In Morocco, people generally take everything in their stride. And, similarly to the rest of the African continent, it is not time that determines the pace of life, but people who shape it according to their needs. Today, however, the entire country is gripped by a constant frenzy. It is hurtling towards the 2030 World Cup, which the North African nation will host alongside Spain and Portugal.
The frantic pace of infrastructure improvements contrasts with the exasperating slowness of a five-kilometre stretch of railway linking Casablanca Airport with the city centre. Beside the tracks, where the train moves slower than walking pace, scores of workers toil under the intense autumn sun to make transport faster and more efficient.
The same applies to the Hassan II Stadium, whose dream and objective is to host the final, beating the Santiago Bernabeu to it.
Everything suggests that, if Gianni Infantino remains at the helm of FIFA, the honour will go to the brand-new stadium in Morocco’s main economic centre. Its expected capacity of 120,000 spectators would be a major weapon in this contest, but it is obvious that political clout will ultimately make the difference.
The Maghreb’s Clairefontaine
Something that is certain is that the Moroccan Football Federation is working tirelessly to improve the domestic game. The attempt to convince Lamine Yamal - when he was a teenager - to represent his father’s country is just one example of its current efforts. Today, around 75% of the players called up by head coach Mohamed Ouahbi were born outside Morocco. Most were born in France, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium, but they were also encouraged to choose their parents’ national team because of the lower level of competition.
The clear exception is Ayoub Bouaddi, who represented France at every youth level before opting to play for Morocco at the 2026 World Cup. The country’s infrastructure advances also played a part. The jewel in the crown is the Mohammed VI Sports Complex in Salé, inaugurated in December 2019 and set across more than 30 hectares on the edge of the Maâmora Forest.
It is a vast complex often compared with European centres of excellence such as Clairefontaine in France, although it surpasses it in terms of modernity and technology.
For former head coach Vahid Halilhodzic, it is "by far the best technical centre in the world, five times better than Clairefontaine in terms of pitches, medical staff, swimming pools and catering". It should also be remembered that Real Madrid, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, chose it as a training base for the Club World Cup, which they won in February 2023.
Public criticism
However, the drive to stage an extraordinary event capable of making every corner of a vast country with close ties to European markets shine has been accompanied by significant public discontent. The slogan at the heart of protests in the streets and on social media - summed up by the words "No World Cup, we want healthcare" - captures the essence of that discontent.
The public, particularly young people, is calling for more funding for public healthcare after serious shortages were reported at numerous hospitals, as well as energy shortages.
Several local communities have also reported forced evictions and the loss of their homes without adequate compensation. The drive to improve the quality of infrastructure for the global event has been matched by a decline in the quality of life of the middle class. The same thing was seen in South Africa and Brazil, which hosted the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
Walking around Casablanca, it is possible to come across five-star hotels outside, where luxury cars can be rented by the minute.
They are just a five-minute walk from the medina, where sanitation and hygiene conditions are rudimentary. Although football is hugely popular in the country, the criticism is not aimed at the sport itself, but at using the mega-event as a “shop window” for the country at the expense of citizens’ healthcare and education. Many of those same citizens, however, will do everything they can to fill the stadiums when the moment of truth arrives.