Morocco’s 2030 World Cup Co-Hosting: Economic Opportunity and Challenges Ahead

While some countries, like Brazil and South Africa, are still suffering from the debts incurred for hosting their World Cup, Rashid Sari, president of the African Center for Strategic and Digital Studies, assures Madar21 that Morocco’s co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup with its two Iberian neighbors represents an invaluable economic opportunity to make a leap in many sectors. To support his argument, he indicated that the cost of organizing the 2030 World Cup can be analyzed from three main angles: "The costs will not exceed 53 billion dirhams ($5.5 billion), Morocco’s GDP will reach $200 billion by 2029, and we could even exceed this figure if we update several data."

The economic expert relies on the forecasts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). According to the institution, Morocco’s GDP will increase from $144 to $200 billion. However, Morocco will have to make a considerable effort in terms of marketing, particularly to attract investments. "Foreign investment, although we claim it has improved in 2024, has in fact severely declined compared to 19 years ago. For example, in 2023 it reached 10.8 billion dirhams, while in 2005 it was 43 billion dirhams," Sari specifies. He suggests that Morocco focus on foresight, attracting investments and tourists, as well as strengthening infrastructure.

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