— Published January 19, 2026

Morocco, a new stronghold of African sport

Events Focus

A month of celebration. Morocco has just experienced one of the greatest moments in its sporting history by hosting the Africa Cup of Nations. This was the first time since 1988, when the tournament only involved eight teams. This 2025 edition was a far cry from the previous one, which brought together 24 teams in nine stadiums and attracted more than 1,3 million spectators. The Atlas Lions let the trophy slip away on Sunday in the final against Senegal, but this AFCON undoubtedly marks a turning point for Moroccan sports.

"The best AFCON in history"

Morocco largely met expectations in terms of infrastructure, as evidenced by its brand-new Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. Its hospitality was also praised, and security was generally well-maintained, apart from a few incidents involving supporters. The best AFCON in history "said the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrick Motsepe, who spoke of the tournament as " the biggest commercial success in the history of African football Morocco could even host the Africa Cup of Nations again as early as 2028. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced a change in the event's frequency: the AFCON will align with other continental tournaments and will now be held every four years instead of every two. Given the very tight deadlines, it needs a reliable host, already equipped and ready. Morocco ticks all the boxes.

The country will follow up by hosting the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, starting March 17, perhaps the 2029 Club World Cup, and of course the 2030 World Cup, for which the country is building what will be the world's largest football stadium in El Mansouria, north of Casablanca (115.000 seats). However, not all efforts are focused solely on football: the country hosted the African Games in 2019 and recently renovated the Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, which includes a 21.000-seat athletics stadium and hosted a stage of the 2025 Diamond League. There is a clear political will to invest in sport… but could this translate into a bid to host the Olympic Games?

The Games, a "feasible" objective

Casablanca's bid to host the 2028 Games was in the works ten years ago, notably championed by the former Minister of Youth and Sports, Moncef Belkhayat. This is a real project that was even discussed with the IOC president (Thomas Bach) when he visited Rabat during the organization of the first African Youth Games (in Rabat, in 2010)., he explained to Sport & Society. We had discussed the subject and clearly, there are two African cities that have emerged as being capable of organizing the Olympics in 2028 or 2032: Casablanca or Durban in South Africa. "Morocco has undoubtedly strengthened since then. It also has an influential member of the IOC, Nawal El Moutawakel, vice-president of the body.

« Morocco will consider hosting the Olympic Games in the future, in the context of the major sporting development our country is experiencing thanks to its strategic vision. "of King Mohammed VI," declared Abdelmalek Abroun, president of the infrastructure committee at the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), last July. The Hassan II stadium in Casablanca, the largest in the world, will have a sports village, which will strengthen the Kingdom's bid to host the Olympic Games in the future. "The IOC has made it clear that it wants to promote the organization of the Games on the continent, potentially as early as 2036 or 2040. If it decides to go ahead, Morocco will certainly have a card to play."