Moroccans eagerly anticipate World Cup amid challenges

As Morocco prepares to host the final of the 2030 World Cup, excitement buzzes throughout the nation.

The proposed design is striking: a vast white stadium inspired by the traditional Maghrebi communal tent, or moussem, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media. 

The description is equally evocative, likening it to “almost like a Noah’s Ark, a gathering place for all nature and animals,” according to Tarik Oualalou, head of the Paris-based architecture firm Oualalou + Choi, one of five teams involved in the project.   In terms of scale, the Grand Stade Hassan II, located near Casablanca, is set to accommodate 115,000 spectators, potentially making it the largest football stadium in the world. It is also slated to host the final of the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.  

However, as with any ambitious stadium project, concerns arise regarding its costs, funding, and construction methods. It's still uncertain whether private investment will complement government funding. There are also rumors about possible involvement from China, which recently constructed the main stadium for this year's Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast as part of its broader diplomatic strategy.   For Morocco, riding the wave of pride from being the first Arab or African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2022, hosting the final of such a prestigious tournament fulfills a long-held aspiration to solidify its place among football's elite. In April 1998, the Atlas Lions were ranked as the 10th best team in the world. However, a disappointing performance at the 1998 World Cup in France and a prolonged failure to qualify for subsequent tournaments diminished their reputation.  

This decline prompted football-loving King Mohammed VI—who famously donned the team's kit during a celebratory motorcade following Qatar 2022—to approve significant investments in sports infrastructure, including a 13 million euro football academy. Alongside the $490 million earmarked for the construction of the Grand Stade Hassan II, five other stadiums will also be upgraded, contributing to an estimated total investment of $5 billion for hosting the World Cup.   Mahfoud Amara, an associate professor of sport policy and management at Qatar University, noted that the new stadium represents Rabat's ambition to compete with iconic venues like Beijing's Nest Stadium and Doha's 974 Stadium, constructed from shipping containers.

“Morocco appears to be seizing this opportunity to assert its leadership in the region for geopolitical reasons while enhancing its image as a nation committed to modernization,” he explained. “The influence of Qatar's World Cup has inspired other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly Saudi Arabia, to pursue international sporting events and invest in state-of-the-art facilities. This trend is a key component of sports diplomacy.” Moroccan authorities assert that constructing the stadium in El Mansouria, north of Casablanca, will generate thousands of jobs and boost the country's economy, which is the sixth largest in Africa.

However, Qatar's experiences have raised concerns about labor conditions in Morocco, particularly as it serves as a transit point for many undocumented migrants from sub-Saharan Africa heading to Europe, some of whom may end up working on construction sites.   Since construction began for the Qatar 2022 projects in 2014, FIFA and Doha claimed there were only three work-related fatalities and 37 non-work-related deaths among migrants.

By Naila Huseynova