The Mohammed V Sports Complex in Casablanca will reopen its doors in March with a capacity of over 44,000 spectators
The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, has confirmed that the Mohammed V Sports Complex in Casablanca will reopen in March 2025, just a few months before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations, which Morocco is organising.
With a new look that will do justice to the history of this football venue and a capacity expanded to 44,000 spectators, the stadium will host the matches of the city's two main teams, Raja and Wydad de Casablanca.
تصريح السيد فوزي لقجع بعد الزيارة الميدانية لمركب محمد الخامس لكرة القدم
— FRMF (@FRMFOFFICIEL) February 6, 2025
🎙️Mr. Fouzi Lekjaa's statement after the field visit to the Mohammed V Football Complex pic.twitter.com/hNAjFgl3vN
Historical value
We should remember that the Mohammed V Complex is of great historical value to Morocco and was officially inaugurated on 21st August 1983 on the occasion of the 9th edition of the Mediterranean Games by the late King Hassan II. The stadium has hosted the country's biggest sporting events and competitions.
The president of the Moroccan Football Federation, Lekjaa, visited the stadium to check on the progress of the works, accompanied by the wali of the Casablanca-Settat region, Mohamed Mhidia; the governor of the Prefecture of the District of Casablanca-Anfa, Aziz Dades; and the president of the National Professional Football League, Abdeslam Belkchour.
During the tour, the president of the FRMF assured that the redevelopment works ‘are at a very advanced stage: there are only a few weeks left before they are completed. The complex will reopen its doors by the end of March at the latest’.
Modern facilities
Regarding the progress, Lekjaa pointed out that the Complex has been remodelled to be able to hold more than 44,000 spectators and added that the stadium's structure has been equipped with all the relevant modern facilities, including changing rooms, a press box and various spaces designed to provide spectators with smooth access.
According to the vice-president of the Community Council, Abdellatif Naciri, the works include the refurbishment of what the people of Casablanca call ‘la casa’ or ‘la baraka’, located in the stands. He said that this space will undergo a qualitative transformation, as the upper floor will be dedicated to the creation of a restaurant, while the first and lower floors will include a museum dedicated to sporting memory.
World Cup 2030
In this sense, the authorities consider that this football stadium will become one of the great achievements of Casablanca, with an investment of some 220 million dirhams that will very soon benefit the city, as Morocco will be one of the hosts of the 2030 Football World Cup.
In this sense, there are other projects in the metropolis, such as the construction of the Hassan II Stadium in Benslimane, with a capacity for more than 115,000 spectators.
Regarding the project, Lekjaa commented that ‘work has already begun and completion is scheduled for 2027’, emphasising that Casablanca will write its name in gold letters in the World Cup history books by hosting the most prestigious matches of the most important tournament in world football.
It should be added that work has recently begun on equipping several sports facilities in Casablanca. These include the Wydad training school and the Raja Academy, which will have new natural grass pitches, as well as the Oasis and Benjelloun stadiums.
As for the objectives, the president of the FRMF explained that the purpose of these projects is to take advantage of the sporting legacy that these major competitions will leave behind and to make this infrastructure available to national clubs, including Raja and Wydad.
The president of the Federation also mentioned that progress will be made with the development of the Larbi Zaouli and Père Jégo stadiums, adding that work has also begun on two complexes in Bouskoura, covering an area of 32 hectares. ‘It is a national complex equivalent to the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Maâmora, as well as a federal complex in Médiouna, covering an area of 12 hectares,’ he explained.
