Morocco is co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. On Wednesday, King Mohammed VI chaired a Council of Ministers meeting at the Royal Palace in Rabat, boosting the planning.
The 2030 World Cup marks the centenary of the global football tournament.
Fouzi Lekjaa, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the Budget and Chairman of the 2030 World Cup Committee, played a key role at the meeting. In addition to his role as president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Lekjaa is a significant figure in CAF and a member of the FIFA Council. He delivered a presentation on the progress of Morocco’s preparations to host the tournament.
Lekjaa outlined the milestones achieved since King Mohammed VI announced Morocco’s joint candidacy with Spain and Portugal on 14 March 2023 in Kigali. He also recapped the King’s 4 October 2023 announcement to the Moroccan people regarding FIFA Council’s unanimous decision to select the Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid as the sole candidacy. This decision led to extraordinary mobilisation to prepare a bid dossier fully aligned with FIFA’s requirements.
The tripartite bid, submitted to FIFA on 29 July 2024, resulted from a concerted effort by working groups involving ministerial departments, public institutions, companies, and local authorities. FIFA’s evaluation report on 29 November 2024 awarded the bid an outstanding score, exceeding the stipulated requirements, setting the stage for the bid to be officially awarded hosting rights at the upcoming FIFA Council Congress.
To meet the challenge of hosting a tournament aligned with the aspirations of His Majesty the King, Lekjaa announced the formation of an expanded committee including representatives from civil society, Moroccan expatriates, and African talents.
The preparations will focus on strategic and structural projects, including:
- Upgrading stadiums;
- Expanding and renovating airports in the six host cities;
- Enhancing road infrastructure and densifying intra-urban networks;
- Launching an integrated territorial upgrading programme beyond the host cities;
- Developing hotel and commercial infrastructure;
- Strengthening and modernising medical services;
- Developing and modernising telecommunications networks;
- Launching a comprehensive training programme to improve youth skills.
Lekjaa emphasised that the 2030 World Cup will not only be a sporting event but also an opportunity to accelerate national economic growth, create jobs, boost tourism, and promote universal values of peace, unity, and sustainable development.
The Council of Ministers also approved six international conventions: four bilateral and two multilateral agreements aimed at strengthening Morocco’s cooperation and partnerships globally.
The bilateral conventions cover the mutual recognition of driving licences, cooperation in criminal justice and combating cross-border crime, as well as military and technical cooperation with friendly European nations. The multilateral conventions address offences aboard aircraft and the establishment of the Digital Cooperation Organization.
Additionally, King Mohammed VI appointed Zouhair Chorfi as Chairman of the National Electricity Regulatory Authority on the proposal of the Head of Government and the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development.
The King directed a comprehensive reform of the authority, expanding its scope to include all energy sector components, such as natural gas, hydrogen, production, storage, transport, and distribution, in line with international best practices.