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Rabat – After its recent three-day visit, FIFA’s 2026 site inspection task force is expected to return to Morocco next week to hold talks with Morocco’s World Cup bid committee concerning the country’s hotel capacity and stadiums.
Quoting chairman of the Moroccan bid committee Moulay Hafid Elalamy, French news agency AFP reported on Friday that the FIFA inspection delegation “noticed some deviations from the initial planned program.”
Elalamy added that the FIFA task force members “asked questions about the reliability of accommodation projects,” as well as the “plans for the transformation of stadiums.”
The task force arrived in Morocco on April 16 to evaluate Morocco’s assets and capacity to host the World Cup. It previously visited four sites from the rival North American bid earler in April.
After expressing admiration for Morocco’s bid, the task force informed the chairman of the Moroccan bid committee of the desire by FIFA technical experts for another site visit in order to hold talks “about possible solutions for accommodation and stadiums.”
During a presentation offered to the press on Friday, Elalamy said that the members of the task force “expressed their admiration” for the quality of Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup. He added that the FIFA delegation “felt the passion of the whole population” for the tournament, which “clearly highlights the fact that Morocco as a whole is a candidate.”
The Moroccan official added that the task force praised both the committee’s diligence and the nation’s commitment to the effort. Elalamy summarized the positive site visit emphasizing that Morocco “is a country in full development, in full construction, with a clear vision, where the World Cup is a tool for the accelerating development projects at all levels.”
Fifty-four African nations and the majority of Arab countries are expected to vote for Morocco’s 2026 bid, and the effort has collected commitments from several European countries, including France, Belgium, Russia, Luxembourg, and Serbia.
