Interior Minister Chairs Extended Meeting on 2030 World Cup Preparations in Rabat

Moroccan internationals, Yassine Bouno, Achraf Hakimi and Soufiane Rahimi have been shortlisted for the “The Best FIFA Men’s XI” award, the world soccer’s governing body announced on its official website on Friday.

Yassine Bouno was crowned Saudi Arabian champion with Al-Hilal, Achraf Hakimi won the French championship with Paris Saint-Germain, while Soufiane Rahimi won the Asian Champions League with Al-Aïn, where he was top scorer.

Hakimi and Rahimi also won bronze medals with the national team at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Other African players in contention for a place in the FIFA XI include Gabonese and Nigerian strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ademola Lookman, and South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

The Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s XI awards recognize the world’s best players in their respective positions, nominating players on the basis of their performances between August 21, 2023 and August 10, 2024.

The joint bid submitted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain to host the 2030 World Cup, only bid in contention, presents a “very strong all-round proposition” and exceeds “minimum hosting requirements” in the technical evaluation, The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) stated in its bid evaluation report.

First and foremost, the joint bid for the FIFA World Cup 2030 presents a very strong all-round proposition, the report says, adding that the FIFA administration has determined that this joint bid can be submitted to the FIFA Council and the FIFA Congress for consideration.

This is reflected in the results of the technical evaluation, which assesses the proposed infrastructure (both sporting and general) as well as its commercial potential, the report says.

The bid proposes a wide variety of generally high-quality venues across 17 diverse host cities, with a combination of existing, iconic and well-established facilities used by some of the most high-profile football clubs in the world, coupled with a number of modernisation projects, whether it be new-builds or upgrades, all of which have very strong legacy use cases. 

The joint bid submitted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain “looks to inspire and unite, using the collective passion for football across the three countries to bring people together and transcend boundaries, further tightening the bonds between two neighbouring continents and the world at large,” the report adds.

The report shows that, while the scale of construction projects within a six-year timeframe calls for rigorous monitoring and even, where necessary, support measures, it is worth highlighting the existence of mitigating factors, such as the fact that several projects have already been launched (notably in Morocco, where several stadiums are due to be delivered for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025), the quality and completeness of the proposed plans, and the commitment around these projects, which testifies to a high degree of confidence. 

Based on the results of its technical evaluation, the Morocco/Spain/Portugal 2030 bid received an average score of 4.2/5. With regard to the Centenary Celebration, based on the results of its technical evaluation, the Argentina/Paraguay/Uruguay bid received an average score of 3.6/5.

The Morocco-Spain-Portugal 2030 bid offers varied and interesting stadium options, of which there are 20: six in Morocco, three in Portugal and 11 in Spain. This exceeds the minimum requirements (14 stadiums) decided for the 2030 World Cup, offering sufficient flexibility to choose diverse and emblematic venues in the three countries, the report says.

Of these 20 stadiums, one will be newly built and several will undergo major renovation work, the document states, adding that whatever their status, all have specific assets and are perfectly capable of hosting the World Cup.

Five of the six stadiums proposed by Morocco will also host CAN-2025 matches. All six are subject to to construction or refurbishment but “appear to be compliant with most or all of the requirements,” the report points out, noting that Morocco is presenting the Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca, which is destined to become the world’s largest soccer stadium and on which work is already underway.

The report adds that the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona and the Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca have been proposed for the opening match and the final.

President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, said, on Friday in Rabat, that he is “very proud” of Morocco’s role in developing football in Africa.

“I would first like to thank HM King Mohammed VI, as well as the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, and the Moroccan people. I am very proud of Morocco’s role in developing Football in Africa,” Motsepe told the press following the 2024 Women’s CAN draw, to be held in the Kingdom on July 5-26, 2025.

Praising Morocco’s sports infrastructure, which is also “available to Africa,” Motsepe stressed that the Moroccan model should be followed throughout the continent.

“I call on African countries to take as their model the partnership and cooperation between the various institutions in Morocco, in this case the government, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and other stakeholders,” the CAF President said.

For his part, Lekjaa said that, once again, the Kingdom of Morocco, thanks to HM the King’s strategic and proactive vision, will host the African players in this continental competition.

“As per tradition, the players and the public will find in Morocco their second country to welcome their African brothers,” Lekjaa stressed.

From a sporting point of view, this edition is an opportunity for the Moroccan national team to demonstrate the great progress made in women’s soccer in Morocco, thanks to the High Royal Solicitude,” the Moroccan official said.   

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially unveiled on Monday the shortlist of five finalists nominees in each of the men’s categories at CAF Awards 2024, including Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi, shortlisted for African Player of the Year.

In addition to Moroccan and French club Paris Saint-Germain’s right-back, other contenders for the prestigious African Player of the Year award include Ivorian Simon Adingra (Brighton and Hove Albion), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea/Borussia Dortmund), Ademola Lookman (Nigeria/Atalanta) and Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns).

In the “Young Player of the Year” category, Moroccan international Eliesse Ben Seghir, who plays for French club AS Monaco, is in the running alongside Karim Konaté (Côte d’Ivoire/Salzburg), Oumar Diakité (Côte d’Ivoire/Reims), Yankuba Minteh (Gambia/Brighton and Hove Albion) and Lamine Camara (Senegal/AS Monaco).

As for the Club of the Year category, the list of five finalists includes Berkane Renaissance alongside South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Egypt’s Al Ahly and Zamalek as well as Espérance Sportive de Tunis.

The prestigious CAF Awards 2024 ceremony will take place in Marrakech on December 16.

Interior Minister, Abdelouafi Laftit, chaired, here Thursday, an extended meeting dedicated to examining the state of progress of the city’s preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
This meeting, attended by Royal Moroccan Football Federation’s (FRMF) President, Fouzi Lekjaa, and Wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, Mohamed Yacoubi, brought together the different stakeholders in the preparation process.

Speaking on the occasion, Laftit stressed the importance of an all-out mobilization in order to guarantee the successful organization of the 2030 World Cup in Morocco, as well as the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025), which the Kingdom will host prior to this global event.

In this respect, he called on the stakeholders to redouble their efforts and mobilize all the financial and human resources needed to accelerate the pace of preparations, noting the importance of the success of the next stage, namely the 2025 AFCON, with a view to boosting trust in moving forward with the process of preparing to host other sporting events.

Laftit also noted Rabat’s central role as the Kingdom’s capital and host city to several events before the 2030 World Cup, stressing that the city must be ready starting next year.

For his part, Lekjaa stated that the development trajectory initiated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI over the last 25 years throughout the Kingdom will make Morocco a privileged destination for the organization of exceptional continental or world events, notably 2025 AFCON.

In a statement to the press following the meeting, he highlighted Rabat’s centrality for the 2030 World Cup, especially as it will host the 2025 AFCON matches, including those of the national soccer team.

The Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, which will be ready by the end of this year with a capacity of 65,000 spectators, will be one of the stadiums qualified to host the World Cup semi-finals, he added, the aim being for the Kingdom of Morocco to organize an “exceptional World Cup.”

The meeting was marked by presentations by various stakeholders, highlighting development and infrastructure projects designed to enable Moroccan cities, including Rabat, to meet FIFA’s requirements and standards, particularly in terms of stadiums, training sites, transport and mobility, accommodation and sustainable development.

Mechanisms for the integrated management of projects scheduled as part of these preparations were also presented, with a view to reinforcing the monitoring, control and timely implementation of projects.

MAP: 4 July 2024

Moroccan stadiums will host 9 international football matches, from June 5 to 11, as part of the third and fourth rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers.

In doing so, the Kingdom has once again confirmed its position as the preferred destination for a number of African football teams to play their qualifying matches, their stadiums having been deemed non-compliant by the FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

In fact, eight African teams have decided to stage their matches at home in Morocco, given the high quality of the Kingdom’s sports infrastructure, logistical facilities and international-standard hotel accommodation. They are Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, The Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Djibouti, Guinea, Chad and Seychelles.

In these qualifying matches, the Moroccan national team will face its Zambian counterpart (Group E) at the Grand Stadium of Agadir next Friday (8:00 pm).