful and increasingly demanding society.”
Abderrahim Bourkia, a sports sociologist at the Institute of Sports Science in Settat, does not dismiss those who question the tournament’s significance. “Others, coming from a political standpoint, ask whether these enormous sums should instead go to education, healthcare or jobs,” he notes.
“Perceptions can also be shaped by social background and education. Public sentiment, therefore, remains somewhat mixed, mirroring differences in social standing, political outlooks and economic hopes.
“Morocco is making substantial investments in transport links, airports, railways, stadiums, urban regeneration and digital services. Beyond the physical infrastructure, it is building institutional strength to organise major events, coordinate across policy areas and enhance governance.”
Morocco would benefit from tapping into South Africa’s 2010 hosting expertise. “Our experience proved that true success lies in planning for a lasting legacy, fostering national cohesion and making sure infrastructure doesn’t turn into a long-term liability,” says Dennis Mumble, former CEO of the South African Football Association and a member of the 2010 World Cup local organising committee.
“Certain stadiums can weigh on public finances if they are not used to their full potential. I wouldn’t call them white elephants, but we may not have mastered how to promote these venues as multi-purpose facilities – for concerts by international artists, multiple sports, religious and large-scale political events.”
With many Moroccans uneasy about the financial burden of hosting, Mumble offers a cautionary account from South Africa. “There were major cost overruns in stadium construction because contractors realised the government had approved funding very late. This resulted in predatory pricing, as they knew we had no option but to meet their demands.
“They were subsequently prosecuted and convicted, paying relatively heavy fines for their illegal actions. For us, meticulous planning down to the smallest detail became paramount.”
Morocco is promoting its co-hosting role as one “bathed in African colours,” but many across the continent’s football community, notably in sub-Saharan Africa, question whether there will be real legacy gains beyond the promotional rhetoric.
Over the last 10 years, the FRMF has signed bilateral partnership agreements with most of the continent’s football federations. With close to half of African nations lacking high-standard pitches to hold international fixtures, forcing them to play official matches abroad, Moroccan officials say a collaboration with the Confederation of African Football to tackle this problem is part of the World Cup legacy plan.
Based on his four-year build-up to the 2010 event, Mumble advises that managing the country’s global image will pose as great a challenge as the practical preparations, with political, economic and social issues coming under tighter media focus.
That is a reality Qatar, the 2022 host, knows all too well, having endured severe criticism over the deaths of migrant workers and accusations of human rights violations.
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