With more than 1,400 days remaining before the centenary 2030 World Cup, Morocco is racing to finalise preparations as co-host alongside Spain and Portugal, an undertaking that mirrors challenges faced by South Africa before it staged the 2010 tournament. Officials insist the project extends beyond football, framing it as a driver of infrastructure development for the country, even as some critics question whether the enormous outlay would be better spent on public services such as healthcare and education.

The Morocco 2030 Foundation is budgeting 50-60 billion Moroccan dirhams (£4bn-£4.8bn) directly for football, alongside a reported £17bn in wider infrastructure spending, with the IMF estimating accelerated expenditure to 2030 equivalent to 11.9% of the country's 2024 GDP. Officials say stadiums in Rabat and Tangier are already complete, while Morocco continues learning from the US's organisation of this year's tournament and holds monthly coordination talks with Spain and Portugal ahead of Fifa's expected announcement of host cities later this year. The bid follows decades of failed attempts dating back to King Hassan II's unsuccessful 1994 push, before King Mohammed VI secured the 2030 hosting rights.