Morocco steps up 2030 World Cup preparations with major projects

Morocco has entered an advanced stage of preparations to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup finals immediately after the conclusion of the 2026 tournament, as part of its joint hosting with Spain and Portugal of the centenary edition of the competition, which will be held across three continents and six countries for the first time. The Kingdom is continuing to fast-track a series of strategic projects to ensure an organisation that matches the scale of this global sporting event.

In this context, Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor told the press that Morocco plans to boost its accommodation capacity by adding 60,000 new hotel beds before 2030, an increase of nearly 20 percent on current capacity. She stressed that the Kingdom views the World Cup as an opportunity to promote sustainable development, while working to attract more visitors from promising markets, including China, the United States and Middle Eastern countries, by improving air connectivity.

At the same time, the government is pressing ahead with a strategy aimed at diversifying the tourism offering by promoting new destinations alongside well-known cities, with Rabat expected to become a major hub for cultural and sporting events and business tourism, drawing on its wealth of historical and cultural assets. This approach comes after Morocco consolidated its position as Africa’s leading tourist destination, welcoming 20 million tourists last year. It has set a target of reaching 26 million tourists by 2030, while tourism revenues are expected to rise to around 161 billion dirhams by 2027.

On the infrastructure front, the government has earmarked investments exceeding 190 billion dirhams to develop the various facilities linked to staging the tournament. These projects include modernising the rail network, expanding roads and airports, and upgrading stadiums and urban facilities in the host cities. Along the same lines, Fouzi Lekjaa, President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, said the Moroccan project is being closely followed internationally, highlighting the importance of ongoing coordination with the Spanish and Portuguese partners to ensure preparations are completed on schedule.

The “Morocco 2030” Foundation, established in 2025, is responsible for overseeing the various stages of preparation in coordination with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, drawing on the experience it has gained in managing the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Morocco is expected to host a significant share of the tournament’s matches across six main stadiums, led by the Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca, alongside stadiums in Rabat, Marrakech, Agadir, Fez and Tangier, in an edition that will become the longest in World Cup history, spanning 44 days.