AFCON 2025: Morocco has delivered beyond expectations setting the bar too high

A total of 44matches including 36 group fixtures and 8 rounds of 16, haves been played since the start of the 35th edition of the African Cup of Nations in the Royal Kingdom of Morocco.

The 44 matches were staged in 9 different stadiums located in 6 cities fromRabat tooCasablanca tooFez tooMarrakech, Agadirr andfinallyy to Tangier.

More than 75 of the matches have been played while it’sraining,g while some encountered heavydownpoursr in theprocess..

However,r despite the heavy rains worsened by the winter season inMorocco,o local fanshavee died for the passion of the game by turningupp innumbers inn all venue, evenn where their team wasn’t playing.

Kudos to the organisers for the good architectural designs of all 9stadiums,s which have not been waterlogged so far or become muddy.

The drainage was done perfectly so that the playing surfaces aren’t affected in any waybyh heavy rains.

No match has been delayed to kick off or moved to a new venue due to the dilapidated state of the playing surface for any of the 9 venues so far.

This itself isaa true testament to a world-class organisation thanks to the government and the Federation of Morocco and a sign of the country being ready to stage the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

It’s also proof that where there’s passion, things could be done perfectly and rightly.

To date, all the players who have competed, nor their technical staff, have raised any concern on the state of the venues.

Movement has been seamless for players and staff while attending training or during match days; accompanied by heightened security, none of the 24 teams’ hotel camps reported an infringement by unauthorised personnel.

With spoilt-for-choice transport options for teams from air, high-speed trains, trams and buses, which

Hospitality has more to offer than the players and officials could demand: world-class five-star hotels and accommodation.

The tournament is on course to break the record as the most attended by fans, with the 44 matches played so far accumulating to 957,618 fans.

The number has already surpassed the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast, which recorded 817,313 at a similar stage, and is on course to even go beyond the 1m mark posted in Ivory Coast at the end of this year’s edition.

On the other hand, it’s a long call for next year’s co-hosts, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, who must either match the standards set by Morocco or do better with barely a year left.

International spectators have also given a good show on match days by supporting their teams, with each scheming different styles and the art of cheering the boys.

The harder part for organising the tournament is done, as three venues are already done with hosting matches allocated to them, and now only six stadia will stage the remaining 8 fixtures of this 2025 AFCON.

Venues which have completed their fixtures include Fes Sports Complex, Moulai el Hassan, and Stade Medina, both in Rabat.

In summary, from design, seat arrangement, uniqueness and structure, all 9 stadia have stood the test of time and proved to the world to be a worthy investment, which is set to go a long way in positioning the country as the Kingdom of Football.

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