Morocco leading charge in African football growth

RABAT, Morocco

African football plays a key role in Morocco's football development model, said the advisor to the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.

Speaking to Anadolu, Omar Khyari stressed that the Football Association has formed 45 partnerships with federations across 54 African countries, aiming to enhance infrastructure, share expertise, and provide opportunities for teams to grow and compete at higher levels.

"Many African teams lack stadiums that meet World Cup standards, so they come to Morocco to play. On some FIFA dates, we host as many as 20 African nations—almost like a mini African Cup of Nations. This also helps with coach training, referee licensing, and VAR (video assistant referee) instruction, as well as the training of administrative staff. In this way, Morocco is allowing African football to benefit from its development and technological advances," he said.

Khyari stressed that in most of the Arab world and across many African countries, football is by far the number one sport.

"This was clearly seen during the 2022 World Cup, when Morocco reached the semifinals. The entire Middle East, the Muslim world, and African nations stood behind our players, supporting them passionately," he added.

Mentioning the quality of physical facilities in Morocco, he said that under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, the country has always been at the forefront and has consistently worked to ensure that stadiums and sports infrastructure meet World Cup standards.

"By this year, the Moroccan league will boast some of the best—perhaps the very best—infrastructure in Africa. Our clubs will have access to state-of-the-art training centers, high-quality pitches, and large, modern stadiums. This represents a major advantage for the league, the players, and, of course, the fans," he said.

- 2030 World Cup to be held in 6 countries across 3 continents

Morocco is preparing to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, following the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The event is planned to be held in Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech, and Agadir, in addition to the capital city of Rabat.

The 2030 World Cup will feature one match each in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.

The first matches of the tournament will be played in South America to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the World Cup. The remaining matches will be held in Spain, Morocco, and Portugal.