Morocco Stresses ‘Readiness’ To Host 2025 Africa Cup of Nations

Rabat – As the Confederation of African Football is close to announcing the official host of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco seems confident in its bid to host the tournament.

In an interview with BBC Sport Africa, Moroccan official and Director of the Mohammed VI Football Complex Hassan Kharbouch emphasized that “Morocco is ready” to host the continental event.

Kharbouch highlighted Morocco’s favorable position in hosting the AFCON, having successfully hosted the Club World Cup, which took place in the Moroccan cities of Tangier and Rabat between February 1 and 11.

“We just organised a successful Club World Cup after our previous successes of hosting this same tournament in 2013 and 2014,” he said.

In addition, Morocco hosted the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in July 2022, during which the country “delivered record African attendances for the Women’s Cup of Nations in Rabat and Casablanca in 2022,” Kharbouch highlighted.

The WAFCON semi-final match between Morocco and Nigeria set a new attendance record in the history of women’s football in Africa by hosting 45,562 spectators.

For Kharbouch, Morocco possesses “all the facilities and logistics” needed to host the AFCON event, “not only in Rabat and Casablanca, but also in Tangier, Oujda, Fez, Marrakech, and Agadir, each venue boasting of a number of training sites.”

CAF has stripped Guinea of the right to host the sporting event, justifying it by the West African nation’s inadequacy of hosting preparations and infrastructure.

The confederation’s President Patrice Motsepe has confirmed that Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, Zambia, and a joint Benin-Nigeria bid have submitted their candidacies to host the 2025 AFCON.

While Morocco faces great competition from the biding countries, Kharbouch highlighted the North African country’s infrastructure and organizational capabilities, putting it in a favorable position to host the event.

“In Rabat alone, there are more than 10 pitches in which teams can have their training sessions. We also have big hospitals,” he said, stressing that the country’s highways, hospitals, and IT and communication are of “the highest standards.”

The Moroccan official noted that supporters wishing to attend the AFCON can travel from the Moroccan city of Tangier to the capital Rabat in one hour, thanks to the Al Boraq high-speed train. Al Boraq operates between Tangier and Casablanca and stops in Kenitra and Rabat.

CAF’s executive committee was scheduled to appoint the official host of the continental tournament earlier this month, but it is set to announce its decision sometime in March.