Nothing seemingly says Morocco more than breaking records in the realm of football. May we remind you of the historical run of the men’s professional football team back in December 2022 as coach Regragui’s squad became the first African and Arab side to ever reach the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup? Mere months later, the women’s team also etched their name in history by becoming the first Arab team to ever reach the knockout stages of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which took place this summer in Australia and New Zealand, in their debut participation in the quadrennial contest.
Having just recently been announced as one of the three official hosts, alongside Spain and Portugal, of the centenary edition of the World Cup in 2030, Morocco has just revealed plans to build the world’s second-biggest football stadium, and the largest in Africa.
The new structure, which is expected to be located in Benslimane, near Casablanca, will be purpose-built to host several games of the forthcoming World Cup and will also compete to host the competition’s final. According to reports, the “mega-stadium” will cost approximately 5 billion dirhams ($500 million) following a financial deal brokered between the Moroccan government and state-owned fund CDG.
With construction expected to kick off in 2025, project leaders hope for the ground to be ready to use by 2028, meaning that its completion will come three years too late to host the 2025 African Cup of Nations fixtures, which Morocco will be hosting.
With an estimated capacity of 113,000 seats, the stadium would become the second largest football ground just behind North Korea’s Rungrado May Day stadium, which can welcome 115,000 spectators at once. It is set to surpass South Africa’s FNB Stadium by approximately 20,000 seats, making it the biggest sports stadium in the entire African continent.
As of now, there remains no official confirmation of which venue will host the 2030 FIFA World Cup final, though Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium appears to be the strongest contender so far. While we eagerly await the official announcement of where the most-anticipated match of the tournament will take place, here’s to hoping that Morocco emerges as the ultimate victor in this prestigious bid.
