AFCON
Where Legends Live Forever: Inside Morocco’s New Football Museum
By KUNLE SOLAJA, Rabat, Morocco
In Maâmoura, just outside Rabat, the spirit of Moroccan football now has a permanent home.
Nestled within the same grounds that host FIFA’s Regional Office for Africa and the state-of-the-art Mohammed VI Football Complex, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has unveiled a national museum.
The experience at the Moroccan Football Museum is captivating.
It feels less like a building and more like a living, breathing chronicle of the game.
Stepping inside is like opening a storybook written in green, red, and white. These are the colours of a kingdom.
This kingdom has always seen football as more than just a pastime.
Here, history is not simply preserved, it is staged with drama and reverence, each exhibit designed to remind visitors that Morocco’s passion for the game has shaped its identity for more than a century.
The museum, inaugurated in March 2024 after three years of meticulous work, is the brainchild of the FRMF president Fouzi Lekjaa. Beyond football, he is Morocco’s Minister Delegate for the Budget.
Fouzi Lekjaa whose brainchild is the football museum
To bring his vision of a football museum to life, Lekjaa assembled a scientific committee of 22 renowned researchers and journalists, ensuring that the narrative of Moroccan football would be told with both precision and poetry.
“It is a project for generations,” explained deputy curator Oumay Walid, her voice carrying equal parts pride and responsibility as she guided guests past glittering trophies and fragile black-and-white photographs.
Deputy curator Oumay Walid, explains what the football museum is all about
The architecture itself feels like part of the exhibition. It includes 1,350 square metres of permanent display space and a 310-square-metre gallery for temporary shows. There is also an intimate 42-seat projection hall, VIP lounges, and a documentation centre.
Even the museum store, lined with Moroccan football apparel, speaks to a modern vision where sport and culture are intertwined with commerce.
But it is within the thematic journey of the museum that the soul of Moroccan football truly unfolds. Six distinct zones map out a century of triumphs and trials.
The opening section, The Royal Vision, pays tribute to King Mohammed VI and his predecessors, who elevated football to a pillar of national identity.
From there, The Pioneers transports visitors back to Morocco’s earliest victories and the figures who first carried the Atlas Lions’ roar beyond their borders.
The museum captures the past and presents the present.
The mood shifts in The Land of Excellence, where shimmering displays celebrate national and club successes from the 1950s to the present day.
It is a room heavy with pride, charting the ascent that culminated in Morocco’s historic World Cup semi-final run in Qatar 2022.
The Hall of Fame is a quieter, more intimate space, yet perhaps the most emotional: a gallery of players, coaches, administrators, and even fans whose devotion shaped the narrative of Moroccan football.
Nearby, Prestigious Moments relives the tournaments hosted on Moroccan soil, the international stars who graced its stadiums, and the milestones that confirmed Morocco’s place on the global stage.
Finally, Objects of Memory anchors the entire experience. Behind glass, battered leather footballs, scuffed boots, and sepia-toned match programmes whisper of sweat-soaked afternoons and nights when an entire nation held its breath.
Past national trophies are well preserved in encased glass shelves.
Enormous audiovisual screens loom above, replaying goals that once made the streets erupt in song.
What makes the museum compelling is not only what it displays but what it represents. Since 1906, football in Morocco has been more than a game; it has been a mirror of society, a theatre of dreams, and a unifier across generations.
By curating this legacy with such care, Morocco positions itself as Africa’s custodian of football heritage—a country determined to show the continent that football is both memory and future, emotion and enterprise.
As visitors step back into the Rabat sunlight, the symbolism is impossible to miss.
Morocco may be Africa’s top-ranked footballing nation, but here it proclaims something greater: it is a Kingdom of Light, illuminating the way football can inspire, educate, and even fuel economies.
The national museum is not simply a monument to the past—it is a beacon for the continent’s footballing future.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, Marrakech, Morocco.
At the northern entrance of Marrakech, Morocco’s fabled “Red City,” rises a sporting fortress that fuses history, culture, and modern innovation.
The Grand Stade de Marrakech, inaugurated in 2011, is set to host eight matches of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), including a potentially high-profile semi-final on January 10, 2026.
From a distance, the stadium could be mistaken for an ancient citadel. Its brown, earthy tones echo the city’s centuries-old red walls and the terracotta skyline that has earned Marrakech its evocative nickname of “Red City”.
Four towers, standing at each corner of the structure, are fitted with halogen lamps that cast a golden glow over the lush green pitch at night.
According to stadium officials, the design intentionally mirrors local architecture and fortifications — a subtle blend of tradition and modernity.
The Grand Stade de Marrakech, sits like a fortress at the northern entrance of Marrakech
What makes the Grand Stade truly unique is its rectangular form combined with elliptical athletics tracks — the first of its kind in the world.
Conceived by the Italian firm Gregotti Associati International, the arena comfortably seats 41,000 fans and projects both strength and elegance.
Managed by the state company SONARGES (La Société Nationale de Réalisation et de Gestion des Équipements Sportifs), it has recently undergone significant upgrades to meet CAF standards ahead of the continental showpiece.
Regional director Karaoui Morad explained that renovations have been planned in two phases.
The first, already completed, introduced more comfortable seating, two modern Videomatrix scoreboards, new eco-friendly lighting systems that reduce energy use by 60 per cent, and advanced security cameras.
Regional director of SONARGES, Karaoui Morad (Right) explains the technical aspects of the upgrade of Grand Stade de Marrakech.
The second phase, scheduled after AFCON, will prepare the stadium for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host.
This transformation will see the pitch lowered by 10 metres to expand capacity to 46,000 seats, the removal of the running tracks to bring fans closer to the action, and the addition of a full roof canopy.
For now, though, the stadium is set to write a new chapter in its history. On AFCON’s opening days, South Africa and Angola will christen the arena with its first-ever AFCON match.
From that moment, Marrakech’s desert fortress will not only echo with the chants of football fans but also stand as a symbol of Morocco’s growing stature on the world sporting stage.
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By KUNLE SOLAJA, Agadir, Morocco.
At the foot of Morocco’s mighty Atlas Mountains, where the country’s national football team—the Atlas Lions—draws their proud name, rises a stadium that mirrors its surroundings.
The Grand Stade d’Agadir, one of the venues for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations this December, is not just a sports arena; it is a bold attempt to blend nature with architecture.
From afar, the stadium seems carved out of the brown slopes of the mountains. Its steep exterior walls, painted in earthy tones, echo the rugged terrain around it.
Step inside, however, and the scene changes: a sea of green seats blends seamlessly with the lush playing turf, interrupted only by pockets of red in the grand pavilion—a subtle nod to Morocco’s national colours.
On Monday, stadium director Hitcham Allouli revealed that while the current capacity of 42,480 will remain for AFCON, a more ambitious second phase of renovation will follow in preparation for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host.
Grand Stade d’Agadir director, Hitcham Alloul with Sports Village Square’s Kunle Solaja
“The first phase focused on minor upgrades—improving vegetation around the arena, expanding parking space, and adding modern facilities like ticketing and accreditation booths,” Allouli explained. “But the next stage will be transformative.”
That transformation includes lowering the pitch by 10 metres to increase capacity by about 4,000 seats, removing the athletics track to bring fans closer to the action, and extending the upper terrace into a fully covered sports city.
The shape of what Grand Stade de Agadir will look like towards the 20230 World Cup.
The model follows the grandeur of the Grand Stade de Tanger, Morocco’s northern showpiece.
Security has also been modernised, with the introduction of facial recognition cameras, aligning the stadium with international standards.
The locker room at the Grand Stade Agadir
The journey of the Grand Stade d’Agadir reflects Morocco’s long quest for global football recognition.
Originally designed as part of the country’s 2010 World Cup bid, construction began in 2003 but stalled after South Africa won hosting rights.
Work resumed in 2007, and by October 2013, the arena was complete, making its debut on the global stage during the FIFA Club World Cup.
Designed by Moroccan architect Saad Benkirane in collaboration with Gregotti Associati International, the stadium is an architectural ode to its environment.
Its sloped exterior elevations mimic the Atlas foothills, while its interior is tailored for international sport and comfort: a natural grass pitch, a media tribune for 288 journalists, 12 commentary boxes, three VVIP zones (each seating 250 guests), and 12 luxury lounges that can accommodate 300.
Players’ facilities include modern locker rooms, ice baths, and saunas.
As AFCON 2025 draws near, the Grand Stade d’Agadir is set to welcome Africa’s finest footballers while showcasing Morocco’s ability to fuse natural beauty with modern sporting ambition.
Its mountainside silhouette will remind fans and players alike that football here is played under the watchful gaze of the Atlas.
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By KUNLE SOLAJA, Tangier
High above Tangier, the silhouette of the Grand Stade de Tanger is changing by the week.What once stood as a conventional open-air bowl is now being crowned with the largest tensile roofs in Africa, and one of the best in the world—a feat of engineering that is as much about symbolism as it is about sport.
According to Anouari Amaoui, the Moroccan architect, the wide expanse roof will be second only to the famous Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Anouari Amaoui, the Moroccan architect of the grand arena, explains the technical details to Sports Village Square man, Kunle Solaja.
The stadium, originally opened in 2011 with 45,000 seats, has been undergoing a dramatic transformation since 2020.
By the time the works finish at the end of September, ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in late 2025, capacity will reach roughly 75,600 spectators, while a sweeping new roof will give the arena a cutting-edge profile worthy of both AFCON and Morocco’s joint hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
When completed, the roof will span more than four and a half hectares, sheltering fans from the coastal elements while still allowing natural light to filter into the pitch.
It is not just the majestic nature of the stadium that is awesome; the engineering and the technical conception, and implementation are remarkable.
As Aboutamene Abderrazak, the director of Agence Nationale des Equipment Public (ANEP – the Moroccan agency in charge of public equipment), explains, it is easier to build a stadium from scratch than to outlandishly upgrade a conventional one.
That is what Morocco has achieved with the complete remodelling of a conventional all-covered stadium and turning it into an architectural masterpiece.
The original football pitch was excavated and dug down 10 metres. At the same time, the athletics tracks were scrapped to create rooms for additional spectator stands, including sky boxes, both at the pitch level and at the roof level.
It was a delicate construction that was carefully done as the digging of the ground was almost to the foundation of the original structure.
The Roof: Engineering at Scale
At the heart of the renovation is the roof system, designed as a tensile structure supported by steel pylons, massive perimeter beams, and a web of tensioned cables.
The roof is the most majestic addition to the arena and it is second to none in Africa
Progress on this complex skeleton has unfolded in stages. By November 2024, 31 of the 42 pylons anchoring the cable network were already in place.
Then, in June 2025, crews undertook some of the most delicate lifts of the entire project: steel beams measuring 60 to 65 meters in length and weighing over 100 tons each were hoisted into position with precision rigging, sometimes requiring several hours per beam under challenging wind conditions.
One of the players locker rooms. Lavishly equipped, even with large TV screen that will allow coaches give visual technical explanations to players.
Once the skeleton was completed, the focus shifted to the covering itself. In late July 2025, rolls of high-performance textile membrane—a gleaming white technical fabric imported from Europe—arrived on site.
Workers began unrolling and clamping the material across the newly tensioned cable net, panel by panel.
When complete, the roof will span more than four and a half hectares, sheltering fans from the coastal elements while still allowing natural light to filter into the pitch.
Behind the Construction Fences
For much of 2024 and 2025, Tangier’s residents have watched as cranes hovered above the skyline and beams swung slowly into place.
The People Behind the Project
The modernization of the Grand Stade de Tanger is a collaboration between multiple layers of expertise. Architect Jaouad Khattabi, whose firm JHK Architectes was responsible for the original design, remains a touchpoint for understanding the project’s architectural DNA. T
he day-to-day management falls under SONARGES, Morocco’s national stadium authority, which has overseen the rollout of smart technologies, improved VIP and press zones, and accessibility upgrades.
On the governmental side, Wali Younès Tazi has made frequent inspections, ensuring that works progress on schedule to meet CAF and FIFA standards.
A Stadium for the Future
Beyond the numbers and steelwork, the symbolism of the Grand Stade de Tanger’s transformation cannot be overstated.
For Tangier, it marks the city’s arrival as a central hub for international sport in North Africa.
For Morocco, it signals ambition—an intent to present infrastructure that can stand alongside the best in the world.
When the roof is fully unfurled and the last facade panels are lit with fibre-optic effects, the Grand Stade de Tanger will no longer be just a stadium.
It will be a stage, ready to host the drama of AFCON 2025 and to welcome the world five years later for football’s greatest tournament.
The first AFCON match at the upgraded stadium will be on 23 December when Senegal face Botswana. Five more matches will follow.
They are the Group D matches of DR Congo v Senegal on 27 December, Benin v Senegal on 30 December, a Round of 16 match on 3 January 2026, a quarter-final match on 9 January 2026 and a semi-final match on 14 January 2026.
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Where Legends Live Forever: Inside Morocco’s New Football Museum
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