World Cup
Sport and politics: The Moroccan model
BY SAID SHEHATA
The golden rule in sport is that politics does not intervene in its affairs, since it should be neutral and the sphere of people regardless of their political affiliations.
However, there have been cases of breaking this law, such as Russia and Israel. For example, Russian football clubs and national teams have been suspended from all competitions by FIFA and UEFA.
Another example is that Spain threatened to boycott the 2026 World Cup if Israel qualifies after a UN Commission of Inquiry stated that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
While this rule stands for majority of cases, there is a mutual influence between sport and politics in its general sense. The Moroccan case will illustrate how sport and politics can impact each other.
King Mohamed VI, the king of Morocco, and the Moroccan state have a vision and plan to develop sport.
Sport is seen as a tool for development, social cohesion, improve Morocco image internationally and satisfy people’s aspirations who love sport, especially football.
The belief of the political leadership has been materialized in plans and projects which helped Morocco to be one of the hosts of the 20230 football World Cup.
King Mohammed VI at the inauguration of “the Mohammed VI Football Complex”.
The Moroccan government put 8.7 billion dollars’ investment in the railways sector to improve the transport network. This investment has created jobs and brought another source for the economy to flourish.
One just needs about 2 hours to go from Casablanca to Tangier on the new fast train. In addition, the Moroccan prime minister Aziz Akhannouch said that the Moroccan airports will be receiving 80 million passengers by 2030 from 38 million at present. This shows more investments in airports to be up to the event in 2030.
Moreover, more investments assigned to develop and build new stadiums. For example, the Ibn Batouta stadium in Tangier was renovated and its seating capacity increased to host 75,000 spectators.
Aerial view of the completely remodeled Grand Stade de Tanger
It was done according to the highest standards and by local experts. Morocco will build near Casablanca a huge stadium which can host 115,000 fans and it will be ready before the 2030 world cup and it might be the venue for the final match.
Furthermore, Morocco established the ‘Mohamed VI Football Complex’ in 2019 to be home for national football teams of all ages in order to help sportsmen and women to train and focus before competitions.
Part of the plan to improve the level of football is to help developing young talents to feed national teams.
Omar Khyari, an advisor to the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation told me that this was the reason behind establishing the king Mohammed VI Football Academy in 2009, which was inaugurated in 2010 by the king.
The purpose of the academy is to discover, train and develop young footballers for professional clubs and the national teams.
The Moroccan government believes in equality between men and women and this belief was reflected in laws to protect women rights as well as their right to sport.
Morocco invested in women domestic league and it has a very good female football national team. This team reached the final in both 2022 and 2024 Women African Cup.
Morocco will host the competition in 2026 and its women national team has a big chance to win it this time.
It can be added that there are 3000 playgrounds all over Morocco, where ordinary people in cities and countryside can play football.
The Moroccan vision which has been translated in plans and investments is a clear manifestation of how politics influences sport on different levels from investments to ensuring all facilities are available and ready to have successful sport.
By the same token, sport influences politics as well as the economic and social aspects of people’s lives.
For example, investments in infrastructures, such as railways and airports have created thousands of jobs and could attract foreign direct investment. Investors are looking to put their money where logistics can help them to make profit.
In addition, more tourists will come to Morocco because of its sport image as well as the different comfortable facilities to make visitors’ visit enjoyable.
In 2024 tourism contributed 11.2 billion dollars to the economy and 17.4 million tourists visited Morocco according to the ministry of tourism.
The ministry thinks that this number of tourists will be about 76 million by 2030. Tourism is the second source of foreign currency in Morocco. It is also estimated that the World Cup will add 1.5 billion dollars to the Moroccan economy.
Furthermore, sport, particularly football, unites Moroccans and this can be seen in football matches. Families come to support the national team and this was clear during the Moroccan- Niger match for the qualification of the 2026 world cup and Morocco qualified after winning that match. Football brings people together.
Satisfaction of people through football could strengthen the regime legitimacy, since the political leadership provides people of things they like.
It can be argued that a vision accompanied by a plan can make a difference. The Moroccan vision for sport, especially football was translated into plans to invest in infrastructure and human beings.
Those investments by the Moroccan government helped Morocco to be one of the hosts of the 2030 Football World Cup.
Focusing on and investing in football will pay back on political, economic and social levels.
* Dr. Said Shehata, Lecturer in Middle East Politics and International Relations-
-Ahram
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Madonna and Shakira will line up with K-pop supergroup BTS to headline the first-ever World Cup final halftime show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, FIFA said on Thursday.
Coldplay singer Chris Martin will curate the extravaganza scheduled for July 19, the tournament’s organiser added.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 Final halftime show will be a truly special moment, bringing together music, football and a shared commitment to improving the lives of children around the world,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on social media.
“Together, we will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and help create greater access to quality education and football for children worldwide.”
The 48-team World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will run from June 11 to July 19. The tournament will feature 104 matches, up from the previous 64, including an additional knockout round.
Last year’s Club World Cup in North America, which served as a test run for the World Cup, also featured a halftime show including performances from American rapper Doja Cat, Colombian singer J Balvin and Nigerian singer Tems.
-Reuters
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Football’s global players’ union renewed concerns on Thursday about heat at the 2026 World Cup after scientists warned that the likelihood of dangerous temperatures for players and fans has sharply increased.
An analysis by climate research group World Weather Attribution found that roughly a quarter of the 104 matches at the expanded tournament across the United States, Mexico and Canada are likely to be played in conditions exceeding safety limits recommended by FIFPRO, almost twice the risk seen at the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.
Around five matches could take place in conditions considered unsafe, where postponement would be advised, the researchers said.
Scientists assessed the risk using kickoff times and the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, which measures how effectively the body can cool itself.
“The calculations to estimate the likelihood of 2026 FIFA World Cup games being played in high WBGT conditions are in line with FIFPRO’s calculations published in 2023,” said FIFPRO’s medical director, Vincent Gouttebarge.
“These estimations justify the need for – and implementation of – a series of mitigation strategies with a view to better protecting players’ health and performance when they are exposed to hot conditions.”
FIFPRO recommends cooling measures when WBGT rises above 26 degrees Celsius and says matches should be postponed if it exceeds 28C, which is equivalent to roughly 38C in dry heat or 30C in high humidity.
FIFA told Reuters that it has carried out heat-risk planning, with measures including three-minute hydration breaks in each half of games, cooling infrastructure for fans and players, adapted work-rest cycles, and enhanced medical readiness that scale according to real-time conditions.
“FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of players, referees, fans, volunteers and staff,” the global governing body said in a statement.
‘MORE CONSERVATIVE FOOTBALL’
Chris Mullington, consultant anaesthetist at Imperial College London NHS Trust and clinical senior lecturer at Imperial College London, said extreme heat is more likely to influence how games are played than trigger widespread medical emergencies among players.
“It will be more of a performance issue than a health issue,” he said. “These players are elite athletes and acclimatised. You’ll see players self-pacing. That behavioural thermoregulation is very difficult to override.
“So you may end up with more conservative football.”
Cooling systems are expected to reduce some of the risk at three of the 16 host venues, according to the analysis.
However, more than a third of games with at least a 10% chance of exceeding 26 C WBGT are scheduled at stadiums without air conditioning, including Miami, Kansas City, New York and Philadelphia.
That includes the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which now faces a one-in-eight chance of exceeding the 26 C threshold and a roughly 3% risk of reaching the more dangerous level — about double the risk it would have carried in 1994, the analysis said.
Friederike Otto, professor of climate science at Imperial College London, said the findings highlighted the need for FIFA to reconsider when future World Cups are scheduled, particularly in regions vulnerable to extreme summer heat.
“From a health point of view, it would be advisable to have these (World Cups) either earlier or later in the year, so you can have a football party rather than something that is a massive health risk for the whole city,” said Otto.
FIFPRO also warned that while air-conditioned stadiums in cities such as Dallas and Houston may help protect players, fans attending matches and outdoor fan festivals could remain exposed to prolonged periods of dangerous heat.
-Reuters
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Iran hosted a World Cup departure rally attended by thousands of fans in Tehran’s Enqelab Square on Wednesday night, even though concerns remain about the team getting into the United States and competing at the tournament.
The players, who will continue their preparations at a training camp in Turkey next week, were cheered by the crowd as they made patriotic statements from a stage, and the kit they will wear at the June 11 to July 19 tournament was unveiled.
“This is the best send-off in the last four World Cup campaigns,” Iranian FA (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj told state TV.
“The players are with the people, and the crowd stands with the country’s dignity, honour, and strength. Whatever the result, may Iran’s flag be raised there and defended.”
Iran’s national soccer team head coach Amir Ghalenoei and Iran Football Federation President Mehdi Taj attend the team’s farewell ceremony ahead of their departure to the 2026 World Cup in Tehran, Iran, May 13, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iran’s participation in the World Cup has been in question since the U.S. and Israel started the regional war by launching air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February.
Taj was refused entry to co-host nation Canada for the FIFA Congress two weeks ago because of his connection to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), triggering fears there may be issues for some of the Iranian delegation getting into the U.S.
As in Canada, the IRGC is classified as a “terrorist entity” in the U.S., and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said no one with ties to the organisation would be admitted to the country.
Iran has placed responsibility for getting the players and team officials into the U.S., where Team Melli are scheduled to play all three World Cup group matches, firmly in the hands of tournament organisers FIFA.
“Nothing has arrived yet regarding the visas. We hope it will definitely be handled within this timeframe,” Hedayat Mombeini, the FFIRI secretary-general, told state TV at the rally on Wednesday.
“FIFA has made promises, and hopefully those promises will lead to results, and the players will receive their visas on time.”
Reports that some Iraqi players had been refused U.S. visas, which were quickly refuted by the White House and Iraq Football Association on Wednesday, further fuelled Iranian concerns.
“I just heard that news as well,” Mombeini added.
“I hope FIFA steps in … we have always believed sport should be separate from politics. So in my view, FIFA has a duty to step in and make sure entry for all members of all World Cup teams is facilitated.”
Iran will play Gambia in a World Cup warm-up in Antalya on May 29, and Mombeini said the FFIRI was in the process of arranging another friendly for the training camp in Turkey.
-Reuters
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Madonna, BTS and Shakira to headline first World Cup final halftime show
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