World Cup
Argentina publication, Olé hails Morocco as ‘Land of Football’
Olé, an Argentine national daily sports newspaper published in Buenos Aires has hailed Morocco as an ultimate destination for football and football competitions.
After an explorative visit to the North African kingdom, the publication concluded that Moroccans have almost the same passion for football as the Argentines.
“The African country feels football like we do and is preparing to host the 2030 World Cup.”
Continuing, the publication asserts that “there is a champion in every neighbourhood” is a slogan that runs through the streets of Rabat, the capital of Morocco and is also heard in Casablanca, Marrakech, Tangier and every city in the North African country, which will host the African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup.
Olé’s correspondent was able to walk among mosques, stadiums under construction, La Medina (historic centre), the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, monuments and many – many with emphasis – football pitches.
Football was palpable. “There, as here, the sport of football is in the air: wherever you look, there is one, be it in a square, on the beach, on a 5-a-side football pitch or in the incredible high-level training centre. Morocco dreams big and is preparing to make history.”
The 2030 World Cup will begin in the South American trio Argentina-Uruguay-Paraguay, with one match in each country, and the rest will be played in the European trio Spain-Morocco-Portugal.
Morocco is preparing for the African Cup of Nations, which it will host in late 2025 and early 2026, and also for the 2030 World Cup, and Olé was there touring the fields that are being built: Tangier, Hassan II and Prince Moulay Abdellah. Video: @maxifriggieri
Six countries, three continents. As unprecedented as it is culturally varied.
Olé emphasised that “Morocco is precisely an example of this conjunction of customs: it is a land where Arab, African and also Western history converge. There is everything.”
Four languages are spoken normally: French, Arabic, Spanish and English.
“Their religion is Islam, but with an interpretation of the Koran is not as radical as seen in other parts of the Arab world.
“The role of women is extremely important. They pray, yes. There are mosques, of course. But everyone is welcome. For example, football does not differentiate between languages, ideologies or religions.”
In Morocco, the form of government is a monarchy where King Mohammed VI has been the leader for 26 years. “His vision of the country’s growth goes hand in hand with sporting development, with football as its banner”, reports Olé.
For example, one of the leaders the king trusts is Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), member of the FIFA Council and Minister of the Budget of Morocco.
“We can be champions in 2026, Fouzi Lekjaa tells Olé
He spoke to Olé and made clear the ambition of the Atlas Lions:
“We can be champions in 2026,” he said, without waiting for ‘his’ Cup in 2030.
In Qatar 2022, Morocco made history. They broke the “mental barrier” – as Fouzi says – of just going to compete and reached the semi-finals, winning their group over Croatia and Belgium, eliminating Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo ‘s Portugal and falling, controversially, to France.
Argentina then avenged them. According to Olé, Argentines and Moroccans were the two most important fan bases at the last World Cup.
Morocco and a connection with Argentina
Continuing, the publication reports that “history links Argentina and Morocco somewhat in terms of football.”
There are three friendlies between the teams, all with Albiceleste victories: 3-1 in 1994 in Salta with a goal from Diego Maradona, 1-0 in 2004 in Casablanca (Bielsa was the coach) and 1-0 in 2019 in Tangier (already with Scaloni in charge).
But that’s not all. Diego played a Peace Match in 2015 in Marrakech and another for charity in El Aiaiún (Western Sahara) in 2016.
Messi also visited the country: he scored three goals in a friendly in 2012, where Barcelona beat Raja Casablanca 8-0, and he also went on vacation to Marrakech with his family in 2023.
Leo also sent a post-earthquake message in 2023. The only stain was at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, a chaotic match that Morocco won 2-1, with controversies and unusual situations.
In Argentina, too, a phrase by Carlos Salvador Bilardo is remembered, when he said in 1990: “I said it in ’75 when we went to play the Mohamed Cup in Morocco and I said ‘this is where the future of football is. It’s not in Europe, in South America, it’s not in Asia…’ Because people still play.” That statement, from a man ahead of his time, was seen live and in person by Olé. Yes, in Morocco they play football.
Stadiums, infrastructures and academies
Olé was able to see firsthand the construction of stadiums, some remodelled for the African Cup of Nations and others from scratch for the 2030 World Cup. The Grand Stade Hassan II is Morocco’s big novelty.
The Tangier stadium is under renovation.
It will be the largest in the world, with a capacity for 115 thousand people, and is the best to host the World Cup final.
Located on the outskirts of Casablanca, the first phase of construction began, which is excavation and filling. It is surrounded by a forest and will be more than a stadium: it will have hotels, a shopping centre and a station for the high-speed train. The design will be that of an Arab tent.
The Grand Stade de Tangier is being refurbished to hold 75,000 spectators. It is expected to be ready for use in July 2025. It will have hybrid grass, a roof on each stand, 4 changing rooms, VIP lounges and a car park for 5,000 places. The Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah is in Rabat, the capital. It will have a capacity of 68,700 people. It is expected to open in March/April this year.
Travelling around the country, you can also see machinery improving highways, the construction of the largest hospital in Africa, as well as hotels (there are interest-free loans to improve them and, in the process, create jobs), universities… Who is investing?
Many places, such as the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Qatar, France, Saudi Arabia and the United States, as the main ones.
The Mohammed VI Academy Football Complex is a top-level training centre. It has 11 pitches, five hotels, training for players and referees, a general clinic, rehabilitation specialists, the headquarters of FIFA in Africa and even a museum. Real Madrid has its training camp there. It is, of course, the home of the local national teams.
A selection that is a flag
Map of Morocco
Olé reports that Morocco is tradition and innovation, both in what we have been writing about and in its football in the Atlas Lions, who do not lose the culture of their game and improve it with players in the main leagues.
They are not satisfied with what they did in the last World Cup and they are going for more. To do that, they must first qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Africa has nine direct tickets and one to the play-offs.
The qualification is divided into nine groups and the winner of each goes to the World Cup. Morocco leads Group E, having won all three of its matches (there are eight matches in this phase).
They were 2-0 against Tanzania, 2-1 against Zambia and 6-0 against Congo. They are on track to play in their seventh World Cup. Before that, they will seek their second African Cup of Nations: they won it in 1976 and will host it this year.
They are currently 14th in the FIFA rankings, the best African team in the ranking. The extra fact is that the country has a team that will play in the unprecedented Club World Cup this year: Wydad Casablanca, which is in the group with Manchester City, Juventus and Al-Ain.
–Olé
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Africa could break the glass ceiling of winning the World Cup in the next 10 years, partly thanks to a platform highlighting to foreign clubs the most talented youth from the continent, the co-founder has boldly claimed to AFP.
Morocco’s surprise run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals sparked hopes that such a moment is not far off.
Benjamin Balkin, though, thinks Eyeball, the digital platform he co-founded in 2020, could be the determining factor in ensuring that happens as it provides a shop window for talent which would previously have been missed.
Balkin cheerfully describes himself as a “failed footballer” having played in the academy of French club Monaco but was told he would fall short in the senior ranks.
As a Monaco ballboy, Balkin marvelled at the skills of Ivory Coast superstar Yaya Toure and Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor.
It was the spark that lit the fuse and has years later resulted in Eyeball investing in an Under-19 championship for Senegalese academies, United Future League, in Senegal.
That is one part of their investment as they also provide video cameras to 5,000 youth coaches globally, who film training sessions and add tags to individual players which are then placed on the platform.
High-profile clubs like German champions Bayer Leverkusen and Chelsea can access the footage.
It costs clubs just 92 euros ($97) a day to be able to scout 30,000 players across Africa.
Balkin, born in France to Danish parents, says by moving abroad the players grow in every sense which ultimately benefits their national sides.
“Those players leaving African academies and going to European or American academies, their football understanding skills, IQ will improve, because of just a better level of training, better infrastructure,” Balkin told AFP from Copenhagen.
“When those players come back and play for the national team, the national teams will also benefit from that and perform probably at a better level.
“So maybe if we speak again in 10 years, we’ll have an African nation that has won the World Cup, that wouldn’t be surprising.”
‘Much more transparent’
Balkin’s friend and now colleague Oliver Durr Dehnhardt experienced how difficult it was to acquire African talent when he was a scout at Dutch giants Ajax.
“We made a partnership with Cape Town FC in South Africa for a few years,” he told AFP.
“It didn’t work out. We got one player out of it and it was still too messy.
“So in the end, before Eyeball, the idea in Africa was, let’s wait until they come to Europe and then we just need to accept that we will have to pay 10, 15, 20 million euros for them.”
The 30-year-old Dane said that picture was transformed when Eyeball, who say they are the only players in this market, came on the scene.
“In my later stage at Ajax, we were starting to look actively in Africa because Eyeball enabled that for us,” he said.
“With the United Future League, they actually built the structure that was missing and gave us the opportunity to see the players a year, year-and-a-half before they made their senior debut.
“So all of a sudden, we were able to replicate the process that we have in Europe to Africa.”
In years gone by there have been plentiful stories of young talent brought to Europe by unscrupulous agents and when they fail to make it are left to fend for themselves, often condemned to sleeping on the streets.
Balkin, 26, believes such behaviour is now “outdated” but Eyeball provides a safety net.
“It certainly made things much more transparent,” he said.
“That’s the biggest thing. So throughout the system, you’re actually able to get correct information on players.
“So first of all, like, when are they born? What is the nationality?
“Clubs and scouts are able to reach out directly to other clubs down there in Africa without having to go through intermediaries.”
Balkin highlights the story of 19-year-old Assane Ouedraogo, who through the platform earned a move from his Ivory Coast club San Pedro to Charlotte in the MLS, although he is currently on loan at MLS Next Pro side Crown Legacy FC.
“With the sign-on bonus, he was able to buy a house for his parents.”
-AFP
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Argentina great Lionel Messi wants to play in the 2026 World Cup, but is too early to make any official announcements, his national coach Lionel Scaloni said on Thursday.
Scaloni, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar, explained the 37-year-old record eight-times Ballon d’Or winner’s desire to remain in the squad.
“The first thing to say is that both he and his teammates are aware that there is a reasonable amount of time left and that he and everyone else are keen to play in the World Cup,” Scaloni told DSPORTS.
“We will have to wait and see how things develop. He (Messi) knows what we are thinking and he is the most intelligent of us all,” the coach added.
Scaloni also spoke about former Argentina forward Angel Di Maria’s decision to retire from international football after winning his second Copa America trophy last year.
“From what he said, it is over. And in the best possible way. If he had written his film, his book, his football story, I don’t think he would have written it as well as he ended it,” Scaloni said.
Reuters
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World Cup
To be or not to be? Nigerian veteran journalists pass verdict on Super Eagles’ World Cup qualification chances
BY TONY UBANI
VETERAN sports Journalists have expressed worry over the chances of the Super Eagles qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be jointly hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. Their worry stems from the fact that the Super Eagles chances of qualifying is hanging on a thread.
Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, losing on away goals to Ghana in the play-offs. They are also dangerously placed second- to-last in their Group C with three points of a possible 12 points having played four of their five group opponents, leaving them six matches to determine their fate.
The Super Eagles must now win all six of their remaining games to guarantee themselves a chance to qualify for the World Cup but based on their previous performances, that is as wishful as thinking gets. It is time for the recriminations to begin as the once-feared giants of African football are now whimpering their way out of a place. We spoke to top sports Journalists on the chances of the Eagles, the actions and inactions of the NFF on appointing an unknown coach and the coming of the Presidential Support Group, PSG for the World Cup.
Why it may not be possible — Onochie Anibeze
To win the remaining six matches? It is possible but I have my fears. Miracles happen but I doubt if one will lead us to the next World Cup. The appointment of Chelle appears to have compounded issues but our problems didn’t start from that appointment. It took so long to appoint Finidi and when they did immediate actions were not taken to present a strong team in the two matches he played.
Finidi should have gone to Europe to meet the players and tell them individually about his philosophy and approach. He should have fired up the players. He should have known the team that he would present before the match based on his thoughts while monitoring the players in their various clubs. Coming to camp and testing players, assessing them three or four days before a big qualifier is poor planning. In qualifiers, a coach should always have a good picture of his team before assembling.
The training sessions before a match should centre on tactical execution of his game plan and not to start assessing his players to know who is fit or not. That should be known before assembling the players. It is only when you’re preparing for tournaments that you have about three or four weeks to train that you can have time to test players in camp. This leads me to the question of a technical back up team whose job is to advise the coach on technical and tactical matters.
It is usually left for the coach to consider or reject some or all the recommendations of the technical back up team. Was Finidi supported with a technical back-up team? They have such a structure in football nations but I don’t know why we have not emulated that. When Austin Eguavoen played goalless draw in Ghana for the Qatar World Cup and made up to five changes in the second leg he committed a big blunder considering the weather factor in sports.
The boys who played in Accra would have adapted better to the heat of Abuja. He needed tactical change and maybe one or two players and not five. Was there any technical back-up team to guide Eguavoen? No. Will Chelle have one? I don’t know. The biggest problem Nigeria has is that those around the national team lack knowledge of modern football and that’s why I doubt we will be in the next World Cup in spite of the fact that after the USA ‘94 and France ‘98 squads we have never had it so good with the quality of our individual players we have now. Making them a collective unit has always been the problem. I don’t see that changing overnight with Chelle. I pray it turns out otherwise.
The odds are against us — Dr Mumini Alao
AS things stand in our World Cup group, qualification is out of our hands because, even if we win our six remaining matches, still we need some other results to be in our favour. To be candid, the odds are against us. Having said that, nothing is impossible in football, so we can’t write our chances off pre- maturely. Despite the odds, we must remain positive and believe that we can qualify, then work hard towards achieving the objective.
A Presidential Support Group is not a bad idea. A similar group was set up before we qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. But the truth is that our fate lies at the feet of our players. The Support Group will probably provide additional motivation for the team in terms of rewards. But the players have to do the business on the pitch. Our players must be ready to fight for the World Cup ticket.
Other countries on the continent have improved tremendously. They do not fear the Super Eagles any more. If Nigeria desires to go to the next World Cup, our players have to fight very hard for it.
Deliberately, I have not mentioned the officials of the Football Federation nor the coach. Yes, the officials and the coach have roles to play, but the primary actors are the players. It is their attitude and determination, or a lack of it, that will determine the out- come of our qualifying campaign.
Why do we need to qualify for the World Cup? — Ikeddy Isiguzo
Why do we need to qualify for the World Cup? Who would be the people to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup? This NFF, which is as illegal as the so-called National Sports Commission, which it permanently wrestles with for control of football?
You mean you do not know the purpose of the Presidential Support Group, PSG? How does PSG qualify a country for the World Cup?I thought they just hired a foreign coach? Are you no longer confident that he would qualify the team? PSG can also mean Prayer Support Group. Or don’t we need prayers?
We’re in a cliff-hanging situation — Dr Mitchel Obi
The dream is to always qualify for the World Cup. It is not new. It has always been a dream. We have the players who can do this. We first qualified for the World Cup in 1994. Going to the World Cup is not a novelty. It seems our World Cup campaign has been compromised. We’re behind a group of three leaders. If you beat one, you still look aside to see if others are coming. We’re in a cliff-hanging situation. But we can’t afford to falter.
I’m befuddled why Nigerians will decide to back a foreigner or give him support. Why do we take a risk with one who has nothing to lose?
The support would have been super if it were to be an indigenous coach. If we qualify, we celebrate and know we did this together. And if we fail, we rue the pain together. With this man, he has nothing to lose. Anyway, it’s a hard road to travel. With African games, you can never be sure of any game. We’re in a game and have to behave like gamblers.
The big question is, can we be sure of our home games? The first game is an away game to Rwanda in March. “Beware The Ides of March”.
We have to show seriousness and take care of the players. Their bonuses should be paid at once.
We’re entering the month of love and should show them love. After that, we enter the month of March where we hope to keep marching on.
I don’t have the third eye. Six is not an easy number to overcome. Who do you chase? The big question is can we be totally galvanised?
Experience over time has shown that there could be banana peels on the way. We have to be optimistic. There’s a flicker of hope. If we fail, we can go through the backdoor. The play-off. That is if we finish second in our group.
After all, we love celebrating the second position and giving them national awards. The truth is that after the first two games, our hearts can see clearly.
If we don’t qualify, someone must be held accountable — Sani Zaria
What we ought to have been talking by now is teams to accompany Nigeria in world show piece even with just four matches played so far.
But because of the class character of the Nigerian state and the inept football administrative system we are now subjected to serious academic gymnastics trying to find out whether Nigeria will qualify for the World Cup or not. And in between Nigeria and the qualification are Benin, Rwanda, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and South Africa whose pedigree cannot match Nigeria’s in football.
Coming to specifics, we have six matches to play and the only sure guarantee for qualification is to win them all.
But can we? Yes we can. And we don’t have to win all. Only four points separate Nigeria and group leaders Rwanda.
We have the best African players in Europe and that personality may work for us in the end. We shall be there. But if for any reason we are not, then someone must be held accountable.
Difficult for Nigeria to qualify, but it is not impossible — Kunle Solaja
As of today, Monday 27 January, it is exactly 500 days to the kick-off of the 2026 World Cup.
It certainly looks difficult for Nigeria to qualify, but it is not impossible. The sure way of getting a direct qualification is for the Super Eagles to win their remaining six matches.
It looks herculean, but the mountain is surmountable.Winning the remaining six matches translates to each of the other teams losing a match to Nigeria.
Nigeria could not have wished for a better group when the draw was made. In the FIFA ranking, none of the five teams in Group C of the qualifying series move near Nigeria. But a simple arithmetic has turned into a Greek Puzzle.
The NFF takes responsibility as they allowed the Super Eagles camp in Nigeria to be turned into a holiday resort as all sorts of social media content providers, invade the camps and ask irrelevant questions from the players.
Can you imagine seeing such people in Argentina or England camp?
The camp is so relaxed that players lose focus and concentration. Such would not have happened at their clubs in Europe.
For any dream of qualification for the World Cup, the orientation of the players has to change.
With the array of players that the team parades, the Super Eagles should not just be a serial winner, but a high-scoring side.
Save for the mauling of Sao Tome & Principe in the qualifiers for the AFCON 2023, the 2-0 defeat of Cameroon and the 3-0 against Benin last September, when last has the team won a match by more than a goal margin since 2022?
Going into the remaining matches of the World Cup qualifiers, if Nigeria can take the full points in the two encounters with Rwanda, the Super Eagles will climb up the ladder and surmount the current group leaders.
The two matches in March are crucial. Win away against Rwanda and do the same against Zimbabwe at home.
Goal-scoring is crucial as it might end up as the eventual tiebreaker in the group. So far, the team has not scored more than a goal in any match of the series and is currently in goal deficit.
If Nigeria take revenge against Rwanda for the home defeat inflicted on the Super Eagles on the last game for the AFCON 2025, that will be the beginning of the turning around.
Where direct qualification as group leader becomes impossible, the Super Eagles should at least place second with high points to rank among the four best runners-up in the nine groups and proceed to the lengthy playoff series.
–Vanguard
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