Morocco World Cup 2030: Host Cities, Stadiums, Travel Tips

Morocco hosts the 2030 FIFA World Cup together with Spain and Portugal, and six Moroccan cities are in line for matches: Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech, Fes and Agadir. Their stadiums are being rebuilt or enlarged, the largest a new 115,000-seat ground near Casablanca, and the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations served as a full-size rehearsal. From our base in Marrakech, here is what is being built, what is still undecided in November 2026, and what it means for a trip now and in 2030.

A World Cup on three continents

On 11 December 2024, an extraordinary FIFA Congress confirmed Morocco, Spain and Portugal as joint hosts, by acclamation (FIFA's announcement). To mark a hundred years since the first World Cup, played in Uruguay in 1930, three matches will take place in South America, one each in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay; the Uruguay match will be at Montevideo's Estadio Centenario, where it all began. Every other match is in Morocco, Spain or Portugal.

The tournament is expected in June and July 2030, but as we write, FIFA has not published its dates, the match schedule or the final list of stadiums. The joint bid that FIFA approved proposed 20 stadiums: 11 in Spain, 6 in Morocco and 3 in Portugal. How the matches will be shared between the three countries, and where the first match in Europe and Africa will be played, has not been announced either.

The final is the big open question. Morocco is putting forward the Grand Stade Hassan II, Spain the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid or the Camp Nou in Barcelona, and both federations have said in public that the final will be theirs. FIFA's position, stated on 5 August 2026 and repeated in September, is that it will decide "in due course". Until it does, treat any headline naming the venue of the final as speculation.

The six Moroccan host cities and their stadiums

City	Stadium	Seats planned for 2030	Where it stands (November 2026)
Casablanca (Benslimane)	Grand Stade Hassan II	about 115,000	Under construction; completion announced for early 2028
Rabat	Prince Moulay Abdellah	about 69,000	Rebuilt, open since September 2025; hosted the AFCON final
Tangier	Grand Stade de Tanger	about 75,500	Renovated, reopened in November 2025
Marrakech	Grand Stade de Marrakech	about 46,000	Second phase of works since summer 2026, due to end in early 2028
Agadir	Adrar	about 46,000	Expansion under way since mid-2026
Fes	Stade de Fès	not confirmed	Tender for a major renovation launched in summer 2026

Capacities are the figures announced so far, and FIFA can still change the list of venues.

Grand Stade Hassan II, between Casablanca and Rabat

The showpiece is a brand-new stadium at El Mansouria, in Benslimane province, on the coast between Casablanca and Rabat. Designed by Populous with Oualalou + Choi, it has a lattice roof inspired by the great tents of a moussem, the traditional festival gathering. With 115,000 seats, it would be among the largest football stadiums in the world. In May 2026 it was about 30% built, with crews working around the clock in three shifts. The official target was the end of 2027; on 28 October 2026, the president of the Moroccan football federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, said it should be finished in early 2028, leaving time for test matches before the World Cup.

Grand Stade de Marrakech

Our city's stadium opened in 2011, about 11 km north of the centre. A first renovation, from early 2024 to June 2025, readied it for AFCON. The second phase began after the summer of 2026: the athletics track has gone, the lower stands are being demolished, and the pitch will be lowered by about five metres so that every seat looks straight onto the play. Capacity should rise from about 41,000 to 46,000, with a new roof structure and façade. The contract runs for 18 months, which points to early 2028 if all goes to plan.

Rabat, Tangier, Fes and Agadir

Rabat's Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium was knocked down in 2023 and rebuilt as a football-only ground, without a running track; it opened in September 2025. Tangier's Grand Stade reopened in November 2025 after a long renovation. Both are, in practice, ready. Fes and Agadir were upgraded once for AFCON and now face a second round of works: an international tender for Fes in the summer of 2026, and, in June 2026, the first contract of Agadir's expansion to about 46,000 seats.

The dress rehearsal: AFCON 2025

The Africa Cup of Nations was played in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, in nine stadiums across the same six cities (Rabat alone used four). It drew more than a million spectators, a record for the competition; published totals range from about 1.25 to 1.34 million. The final in Rabat filled the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium with 66,526 people.

For travellers, a few lessons stood out:

The trains coped, with extra help. ONCF, the national railway, added 251 trains at peak times and carried more than 250,000 fans between host cities. In Marrakech, 74 trains made extra stops at Sidi Brahim, a station fitted out for the tournament.
Hotels filled up where the big games were. In the days before the final, Rabat's classified hotels were about 95% full, and visitors spilled over into Salé and Kenitra. In Marrakech, where the tournament overlapped with New Year, medina riads were reported fully booked.
Tickets for the big matches went early. Official tickets for the final had sold out days in advance.
Getting around town changed. Uber came back to Morocco on 27 November 2025, first in Casablanca and Marrakech, with the tournament in mind; we explain how it works today in Uber in Morocco.

Who won AFCON 2025?

That question is still before a court. On the pitch, on 18 January 2026, Senegal beat Morocco 1–0 after extra time. Late in the match, play stopped for about a quarter of an hour when Senegal's players left the field in protest at a penalty awarded to Morocco; the penalty was then saved. On 17 March 2026, CAF's Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final, recorded it as a 3–0 win for Morocco and declared Morocco champions. Senegal's federation appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 25 March. The CAS heard the case in Lausanne on 8 October 2026 and said on 19 October that its award was expected at the end of November 2026. As of 4 November 2026, no ruling has been published; the CAS announces its decisions on its media releases page.

What changes for travellers before 2030

For a holiday in 2026 or 2027, the honest answer is: not much, apart from building sites. The works at the Marrakech stadium are well away from the medina and from the roads south to the Atlas and the desert.

Airports. The terminal at Marrakech Menara is being enlarged to about 142,000 m², raising its capacity from about 9 to 16 million passengers a year. The contract was awarded in August 2025, and ONDA, the airports authority, aims to finish its projects before 2028 (2029 for Casablanca). Until then, give yourself a little extra time at the airport. New routes are arriving too, including from North America: see nonstop flights to Morocco from the US.
High-speed rail. The Kenitra–Marrakech high-speed line, under construction since April 2025 and due before 2030, will have a station at the Grand Stade Hassan II; our article on the high-speed train to Marrakech follows its progress.
Football in the meantime. Morocco's clubs and national team keep playing while the stadiums are rebuilt; if you'd like to see a match or watch one with locals, read our guide to football in Morocco.

Planning a trip around 2030 matches

Buy tickets only from FIFA. No 2030 tickets are on sale yet, and FIFA has not said when sales will open. When they do, use FIFA's official channel only; tickets offered before then, or on unofficial sites, are a gamble.
Book beds early. Riads have only a handful of rooms, and AFCON showed how fast host cities fill up. If Marrakech is your base, our guide to where to stay in Marrakech compares the areas.
Plan for the heat. In July, Marrakech averages about 38 °C (100 °F) in the afternoon and Fes about 35 °C, while Tangier and Agadir, on the coast, stay cooler. Our page on Morocco in summer has the details.
Mind the distances. Tangier, Rabat and Casablanca are linked by the Al Boraq high-speed train; Marrakech and Fes are on the classic network for now, and Agadir has no railway at all, so it's the road or a plane. If your matches are near Casablanca, a day is enough for the city itself: see is Casablanca worth visiting?
Expect busy match days. Roads and trains near the stadiums are at their fullest around kick-off, so leave plenty of time and check the extra services ONCF announces.
Use the days between matches. From Marrakech, a private guided tour of the medina fills a free morning, the Agafay desert is 45 minutes away for a sunset and dinner, and with two or three days you can reach real dunes on a Sahara desert tour from Marrakech.