World Cup
Morocco’s Monarch chairs Council of Ministers Meeting on 2030 World Cup hosting

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The planning for the 2030 World Cup which Morocco is co-hosting with Spain and Portugal received a tonic on Wednesday as King Mohammed VI chaired a Council of Ministers’ meeting at the Royal Palace in Rabat on the landmark event.
The World Cup 2030 marks the 100 years since the global football fiesta begun.
Expectedly, Fouzi Lekjaa, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the Budget and Chairman of the 2030 World Cup Committee played a major role.
Fouzi Lekjaa
Apart from being an important personality in CAF and president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, he is a member of the FIFA Council.
He delivered a presentation on the progress of Morocco’s preparations to host 2030 World Cup.
Lekjaa provided an overview of the various stages achieved in Morocco’s bid, tracing its progress since King Mohammed VI announced on March 14, 2023, in Kigali, the joint candidacy with Spain and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup.
He also highlighted the Sovereign’s announcement to the Moroccan people on October 4, 2023, regarding FIFA’s Council’s unanimous decision to select the Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid as the sole candidacy, which sparked an extraordinary mobilization to prepare a bid dossier fully aligned with FIFA’s specifications and requirements.
Lekjaa added that this tripartite bid submitted to FIFA on July 29, 2024 is the fruit of a strong and unprecedented mobilization by the working groups created for this purpose, in particular at the level of ministerial departments, public institutions, companies and local authorities concerned.
FIFA’s evaluation report on the bid, published on November 29, 2024, awarded an outstanding score, far exceeding the stipulated requirements.
This remarkable achievement sets the stage for the Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid to be officially awarded the hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup during the upcoming extraordinary FIFA Council Congress.
To rise to the challenge of an organization that lives up to the aspirations of His Majesty the King, the Minister announced that, in accordance with the High Royal Directives, an expanded committee will be established, which includes representatives from civil society, Moroccan expatriates, and African talents.
The mobilization will be further reinforced through coordinated efforts with all stakeholders to expedite the execution of strategic and structuring projects relating to hosting this global event, in particular:
– Upgrading stadiums;
– Expanding and renovating airports in the six host cities;
– Enhancing road infrastructure and densifying intra-urban networks;
– Launching an integrated territorial upgrading program that extends beyond the host cities of the World Cup games;
– Developing hotel and commercial infrastructure;
– Strengthening and modernizing medical services;
– Developing and modernizing telecommunications networks;
– Launching a comprehensive training program to strengthen the skills of young people.
The Grand Stade Hassan II, is set to be the world’s largest football stadium.
At the end of his address, the Minister said that the 2030 World Cup will not only be a sporting event, but also a unique opportunity to accelerate the growth momentum of the national economy over the next few years, create more job opportunities, boost the country’s tourist appeal and promote the universal values of peace, unity and sustainable development.
Then, the Council of Ministers approved six international conventions, of which four are bilateral and two are multilateral, aimed at strengthening cooperation and partnership ties between Morocco and several friendly and brotherly countries, as well as reinforcing its continental and international positioning.
The bilateral conventions focus on enhancing cooperation with several friendly European countries and address the mutual recognition of driving licenses, cooperation in criminal justice matters and the improvement of efficiency in combating cross-border crime, as well as military and technical cooperation.
The two multilateral conventions pertain to offences and certain other acts occurring on board aircraft, and the Charter on creating the Digital Cooperation Organization.
In accordance with the provisions of article 49 of the Constitution and on the proposal of the Head of Government and on the initiative of the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, His Majesty the King, may God glorify Him, has kindly appointed Zouhair Chorfi as Chairman of the National Electricity Regulatory Authority.
In this regard, His Majesty the King has given His High Instructions to consider a far-reaching reform of this body to transform it into a regulatory authority for the energy sector, by revising its respective law, broadening its scope to include, other than electricity, all the components of the energy sector.
These include natural gas, new energies such as hydrogen and its derivatives, as well as production, storage, transport and distribution, to keep pace with the maturity that the energy sector has reached in our country, and to be in line with international best practices in this field.
World Cup
World Cup 2026 matches may be held at 9 A.M.

With just a year to go until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in the United States, concerns are mounting over the impact of extreme summer heat on players and fans.
According to experts interviewed by the BBC, FIFA may be forced to adjust match schedules drastically—possibly even staging the World Cup final as early as 9 a.m.—to mitigate the risks posed by soaring temperatures.
The warnings follow sweltering conditions witnessed during recent international and Club World Cup matches held in the U.S., where athletes and spectators alike were exposed to intense heat and humidity.
One of the leading voices raising the alarm is Professor Mike Tipton, an expert in thermal physiology at the University of Portsmouth. Speaking to BBC Sport, he emphasised the potential health risks of playing in extreme conditions and recommended that matches begin as early in the day as possible.
“From a thermo-physiological point of view, for health and performance reasons, I would look to start matches as early as possible,” Tipton stated, suggesting that even the final—traditionally held in the afternoon or evening—could be moved to a morning kickoff.
Tipton went further, noting that the ideal solution would be to host the tournament during a cooler time of year, as was done with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was shifted to November and December due to extreme heat.
However, with the 2026 tournament already locked in for June 11 to July 19, FIFA’s only remaining flexibility lies in scheduling match times.
The 2026 edition will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico across multiple cities, some of which are known for intense summer heat.
Health experts are urging organisers to prioritise player safety and fan well-being, warning that failing to act could lead to performance issues, heat-related illnesses, or worse.
FIFA has yet to publicly comment on any proposed changes to match schedules, but as temperatures continue to rise, pressure is mounting for the governing body to take decisive action ahead of football’s biggest tournament.
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World Cup
FIFA’s Wenger promises better pitch quality at 2026 World Cup

FIFA’s Global Football Development chief Arsene Wenger acknowledged that the quality of pitches hosting Club World Cup matches in the U.S. was not good enough, but insisted it would be better when the country co-hosts the 2026 World Cup.
The pitches, often very dry and sprinkled with water during cooling breaks or at halftime, have been widely criticised, mainly by coaches and players of the European teams taking part.
“I’ve been personally on the pitch at Orlando,” former Arsenal manager Wenger said on Saturday. “It’s not at the level that the European clubs are used to because it’s not perfect, but that will be rectified for the World Cup next year.”
Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique raised the issue early in the expanded Club World Cup tournament.
“The ball bounces like a rabbit,” Luis Enrique said after his team’s opening 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid.
“Today, for example, the field used to be artificial turf, and now it’s natural grass laid over it, which means it has to be watered manually. It’s a big problem for the way we play.”
“FIFA really needs to take this seriously. Not just the stadium fields but also the training pitches. If we’re calling this the best club tournament in the world, it should have world‑class facilities. I can’t imagine an NBA game played on a court full of holes.”
-Reuters
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World Cup
Congo to resume World Cup qualifiers after missing their matches

Congo will be allowed to continue participating in the World Cup qualifiers despite missing two fixtures in March when they were banned, world football’s governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.
Congo were suspended from February to May because of government interference in the running of their football association (FECOFOOT) but the ban was lifted when officials returned to their positions and were handed back access to their headquarters and technical training centre.
Sports minister Hugues Ngouelondele had appointed an ad-hoc committee last year to run the association, claiming it needed to sort out disputes among association office bearers, but FIFA suspended FECOFOOT due to third-party interference, which violates its statutes.
During the ban, Congo were not allowed to participate in any international competition, which meant they did not honour 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania and Niger in March.
A FIFA spokesman told Reuters the points from those fixtures were forfeited and a 3-0 victory awarded to their opponents.
But they will continue in the qualifiers when they resume in September, even if they have no chance of qualifying.
Congo are scheduled to play Tanzania at home in September and conclude their fixtures in October with matches at Niger and Morocco.
Congo have no points in the group, which Morocco lead with 15 points, six more than Tanzania in second place.
The group winner qualifies for next year’s World Cup in North America while the runner-up has a possibility to participate in playoffs if they are among the four best second-placed teams in the nine African qualifying groups.
FIFA has taken a hard line on government interference in football matters with the likes of Chad, Kenya, Pakistan and Zimbabwe among those banned in recent years.
Congo were African champions in 1972 but have never been to a World Cup.
-Reuters
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