After South Africa in 2010, Morocco in 2026? On paper, the scenario does not seem the most credible. But the Moroccan candidacy for the Football World Cup in 2026 firmly believes in its chances. His team repeated it tirelessly on Tuesday January 23 in Casablanca, during the press conference to present the campaign logo, a star surrounded by red leaves, symbol of “unity and brilliance”.

For its fifth attempt, the Moroccan kingdom presents itself as a diligent and serious student, but without refraining from an offensive position. “ This is not an extra application, it’s a real application.”, insisted its president, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, convinced of having learned the lessons of past failures.

« FIFA knows that we are capable of holding major competitions. The stability of our country for investors is an asset. Morocco is 14 km from Europe and the time zone works in our favor. The football fan will discover a country that is tolerant, authentic, and passionate about football.”, listed Moulay Hafid El Alamy when listing the strengths of the file, in competition with the joint candidacy of the United States, Mexico and Canada, announced as the overwhelming favorite.

The president of the organizing committee insists: “ Morocco will be ready in terms of infrastructure. We will only make the necessary and structured investments for the future of Morocco. We are going to put all our energy into it, our record is and will be impeccable. Some say we are behind schedule, but we are capable of a “comeback”.

 

So much for the intentions and the promises. Classic, even expected. The main thing remains, strategy. For this first election where all member countries will be entitled to one vote, Morocco wants to play the African unity card. He is counting on massive and unqualified support from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), whose president, Ahmad Ahmad, called on the national federations to vote en masse for the Moroccan issue.

Unfailing support from the African continent would ensure 53 votes for Morocco. It will take 104 to win the cup on June 13, 2018, during the FIFA Congress in Moscow. To find them, the application team chose two ambassadors with a global dimension, the Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o and the Ivorian Didier Drogba. She also recruited the British agency Vero Communications, associated with the successes of Rio 2016, Qatar 2022, and more recently Paris 2024.