FIFA President visits Morocco

Morocco's great organisational skills in hosting football events were the focus of the meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa. 

After landing in Rabat on Saturday, Infantino congratulated the FRMF and the institutions responsible for organising the African Women's Cup of Nations for their excellent work on the sports facilities. ‘I am very happy and satisfied to be here. It is always a joy and a pleasure to be in Morocco, a country that lives and breathes football every day,’ he said. 

Infantino highlighted the success of the current African Women's Cup of Nations, which is breaking attendance records in the stadiums, a symbol of Moroccan society's commitment to sport, which he said augurs well for a very promising African Men's Cup of Nations at the end of the year. 

But the president did not stop there, announcing that Morocco is ‘more than ready’ to host five consecutive editions of the Women's Under-17 World Cup until 2030, when the sporting world will have its eyes on the African country with the staging of the 2030 World Cup, the most watched sporting event on the planet. 

During the meeting, Gianni Infantino took the opportunity to praise the good form of the Moroccan men's and women's national teams. ‘They are extremely well-rounded and incredibly talented,’ he said. 

For now, the Moroccan team is on the verge of reaching the final, but first they must face Ghana. The match will be played on 22 July at 8 p.m. Moroccan time at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat. Their potential opponents, who will play their match three hours earlier, are 11-time champions Nigeria or South Africa, the current tournament champions. In fact, if Morocco and South Africa reach the final, it would be the second time that the final has been repeated in two consecutive editions, since Nigeria and Cameroon contested the finals in 2014 and 2016, with Nigeria winning both editions. 

However, Morocco's international success cannot be understood without the involvement of the whole society and the intense work being done by the institutions to ensure that the preparations for both tournaments – the Women's and Men's African Cup of Nations – produce the great results we are seeing. 

Millions in investment, infrastructure development and international collaboration are just some of the pillars on which the Moroccan government is basing its commitment to sport. With a view to hosting the 2030 World Cup, more than 70% of the infrastructure, including the stadiums, is already complete. The deadline is October 2028, which is the maximum time allowed by FIFA to organise an event of this magnitude. 

Many projects outside the world of sport are also benefiting. These include the ‘Airport 2030’ plan, which aims to increase the country's passenger capacity by more than 50% so that fans and tourists can enjoy the sporting event with the utmost guarantees. In terms of rail infrastructure, the country is making great efforts to increase connections through high-speed trains and is integrating the best companies in the sector into the project. 

Infantino is clear: ‘Morocco is ready.’ And the country's commitment to turning sporting competitions into world-class events confirms this.