The FIFA World Cup, the biggest gathering of international football teams every four years to compete for the coveted World Cup, could be played on African soil for the second time.
South Africa became the first African country to host the World Cup in 2010 and it was a beautiful spectacle with the Vuvuzela and Ghana’s near-qualification to the finals which got Africans around the world at the edge of their seat.
Morocco wants to give Africa those cherished moments by hosting the World Cup in 2026. The North African country officially launched its bid to host the world event in January. This is their fifth attempt and they hope to make Africa proud.
“It is not a Moroccan project only, but also an African project. From 1930 to 2030, it’s been 100 years and the African continent has organized the World Cup only once. It should not remain at that margin,” Moulay Hafid el-Alami, chairman of the bid committee said.
Morocco’s bid is being rivalled by Canada/Mexico/United States who have placed a joint bid to host the competition. They will need to win 104 votes when the decision on who will host the 2026 finals is made in Russia on 13 June.
Morocco’s advantages over the American countries include internal flying time which will be shorter for teams and the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time zone which will allow fans in Europe to watch the games at favourable times.
The 2026 World Cup will for the first time be played with 48 teams after a decision to increase the number from 32.
This article by Ismail Akwei was first published on face2faceafrica.com
Ismail Akwei 