Saturday 27 July 2024

AFCON-2025 in Morocco, a ‘Trial Run’ for World Cup 2030 Organization – Belgian Daily

Brussels – The choice of Morocco as the host country for the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is seen as a potential “trial run” for hosting the World Cup in 2030, according to the Belgian daily “Le Soir” on Thursday.

In an article titled “With the 2025 African Cup of Nations, Morocco Refines Its Football Dream”, the newspaper noted that this attribution, which “signifies a return to prominence for Moroccan football,” will allow Morocco to once again host the premier African football tournament, 37 years after its last hosting.

The unanimous decision by the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to designate Morocco as the host of the 2025 AFCON during their meeting in Cairo was, as the publication notes, “hardly in doubt” even before the official announcement.

“Le Soir” further pointed out that the Kingdom wasted no time in initiating renovation and expansion work on its stadiums, all of which have already received FIFA certification. Work has already commenced on the stadiums in Rabat and Tangiers, with Agadir, Fez, and Casablanca stadiums also slated for improvements in the coming weeks.

The article describes Morocco as a “football-loving nation” that has actively hosted African tournaments in recent years, highlighting Morocco’s successful hosting of the last AFCON U23, which it also won, along with hosting the FIFA Club World Cup in February (a repeat of 2013 and 2014).

Morocco was also the organizer of the most recent Women’s AFCON in the summer of 2022, leading to the decision by African football governing bodies to award Morocco the hosting rights for the next edition in 2024.

Regarding Morocco’s joint bid with Spain and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup, the Belgian media characterizes the bid as “unprecedented and symbolic” since it could mark the first time the competition is played across two continents. It also highlights the full support of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the bid.

The newspaper commends the “memorable” performance of the Atlas Lions at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they became the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final. It recognizes Morocco’s dedication to African football and its ambition to break through barriers.

Le Soir also underscored the success of Moroccan clubs at the continental level and the impressive performance of women’s football, which has undergone significant transformation and made it to the Round of 16 in its debut appearance at the Women’s World Cup this past summer.

MAP

Related news

The final phases of the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON-2025), to be held in Morocco, will take place from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announces on Friday.

The opening match of “Africa’s most popular and competitive football competition”, the Africa Cup of Nations, to be held in Morocco, will take place on Sunday December 21, 2025, while the final game will be held on Sunday January 18, 2026, CAF states on its website.

The draw for the qualifiers for this 35th edition will take place on July 4 in Johannesburg, South Africa. A total of 48 nations will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each.

The CAF Executive Committee also announced the dates for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2024 that will also be hosted in Morocco.

The competition, which is “growing exponentially”, will be held from July 5 to 26, 2025.

It was also decided to hold the 46th Ordinary General Assembly of CAF in Kinshasa on October 10, according to the same source.

hairman of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, received, on Sunday, the flag of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from president of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, in anticipation of the 35th edition to be held in Morocco in 2025.
The Africa Cup of Nations flag was presented to Lekjaa at the end of the AFCON Côte d’Ivoire-2023 final, held at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpé, north of Abidjan, in the presence of president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, and FIFA head, Gianni Infantino.

At a press conference on Friday, CAF president said that the AFCON to be held in Morocco in 2025 will be “excellent” and will undoubtedly be a “huge success”.

The AFCON-2023 was won by the host country, Côte d’Ivoire, after defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the final.

This is the third trophy for the Elephants after their 1992 and 2015 triumphs.

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be held in Morocco in 2025 will be “excellent” and will undoubtedly be a “huge success”, said, on Friday, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe.

“The next AFCON will be of a very high standard. As for the date of its organization, we will discuss it after the end of AFCON-2023, currently being held in Côte d’Ivoire,” Motsepe told a press conference, held in Abidjan, two days before the final of Africa’s elite football competition between Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.

“Africa is proud of Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and all twenty-four teams taking part in this AFCON,” he noted, pointing out that CAF’s objective is to raise the level of football in every African country, particularly amateur and school football.

The five countries that took part in the World Cup in Qatar (Morocco, Senegal, Cameroon, Tunisia and Ghana) made us all proud,” he said, adding that these countries will be back in force very soon.

“Africa’s success depends on Africans. The key to success is to work hand in hand, provided we allow young people to contribute to the development of our continent,” he stressed.

Marrakech – The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), to be held in Morocco in 2025, will be “the best in the history of the continent”, said, on Friday in Marrakech, Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

“The eyes of the world will be on the continent when the AFCON 2025 will be held, and I am convinced that this edition will be the best in the history of African football”, stressed Motsepe, in a statement to the press on the sidelines of the plenary session of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In this regard, he said he is “proud” of Morocco’s leadership in football, recently crowned by its selection to host the 2030 World Cup, jointly with Spain and Portugal.

CAF Executive Committee had unanimously chosen the Kingdom to host the 35th edition of AFCON in 2025.

Banjul – The Gambia has welcomed the success of the Kingdom of Morocco’s bid to host the African Cup of Nations (AFCON-2025).

The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) has congratulated the Kingdom of Morocco on winning the bid to host AFCON-2025, reported the Gambian media outlet “The Standard.”

The decision was announced on Wednesday by the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the Executive Committee of the continental football governing body voted in favor of the North African country during its meeting held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, recalled the media outlet.

GFF President Lamin Kabba Bajo described the news as a very positive and well-deserved development, according to the publication. He added that with its high-quality infrastructure, no country was more deserving of hosting the 2025 edition.

Bajo paid tribute to Morocco’s pan-African gesture, which has continued to open its country and facilities to African national teams, including The Gambia, for many years, the same source added.

“Morocco’s various national teams continue to perform exceptionally well at international football tournaments, most recently the Atlas Lions, who became the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. This is the result of the investments they have made over the years and continue to make,” highlighted Bajo.

He also referred to the bilateral cooperation between Morocco and Gambia, among others, in Africa, saying it’s time the continent also gave the Moroccan people reasons to smile.

“I have no doubt that they will organize an exceptional and extraordinary football mega-event,” Bajo said, quoted by the media.

Morocco has been awarded the 2025 African Cup of Nations to replace Guinea, which had the right to host the tournament withdrawn last year. The rights for 2027 have also been awarded to a joint bid from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Madrid – The unanimous designation of Morocco to host the African Cup of Nations (AFCON-2025) is “an excellent boost” for the tripartite Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid to host the 2030 World Cup and a “great source of joy for all friends of Morocco,” emphasized the Andalusia-Morocco friendship association “Forum Ibn Rochd”.


Madrid, 29/09/2023 -(MAP)- The unanimous designation of Morocco to host the African Cup of Nations (AFCON-2025) is “an excellent boost” for the tripartite Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid to host the 2030 World Cup and a “great source of joy for all friends of Morocco,” emphasized the Andalusia-Morocco friendship association “Forum Ibn Rochd”.

“We would like to express our joy at Morocco’s victory, designated by the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football to host AFCON 2025, the most important football tournament on the continent,” the association stated in a press release.

The same source then highlighted that Morocco’s “well-deserved” selection is not a coincidence but the result of a combination of factors, including a “bold and coherent” state policy in this area, “massive and indisputable public support” for sports, both men’s and women’s, particularly football, and a “very high level in terms of quality and quantity of top-level athletes and international football stars,” as evidenced from its Olympic medals as well as the “outstanding performance” of the national team at the World Cup in Qatar.

“In Andalusia, we are aware of this because we are privileged to have some of the greatest figures in Moroccan football in our teams,” said the association.

“Morocco’s triumph in hosting AFCON-2025 will be an excellent point of support for our countries, Spain and Morocco, along with Portugal, in their bid to host the 2030 Football World Cup, symbolizing the profound twinning between our cultures, our societies, and our continents,” concluded the same source.