Africa Cup, a successful test for Morocco ahead of the World Cup | OneFootball

Morocco seems more than ready: the North African kingdom concludes this Sunday the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in football, which it has hosted since December 21, demonstrating the country's organizational capacity four and a half years ahead of the 2030 World Cup.

The Moroccans will be one of the hosts of this tournament, along with Spain and Portugal, and are still competing with the Spaniards to be the host of the final, which is expected to be a duel between Madrid and Casablanca.

This Sunday's final in Rabat, between the host team and Senegal, marks the pinnacle of a continental tournament that has received much praise in recent weeks.

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Without Surprises

The AFCON is traditionally a tournament plagued by organizational problems. Sometimes these problems are severe, as happened in 2022 in Cameroon, which had already had its hosting rights withdrawn in 2019 due to construction delays.

When Cameroon finally hosted the tournament in 2022, a confusion in a stadium in Yaoundé resulted in eight deaths, and several matches had to be moved to other stadiums due to pitch problems.

This time, in Morocco, the focus has been exclusively on football, and the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, praised the “world-class” facilities he found in this competition.

Even after the defeat to the hosts in the semifinals, Nigeria's coach, Eric Chelle, praised the Moroccan organizers for the impeccable way the tournament was conducted.

The pitch conditions were magnificent, despite the heavy rains that hit much of the country during this AFCON, played in winter conditions.

Ambitious Project

Among the six proposed venues by Morocco for the 2030 World Cup, the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat (with a capacity for 69,000 spectators) and one in Tangier with a capacity for 75,000 people are considered the crown jewels of the project.

Forty kilometers from Casablanca, the impressive Hassan II Stadium is under construction and will have a capacity for 115,000 fans. When AFP visited the site earlier this month, the stadium was surrounded by a perimeter wall, with construction workers coming and going. Meanwhile, farmers in donkey-pulled carts passed through the surrounding area.

“We would very much like to host the 2030 World Cup final in Morocco,” Motsepe told the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport this week.

The works on the six Moroccan stadiums for the 2030 World Cup will cost approximately 1.68 billion dollars (about 9 billion reais), according to official data.

The country's main investments will focus on the railway network, airports, and 5G coverage, in anticipation of a large influx of visitors expected for 2030.

The minister responsible for the budget and president of the Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, warned, however, that while an African Cup of Nations attracts one million visitors, that number will be multiplied by ten for the World Cup.

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Football Powerhouse

Besides its organizational capabilities, Morocco is confident that it can reach the 2030 World Cup with a very competitive team, taking advantage of the success of 2022, when it made history by reaching the semifinals.

In the African Cup of Nations, Morocco returned to the final after 22 years of absence and, if it wins the trophy this Sunday, it will be crowned champion for the second time in its history, after the first victory in 1976.

Achraf Hakimi had a spectacular year in 2025 with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), winning the French and European titles, earning him the African Player of the Year award.

In the last year, Morocco won the Arab Cup, the U-20 World Cup, and the U-17 AFCON.

Last year, the Moroccans won the bronze medal in the Olympic football tournament, and expectations are sky-high for the 2026 World Cup. The local team is considered a favorite alongside Brazil in a group that also includes Scotland and Haiti.

*With content from AFP.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.