FIFA Empowers Morocco as African Football Hub with New Continental Headquarters

A historic milestone for Africa. The new FIFA regional headquarters is located in the immediate vicinity of the Mohammed VI Football Complex. This office is in addition to the existing ones in Paris, Miami and Jakarta, "which support FIFA’s objective of establishing even closer and stronger local ties with its 211 Member Associations worldwide, in order to facilitate the development of football at the international level," the organization said. To train its teams in Rabat, FIFA has recruited professionals from across the continent, reports BFMTV. "We have a universal football, but the vision and way of managing this football is often different depending on the regions of the world, which is why we need ultra-local expertise," adds a FIFA member based in Zurich.

This installation symbolizes not only the global organization’s confidence in Morocco, but also the central role the kingdom plays in the development of African football. "Morocco is the primary beneficiary, that’s for sure, but Africa will also have a role to play within this new control tower of African football," promises a member of the FIFA office in Rabat. He will add: "With the facilities on site, this new office will not only serve administrative purposes, it is concrete." A semi-finalist in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Morocco will host the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2025) and co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. It will become the second African country to host a World Cup, after South Africa in 2010, following five unsuccessful bids.

The kingdom will also host the next five editions of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup. To successfully organize these sporting events, Morocco is dedicating significant investments to sports and non-sports facilities that meet FIFA standards. The inauguration of some sports facilities is already effective, while others are soon to be completed.