Morocco Builds World’s Second-Largest Stadium for 2030 World Cup

Under construction on an area of more than 100 hectares in Mansouria, in the commune of Benslimane, about 38 kilometers from Casablanca, the Grand Stade Hassan II will emerge from the ground within three years and surpass the largest Spanish stadiums, namely the Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou. The work on this mega project started last August and will be completed in 2028, said Tarik Oualalou, one of the founders of the Oualalou + Choi architectural firm, which won, in a consortium with Populous, the design contract for this infrastructure.

The Grand Stade Hassan II will take the form of a tent used for the "moussem", explains the architect who says he wants to highlight Morocco’s legendary hospitality. "The notion of Marhaba (welcome) is at the heart of the project, which is why we have developed the architectural project around the moussem and the figure of the tent, which is a deeply Moroccan but also universal figure," develops Oualalou.

And to continue: "The idea is to talk about Morocco, but for it to have a universal resonance. When people come, they can dialogue with our culture but at the same time feel the similarities with their place of origin. We want to highlight this notion of welcome which is at the heart of our tradition, our culture and our relationship to the world and to foreigners."

With an estimated cost of 5 billion dirhams, the Grand Stade Hassan II will have three stands with a capacity of 29,500 seats each. The stadium will be surrounded by a hotel, green spaces, shopping centers and a swimming pool, and will be the future stadium of the two Casablanca clubs, Raja and Wydad. It will be an "ultra-modern" stadium, in line with FIFA guidelines and HQE certified, concluded the architect.