His Majesty the King Chairs Council of Ministers

The outstanding infrastructure developed by Morocco has propelled the Kingdom among “the world football elite,” President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, said on Wednesday.

The outstanding infrastructure developed by Morocco has propelled the Kingdom into the “world elite of football,” said Gianni Infantino, president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), on Wednesday.

“Morocco’s vision, under the leadership of His Majesty the King, to promote excellence in football at the global level is extraordinary,” Infantino told the press on the sidelines of the reception hosted by HM King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the glorious Throne Day.

After recalling his recent visit to the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, the FIFA president praised the “magnificent” organization of the Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), held from July 5 to 26 in the Kingdom.

“I would like to congratulate Morocco on its brilliant results in this continental competition,” he said.

The FIFA President noted that Morocco will also host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations for men, the next five editions of the U17 Women’s World Cup, and the 2030 World Cup, jointly with Spain and Portugal, highlighting the “outstanding” quality of the Kingdom’s existing infrastructure.

He also expressed his pride in the opening of FIFA’s Africa office in Morocco, a structure that will play a “key role” in serving African and global football.

 Infrastructure, investment, and construction projects launched in the framework of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) are part of a continuous strategy aimed at efficiently and sustainably preparing for the hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, stressed Fouzi Lekjaa, Minister Delegate for the Budget, on Friday in Rabat.

“The infrastructure, investments, and construction efforts tied to AFCON 2025 are part of a coherent and progressive approach to preparing for the 2030 World Cup, thereby ensuring a sustainable legacy and optimized development of Morocco’s sports, economic, and territorial spheres,” said Lekjaa during a ministerial conference themed “2030 World Cup: Financial, Institutional, and Strategic Challenges,” held at the National School of Administration (ENSA).

An investment of approximately 150 billion dirhams (MAD) is currently underway across the relevant sectors, including the construction of a potable water treatment plant with a capacity of 2 billion cubic meters, intended to meet both industrial and domestic needs, he revealed.

Lekjaa also noted that the financing of transport infrastructure is based on public-private partnerships, supported by annual state contributions of around 1.6 billion MAD until 2030, ensuring continuity and financial viability of the projects.

He emphasized that mobility remains a central challenge among host cities. “The development of the high-speed rail line (LGV) and the regional express network (RER) is already underway, particularly to connect Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, and the southern provinces, thus enhancing Morocco’s territorial and economic integration,” the minister added.

Regarding the financial structure, he stressed that it was designed not to burden the State’s general budget. “An innovative financing and operation model, in partnership with the Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG) and the National Company for the Construction and Management of Sports Facilities (SONARGES), allows for a 20-year amortization, ensuring investment viability,” he stated.

In addition, Lekjaa announced that work on the two stadiums set to host AFCON 2025 will be completed on schedule: by July 31 for the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, and by August 15 for the Grand Stadium of Tangier.

He underlined that this organizational effort is part of a broader vision encompassing other continental and international women’s competitions, contributing to the strengthening of Morocco’s organizational capacities and its long-term sporting and economic influence.

For her part, ENSA Director General Nada Biaz stated that the co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup is a showcase of Morocco’s boldness, reflecting the Kingdom’s capacity to unite, anticipate, shape the future, and coordinate with neighbors and partners such as Spain and Portugal.

Economically, this event represents a structural investment lever, generating growth, mobility, and regional attractiveness, while mobilizing all state actors around principles of coordination, efficiency, and transparency, she said, underlining the strategic dimension of this ambition, reflecting Morocco’s role as an influential and supportive actor engaged in constructive diplomacy and exemplary partnerships with brotherly and friendly nations.

Morocco’s Government Council on Thursday approved a bill to establish the “Morocco 2030 Foundation,” a new body tasked with overseeing preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the Kingdom is co-hosting.

Bill No. 35.25, presented by Minister Delegate for the Budget Fouzi Lekjaa, forms part of the implementation of directives issued by HM King Mohammed VI during the Council of Ministers held on December 4, 2024.

Speaking at a press briefing after the weekly cabinet meeting, Government Spokesperson Mustapha Baitas said the Foundation will coordinate and monitor development projects linked to the 2030 World Cup and ensure Morocco meets its commitments under the tournament’s specifications.

Baitas added that the initiative aligns with HM the King’s vision of sport as a tool for sustainable and inclusive development, as well as a driver of youth integration and territorial development.

He noted that hosting the 2030 World Cup—alongside other major events such as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations—reinforces Morocco’s status as a hub for international events and a meeting point of civilizations.

The Morocco 2030 Foundation will adopt a participatory approach involving government bodies, public institutions, local authorities, civil society, the private sector, the Moroccan diaspora, and the broader football community, including African partners, Baitas said.

 Former Moroccan Olympic champion Nawal El Moutawakel, Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), stated on Wednesday in Marrakech that hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup will give a significant boost to the major development projects currently underway in Morocco.

Speaking at the opening of the 33rd General Assembly of the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN), El Moutawakel emphasized that Morocco, which will also host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2025, is set to experience unprecedented momentum in infrastructure development.

The first Arab and African woman to win an Olympic gold medal, El Moutawakel shared highlights of her athletic career and her extensive experience with major international sporting events, having attended over twenty-two editions of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games since Los Angeles 1984.

“I have seen up close the impact of sports and the complexity of organizing a major event such as the World Cup,” she said, stressing that Morocco is ready to host such a large-scale global sporting event.

She also underscored the essential role of sports in the flourishing of society, drawing from her own personal experience. “Thanks to the power of sports, my life changed. It only took 54 seconds and 61 hundredths to go from the shadows to the spotlight,” she said.

El Moutawakel concluded by praising FIFA’s “stroke of genius” in uniting Europe and Africa in a joint bid, describing it as an ideal platform to showcase the role of sports in development.

The 33rd AMAN General Assembly brings together directors general and senior representatives of member agencies from across the Mediterranean region.

The opening session featured remarks by the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, and the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and 2030 FIFA World Cup Committee, Fouzi Lekjaa.

The General Assembly’s agenda, under Morocco’s MAP presidency for the current year, included a panel discussion titled “2030 FIFA World Cup: Challenges and Role of Mediterranean Press Agencies,” featuring key figures from the worlds of football and media.

Morocco, Portugal and Spain have officially been appointed as host countries for the 2030 FIFA World Cup by the FIFA Congress, gathered Wednesday in an extraordinary session by videoconference.

During the same session, chaired by FIFA president Gianni Infantino from Zurich, Congress members also approved awarding the three centenary matches to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, while Saudi Arabia was confirmed as the host country for the 2034 World Cup.

The three bids were approved by acclamation of FIFA’s 211 member federations, who voted separately on the nomination procedure adopted by FIFA and on each of the respective bids.

Speaking on the occasion, Infantino said that “in today’s divided world (…), to be able to agree on something like this is an extraordinary message”.

“We live unity. We live inclusiveness. We live soccer,” he stated solemnly.

For his part, President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) Fouzi Lekjaa expressed his gratitude to FIFA’s member federations for having made possible “this moment of shared happiness, a moment rich in many ways, starting with this universal representation, rarely seen or experienced in other fields”.

“I would like to thank you for having placed your trust in my country, Morocco, and its two partners, Portugal and Spain, to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup together,” he said in a pre-recorded speech broadcast during the Congress.

“This trust placed in my country by retaining its candidacy as part of the tripartite bid is further testimony to the progress made both in the specific preparations for the event and in the country’s overall progress, led by the enlightened vision of HM King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him,”  Lekjaa stressed.

“It will not only contribute to the organization’s success,” he continued, “but also to achieve what we have always defended, namely that sport, in general, and soccer, in particular, is a lever for socio-economic and human development”.

“The tripartite bid will stand out in history. This is the first time that this universal event has been organized simultaneously in Africa, the cradle of Humanity, and on the Old Continent, Europe”, the President of the FRMF concluded.

Furthermore, an official from the independent auditor (BDO), commissioned by FIFA to verify the compliance of the bids for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, concluded that both bidding procedures had been conducted with “objectivity, integrity and transparency”.

Sole candidate in the running for the 2030 World Cup, the Moroccan-Iberian “Yalla Vamos 2030” bid took another decisive step forward at the end of November following the publication by FIFA of the evaluation report, which deemed that the tripartite bid stands out for its “overall quality” and exceeded the “minimum organizational requirements” set out in the technical evaluation, awarding it a score of 4.2 out of 5.

The solidity of the bid is reflected in the technical evaluation, which covers both infrastructure and commercial potential, the reports details.

The Morocco-Spain-Portugal 2030 bid offers 20 varied options for stadiums: six in Morocco, three in Portugal and 11 in Spain. This exceeds the minimum requirements (14 stadiums) outlined for the 2030 World Cup, offering sufficient flexibility to choose diverse and emblematic venues in the three countries, the report points out.

The report further notes that Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, Barcelona’s Camp Nou in Barcelona and Casablanca’s Grand Stade Hassan II have been submitted for the opening and final games.

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, chaired, on Wednesday at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a Council of Ministers, according to a statement from the Spokesperson of the Royal Palace.

Here follows its translation:

“His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, chaired, this Wednesday, December 4, 2024, corresponding to Joumada II 02, 1446 H, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a Council of Ministers.

At the outset of the Council’s session, Mr. Fouzi Lekjaa, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the Budget and Chairman of the 2030 World Cup Committee, delivered a presentation before His Majesty the King, may God preserve Him, on the progress of the Kingdom’s preparations to host this international sporting event.

The Minister provided an overview of the various stages achieved in Morocco’s bid, tracing its progress since His Majesty the King, may God glorify Him, announced on March 14, 2023, in Kigali, the joint candidacy with Spain and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup. The Minister also highlighted the Sovereign’s announcement to the Moroccan people on October 4, 2023, regarding FIFA’s Council’s unanimous decision to select the Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid as the sole candidacy, which sparked an extraordinary mobilization to prepare a bid dossier fully aligned with FIFA’s specifications and requirements.

The Minister added that this tripartite bid submitted to FIFA on July 29, 2024 is the fruit of a strong and unprecedented mobilization by the working groups created for this purpose, in particular at the level of ministerial departments, public institutions, companies and local authorities concerned.

FIFA’s evaluation report on the bid, published on November 29, 2024, awarded an outstanding score, far exceeding the stipulated requirements. This remarkable achievement sets the stage, God willing, for the Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid to be officially awarded the hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup during the upcoming extraordinary FIFA Council Congress.

To rise to the challenge of an organization that lives up to the aspirations of His Majesty the King, may God assist Him, the Minister announced that, in accordance with the High Royal Directives, an expanded committee will be established, which includes representatives from civil society, Moroccan expatriates, and African talents.

The mobilization will be further reinforced through coordinated efforts with all stakeholders to expedite the execution of strategic and structuring projects relating to hosting this global event, in particular:

– Upgrading stadiums;

– Expanding and renovating airports in the six host cities;

– Enhancing road infrastructure and densifying intra-urban networks;

– Launching an integrated territorial upgrading program that extends beyond the host cities of the World Cup games;

– Developing hotel and commercial infrastructure;

– Strengthening and modernizing medical services;

– Developing and modernizing telecommunications networks;

– Launching a comprehensive training program to strengthen the skills of young people.

At the end of his address, the Minister said that the 2030 World Cup will not only be a sporting event, but also a unique opportunity to accelerate the growth momentum of the national economy over the next few years, create more job opportunities, boost the country’s tourist appeal and promote the universal values of peace, unity and sustainable development.

Then, the Council of Ministers approved six international conventions, of which four are bilateral and two are multilateral, aimed at strengthening cooperation and partnership ties between Morocco and several friendly and brotherly countries, as well as reinforcing its continental and international positioning.

The bilateral conventions focus on enhancing cooperation with several friendly European countries and address the mutual recognition of driving licenses, cooperation in criminal justice matters and the improvement of efficiency in combating cross-border crime, as well as military and technical cooperation.

The two multilateral conventions pertain to offences and certain other acts occurring on board aircraft, and the Charter on creating the Digital Cooperation Organization.

In accordance with the provisions of article 49 of the Constitution and on the proposal of the Head of Government and on the initiative of the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, His Majesty the King, may God glorify Him, has kindly appointed Zouhair Chorfi as Chairman of the National Electricity Regulatory Authority.

In this regard, His Majesty the King has given His High Instructions to consider a far-reaching reform of this body in order to transform it into a regulatory authority for the energy sector, by revising its respective law, broadening its scope to include, other than electricity, all the components of the energy sector. These include natural gas, new energies such as hydrogen and its derivatives, as well as production, storage, transport and distribution, in order to keep pace with the maturity that the energy sector has reached in our country, and to be in line with international best practices in this field.