World Cup
FIFA Validates Morocco’s Territorial Map in World Cup 2030 Bid
The recent FIFA technical evaluation report for the 2030 World Cup bid acknowledged Morocco’s territorial integrity, as expected.
According to Morocco World News, the FIFA report, released in late November, validates Morocco’s legitimate position despite attempts by certain Spanish media outlets to question the territorial representation.
This development is particularly significant given Spain’s official recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara since April 2022, a diplomatic milestone that reshaped relations between the two countries.
The controversy originally emerged following the joint World Cup bid book presentation last summer, where Morocco’s complete territorial map was included with the agreement of all three federations – Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
Sources within the Spanish Football Federation, cited by El Independiente, confirmed that the decision to accept the map was reached during joint committee meetings with representatives from all three countries.
Notably, the Spanish federation defended its position, saying that “it was a football map, not a political one,” and that “the Moroccan federation administers all sports-related matters in the territory.”
This pragmatic approach aligns with the current diplomatic reality and FIFA’s recognition of Morocco’s football jurisdiction over the region.
The FIFA report’s cartographic representation serves as another official recognition of Morocco’s territorial integrity, following similar acknowledgments from various international bodies and Spain’s own diplomatic stance.
This has evidently caused discomfort among certain Spanish media circles that continue to question established diplomatic positions.
The Spanish newspaper’s frustration extends beyond the mapping issue to Morocco’s growing influence in the tripartite bid.
This was particularly evident in their reporting of the FIFA technical evaluation of the proposed Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca, which received the same technical rating (4.3) as Spain’s iconic Santiago Bernabéu and Camp Nou stadiums.
El Independiente’s coverage attempted to downplay the Moroccan stadium’s significance by repeatedly emphasizing its unbuilt status, referring to it as “a stadium on paper” and “without being built.”
However, FIFA’s technical report presents a markedly different assessment, describing it as “an ambitious new construction project that plans to create the world’s largest capacity football stadium, with modern infrastructure and facilities.”
The FIFA report specifically highlights the stadium’s 115,000-seat capacity, which “far exceeds the minimum requirement of 80,000 seats for an opening match and/or final.”
The international football body’s evaluation noted that during their September inspection visit, the local team demonstrated “a thorough understanding of requirements” and presented “well-organized maps highlighting key areas.”
The Spanish media’s concern appears to stem from Morocco’s growing prominence in the joint bid. Sources from the Spanish federation, quoted by El Independiente, acknowledged “some discomfort with Rabat’s appetite for prominence” but attributed this to Morocco’s governmental structure, where decisions are made with royal oversight.
Just Wednesday, King Mohammed VI chaired a Ministerial Council focused on World Cup preparations, where Football Federation President Fouzi Lekjaa presented FIFA’s positive evaluation of Morocco’s bid. The King ordered the creation of an expanded committee to oversee the country’s ambitious infrastructure development plans.
Despite attempts to frame the Casablanca stadium project negatively, FIFA’s technical report confirms that “the available space in the stadium precinct for overlay and temporary infrastructure is expected to meet requirements.”
The report further validates that “key spaces such as the broadcast compound and parking areas meet requirements, and there appears to be sufficient space to reconfigure them if needed.”
The construction timeline for the Grand Stade Hassan II, set to be completed by late 2028, has been deemed feasible by FIFA’s evaluation team.
The stadium is planned as the centerpiece of a 100-hectare urban sports complex, designed to host both major international competitions and serve as the home ground for two of Morocco’s premier football clubs, Raja Club Athletic and Wydad Athletic Club.
El Independiente’s coverage reflects ongoing tensions in Spanish media regarding Morocco’s enhanced role in the World Cup bid, particularly following Morocco’s late inclusion in the candidacy, replacing Ukraine.
The newspaper’s reporting style and emphasis on certain aspects of the bid suggest an underlying unease with Morocco’s growing influence in what was originally a European-led initiative.
The final decision regarding which stadium will host the opening match and final of the 2030 World Cup is expected around 2028, according to sources quoted in the Spanish newspaper.
Until then, the technical evaluation’s equal rating of the three main stadiums leaves the competition wide open, despite apparent attempts by some Spanish media to suggest otherwise.
With just a year to go until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in the United States, concerns are mounting over the impact of extreme summer heat on players and fans.
According to experts interviewed by the BBC, FIFA may be forced to adjust match schedules drastically—possibly even staging the World Cup final as early as 9 a.m.—to mitigate the risks posed by soaring temperatures.
The warnings follow sweltering conditions witnessed during recent international and Club World Cup matches held in the U.S., where athletes and spectators alike were exposed to intense heat and humidity.
One of the leading voices raising the alarm is Professor Mike Tipton, an expert in thermal physiology at the University of Portsmouth. Speaking to BBC Sport, he emphasised the potential health risks of playing in extreme conditions and recommended that matches begin as early in the day as possible.
“From a thermo-physiological point of view, for health and performance reasons, I would look to start matches as early as possible,” Tipton stated, suggesting that even the final—traditionally held in the afternoon or evening—could be moved to a morning kickoff.
Tipton went further, noting that the ideal solution would be to host the tournament during a cooler time of year, as was done with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was shifted to November and December due to extreme heat.
However, with the 2026 tournament already locked in for June 11 to July 19, FIFA’s only remaining flexibility lies in scheduling match times.
The 2026 edition will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico across multiple cities, some of which are known for intense summer heat.
Health experts are urging organisers to prioritise player safety and fan well-being, warning that failing to act could lead to performance issues, heat-related illnesses, or worse.
FIFA has yet to publicly comment on any proposed changes to match schedules, but as temperatures continue to rise, pressure is mounting for the governing body to take decisive action ahead of football’s biggest tournament.
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FIFA’s Global Football Development chief Arsene Wenger acknowledged that the quality of pitches hosting Club World Cup matches in the U.S. was not good enough, but insisted it would be better when the country co-hosts the 2026 World Cup.
The pitches, often very dry and sprinkled with water during cooling breaks or at halftime, have been widely criticised, mainly by coaches and players of the European teams taking part.
“I’ve been personally on the pitch at Orlando,” former Arsenal manager Wenger said on Saturday. “It’s not at the level that the European clubs are used to because it’s not perfect, but that will be rectified for the World Cup next year.”
Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique raised the issue early in the expanded Club World Cup tournament.
“The ball bounces like a rabbit,” Luis Enrique said after his team’s opening 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid.
“Today, for example, the field used to be artificial turf, and now it’s natural grass laid over it, which means it has to be watered manually. It’s a big problem for the way we play.”
“FIFA really needs to take this seriously. Not just the stadium fields but also the training pitches. If we’re calling this the best club tournament in the world, it should have world‑class facilities. I can’t imagine an NBA game played on a court full of holes.”
-Reuters
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Congo will be allowed to continue participating in the World Cup qualifiers despite missing two fixtures in March when they were banned, world football’s governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.
Congo were suspended from February to May because of government interference in the running of their football association (FECOFOOT) but the ban was lifted when officials returned to their positions and were handed back access to their headquarters and technical training centre.
Sports minister Hugues Ngouelondele had appointed an ad-hoc committee last year to run the association, claiming it needed to sort out disputes among association office bearers, but FIFA suspended FECOFOOT due to third-party interference, which violates its statutes.
During the ban, Congo were not allowed to participate in any international competition, which meant they did not honour 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania and Niger in March.
A FIFA spokesman told Reuters the points from those fixtures were forfeited and a 3-0 victory awarded to their opponents.
But they will continue in the qualifiers when they resume in September, even if they have no chance of qualifying.
Congo are scheduled to play Tanzania at home in September and conclude their fixtures in October with matches at Niger and Morocco.
Congo have no points in the group, which Morocco lead with 15 points, six more than Tanzania in second place.
The group winner qualifies for next year’s World Cup in North America while the runner-up has a possibility to participate in playoffs if they are among the four best second-placed teams in the nine African qualifying groups.
FIFA has taken a hard line on government interference in football matters with the likes of Chad, Kenya, Pakistan and Zimbabwe among those banned in recent years.
Congo were African champions in 1972 but have never been to a World Cup.
-Reuters
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