The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has given approval for the rehabilitation of five stadiums in Morocco to host the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, slated to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026.
The stadiums in Marrakech, Agadir, Oujda, and the El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida, along with Berkane Stadium, have been earmarked to host the third and fourth rounds of the African qualifiers, following the closure of Mohammed V Stadium, Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, and Ibn Battouta Stadium in Tangier for renovations ahead of hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (RMFF) has requested the upgrading of Oujda’s Stade Honoris and El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida, as well as the Municipal Stadium in Berkane.
This move aims to accommodate the requests from several African national teams seeking to play their World Cup qualifiers in Morocco due to the unavailability of ready-to-use stadiums in their respective countries.
In the previous season, CAF declined to rehabilitate stadiums in 24 countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Namibia, Niger, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, and Burundi.
