World Cup 2030
Six host cities, $5B infrastructure, stadium builds — Morocco's mega-event moment
The announcement came in December 2023. Morocco, Spain, and Portugal will co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup — with three opening matches in South America (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay) to mark the centenary of the first World Cup. Morocco will host matches in six cities: Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, Tangier, Fes, and Agadir.
Casablanca's Grand Stade will be the centrepiece — a new 115,000-seat stadium that will be the largest in Africa and one of the largest in the world. The estimated cost exceeds $1 billion. It will be located in the new Casablanca Finance City district, connected to the expanding tramway and commuter rail.
The five other stadiums involve a mix of new construction and renovation. Rabat's Moulay Abdellah Stadium will be upgraded. Marrakech will get a new stadium. Tangier's Ibn Batouta Stadium — already relatively modern — will be expanded. Fes and Agadir will receive new purpose-built venues.
The infrastructure programme extends far beyond stadiums. The high-speed rail network — currently limited to the Tangier-Casablanca LGV — is being extended south to Marrakech. Airport expansions are planned for all six host cities. Hotel capacity must increase by an estimated 80,000 rooms. The road network connecting the six cities is being upgraded.
The budget is massive. Estimates range from $5 billion to $16 billion for Morocco's total World Cup-related spending, depending on what is counted. Much of this — rail, roads, airports — was already planned as part of Morocco's development programme. The World Cup provides a deadline and a justification.
The impact on tourism will be structural. The infrastructure built for the World Cup — transport, accommodation, connectivity — will serve Morocco's tourism industry for decades. The visibility of hosting the first World Cup in Africa since 2010 positions Morocco as the continent's premier tourism destination.
Explore the full interactive module — with stadium specs, infrastructure timelines, and the economic projections for Morocco's World Cup — at Dancing with Lions: https://www.dancingwiththelions.com/data/world-cup-2030
Interactive Module
Data and visualisation by Dancing with Lions
