World Cup
Morocco and 2030 World Cup: The Patient Dog that takes the fattest bone
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The wait has been long. But it has proven worth it. Morocco, Spain, and Portugal have been officially designated the 2030 FIFA World Cup hosts.
For Morocco, it has been a wait that almost spans 40 years. Since 1988, the Kingdom of Morocco has been applying to host the biggest single sports event, the FIFA World Cup.
At the time, it was for hosting the 1994 edition, which was eventually awarded to the US. Morocco contested with the duo of Brazil and the US.
All indications pointed to the fact that the US was the anointed candidate. The announcement was initially to be made on 30 June 1988. But on 3 March 1988, FIFA announced a delay, shifting to a new date of 4 July 1988.
The handwriting was clear on the wall, as the new date was the 212th anniversary of the US independence. The designation of the hosting right appeared designed as an icing on the anniversary cake.
So at Movenpick Hotel in Zurich, the US was proclaimed the host for the 1994 World Cup despite the country not having a football culture and having not even qualified for the World Cup for 38 years – since 1950.
Morocco again put up a candidacy for the 1998 edition. Again the bid failed when on 3 July 1992, the then 19-member FIFA Executive Committee voted 12-7 in favour of France in a two-horse race with Morocco.
The kingdom made a third attempt to host the 2006 World Cup. The decision on the host was taken on 6 July 2000. It involved four bidding nations – Germany, South Africa and Morocco after Brazil had withdrawn three days earlier.
Three rounds of voting were required, each round eliminating the nation with the fewest votes. Morocco with two votes out of obtainable 23 was first to be eliminated.
Then came the bid for 2010, which was restricted to Africa. FIFA selected South Africa over Egypt and Morocco to become the first African nation to host the World Cup.
With the 2014 World Cup designated only to South American candidates, Morocco had to look forward to another time especially as the principle of rotation already excluded Africa and South America for the 2018 and 2022 editions.
Two bids to host the 2026 World Cup were submitted to FIFA – a joint bid by Canada, Mexico and the United States, and one by Morocco.
For the fourth time, Morocco lost out. At the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow on 13 June 2018, the joint bid was selected by 134 votes to Morocco’s 65.
Morocco has waited patiently and will be hosting with Spain and Portugal, which is easily the major milestone edition. The 2030 World Cup is the centennial edition marking the 100 years of the World Cup.
It will be the first World cross-cultural edition margining the Arab and Western cultures and also the first to be held across two continents. The waiting by Morocco has paid off.
The kingdom has made a significant impact and contributed immensely to World Cup culture. Easily remembered is the country’s mark at the last World Cup as the first African and Arab nation to reach the last four and with a home-grown coach.
Beyond that, Morocco became the first African country to earn a point at the World Cup when the Atlas Lions held Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw at Mexico 1970 edition.
In 1986, again in Mexico, Morocco became the first African team to top a World Cup group and also the first to get beyond the group stage. Additionally, Morocco became the second team outside Europe and the Americas to cross the group stage. North Korea in 1966 was the first.
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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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