Morocco run to football final eases tensions over hosting 2030 World Cup

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Morocco is aiming to win its first African championship in 50 years in Sunday’s final, after a blistering tournament that has soothed public tensions over heavy spending on hosting the event and the 2030 World Cup.

The team, known as the Atlas Lions, take on Senegal in the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) final at the newly refurbished Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, one of nine redeveloped ahead of the tournament as part of a splurge of football-related investment.

In a country with wide economic and regional disparities, the billions spent on World Cup-linked infrastructure has been a source of anger. A wave of protests sprung up in October, with young people demanding more money for healthcare and education. One chant asked: “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?”

The government believes the project, which includes extending Africa’s first high-speed rail system as well as upgrades to airports and roads, will drive massive national regeneration. It aims to modernise Morocco’s cities and create jobs, transforming the country into a tourism and investment hub.

“They’re using sport as a marketing tool . . . to put Morocco on the map,” said Riccardo Fabiani, north Africa director at the International Crisis Group, who noted estimates of between $15bn-$16bn in spending on stadiums and other infrastructure.

“But there’s a contradiction, because if you’re spending all that money on upgrading sports infrastructure . . . then you’re taking money away from other things that people might consider more important, like hospitals and schools.”

However, the four-week tournament, during which about 1.2mn have attended matches, has helped unify the country of 38mn people in the wake of the protests, said Moroccan football expert Amine El Amri.

Flag-waving fans poured on to the streets of the capital to celebrate following the team’s nail-biting penalty shootout win over Nigeria on Wednesday.

“It’s showed that Morocco is ready to host the World Cup tomorrow,” he said. “The World Cup has been our common dream for at least four decades,” he added, recalling previous failed bids to host the event.

Morocco will co-host World Cup 2030 with Spain and Portugal, only the second time the world’s biggest and most lucrative international football tournament has been staged in Africa. 

Morocco plans to build what would be the world’s biggest stadium in time for the tournament: the futuristic 115,000-seater Stade Hassan II in Casablanca.

On the pitch, Morocco is in its first final since 2004 and has only won the tournament once, in 1976. Led by manager Walid Regragui, the side has become a formidable opponent, currently rated 11th in the Fifa men’s world rankings.

Morocco made the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and has booked a place at the upcoming tournament being held in North America in June and July.

Senegal, 19th in Fifa’s rankings, has also forged a reputation as one of the continent’s best sides, looking to add to their Afcon victory in 2021.

From 2028, Afcon will switch from taking place every two years to every four, bringing it in line with the Uefa European Championships and Fifa’s Club World Cup.