2030 World Cup Preparations Gather Pace at Rabat Business Forum

Preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup are already generating significant economic momentum as Morocco, Spain and Portugal deepen strategic cooperation ahead of the historic tournament to be staged across two continents.

At the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, a flagship symbol of Morocco’s sporting and institutional development, public and private sector leaders from the three host nations gathered on Tuesday, February 10, 2025, for the Morocco–Spain–Portugal Business Forum dedicated to World Cup preparations.

The forum, co-organised by the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) and the Portuguese Business Confederation (CIP), brought together decision-makers and business executives in the presence of Spain’s Ambassador to Morocco, Enrique Ojeda Vila, and Portugal’s Chargé d’Affaires in Rabat, Nuno Gabriel Cabral.

The 2030 tournament, awarded jointly to Morocco, Spain and Portugal, will mark the centenary of the first FIFA World Cup held in 1930 and will be the first edition staged across Africa and Europe.

Speaking at the forum, Fouzi Lekjaa, President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget, described the venue as reflective of Morocco’s long-term development vision.

“This complex reflects the enlightened vision of His Majesty the King for the development of sport and for designing and monitoring a development model for Moroccan youth, and indeed youth at the continental and global levels,” Lekjaa said, noting that the facility hosts a permanent FIFA office and serves as a global hub for football development.

He highlighted the scale of coordination required for a tournament that could see national teams playing across multiple cities in different countries within days.

Morocco–Spain–Portugal Business Forum in session at the iconic Mohammed VI Football Complex

“A national team may play its first match in Madrid, the second in Marrakech, and the third in Lisbon,” he said, stressing the need for seamless logistics, transport integration, security alignment and infrastructure harmonisation.

Lekjaa also pointed to Morocco’s successful staging of the recent Africa Cup of Nations as a major rehearsal for 2030, noting that Moroccan companies and professionals delivered the event entirely.

CGEM President Chakib Alj described the World Cup as a catalyst for structural transformation beyond football.

“This highly anticipated event brings together companies and decision-makers from our three countries around a clear and shared ambition: to invest together, innovate together and create value together,” Alj said.

He detailed major infrastructure projects underway in Morocco, including the doubling of capacity at six major airports, a nearly 30 per cent expansion of the highway network, and the extension of the high-speed rail line linking Kenitra to Marrakech. Strategic logistics hubs such as Nador West Med and the Atlantic Port are also part of the development blueprint.

According to Alj, Morocco’s hosting of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations generated direct economic returns estimated at over €2 billion against roughly €1 billion invested in sports infrastructure, creating more than 60,000 direct and indirect jobs and mobilising over 3,000 Moroccan companies.

Stakeholders at the forum agreed that the 2030 World Cup represents more than a sporting event. Instead, it is being positioned as a long-term platform for economic integration, regional value-chain strengthening and sustainable growth across North Africa and Southern Europe.

With coordination already intensifying between Rabat, Madrid and Lisbon, preparations for 2030 appear firmly anchored in a vision that seeks to deliver not only a successful tournament, but a durable economic and developmental legacy.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H