In a possible joint candidacy with Spain and Portugal, Morocco may have a chance to host the 2030 World Cup finals. The request to take this into account follows the interrogation of Ukrainian officials and suspicions of corruption inside the country’s football organization.

Due to FIFA’s initial disinterest in joint bids from various continents, the Spanish and Portuguese federations initially backed away from having Morocco in the candidacy. The current absence of opposition to the joint Saudi-Egyptian-Greek file, however, has caused Spain and Portugal to reevaluate their choice and work toward adding Morocco to the list of nominees before the year 2024, which is the deadline for submitting nominations.

The Spanish and Portuguese federations are reportedly thinking about enlisting Morocco in the bid, but only if they can entirely cut ties with Ukraine, according to Spanish media sources. They refuse to address the claims of corruption and charge Ukraine with embezzling money intended for stadium building, with the Ukrainian federation president potentially facing up to 12 years in prison.

Morocco has made multiple unsuccessful attempts to win the privilege to host the World Cup. King Mohammed VI gave the nation the order to submit their application for the 2030 event in 2018. Rashid Talbi Alami, the former Minister of Youth and Sports, reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to moral and orderly competition in its candidacy file despite criticism from other Arab nations.

Together with Britain, the countries of Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay have also declared their interest in hosting the 2030 World Cup. The Spanish and Portuguese federations were first reluctant to include Morocco in their joint proposal because FIFA did not seem to be interested in such bids, but they have since changed their minds.

Although no official announcements have been made, it is still unclear whether Morocco’s sincere and orderly approach can convince FIFA to choose it as the host nation for the 2030 World Cup.

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After surpassing the role of the groups of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Finals by winning their group by seven points, Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Federation of Morocco Football, affirmed that Morocco’s national team has the qualifications to be able to play with any other team.

In an interview with Morocco Telegraph, he said that the national team had a chance to defeat Spain as the opening game in a group that also featured Belgium, the second-ranked team in the world, and Croatia, the runner-up.

He stated that “I think all the factors are there to go as far as possible” when “there is will, the mental aspect, and when the group is in a good position”.

Returning to the defeat of Canada (2-1) and the subsequent qualifying for the round of 16, he said that he shared a feeling of pride with all Moroccans “pride and honor,” stating that “the Moroccan crowd was mesmerized, the national song played a magnificent moment. Because of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s leadership, we have put forth a lot of effort and experienced these life-changing events.”

In light of the fact that “the competition of the World Cup is not only physical or technical preparation but also mental preparation, which is an essential factor,” the president of the Royal Football Federation of Morocco noted that following the victory over Canada and qualifying for the eighth Final, he called on players to believe in their potential and confidence.

When you enter the field of play without an inferiority complex, you can compete with any squad, he said.

Regarding the national team’s physical condition following the match against Canada, Mr. Lekjaa stated that “the medical staff is tracking the best techniques.”

Returning to the selection of Walid Regragui as national team coach, he clarified that “Today, everyone agrees that my choice was wise. I had to make a choice, and I did. I have accepted and will continue to accept responsibility for it.”

He added: “It had that vibe that the national team needed (…). It was important to create a positive environment for the group. I had finally created the ideal profile.”

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FIFA will award Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF) $ 13 million (MAD 136 million) in prize money in recognition of the Atlas Lions’ historic qualification for the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The total prize money will be $17 million if the team defeats Spain on December 6 to advance to the quarterfinal (MAD 178 million.)

The prize money rises as the football club proceeds in the international competition; fourth place in the standings ensures $25 million, third place ensures $27 million, second place earns $30 million, and the trophy winner receives $42 million.

The winning team in Qatar will get a whopping $42 million for winning the World Cup, according to Fox Sports, an increase of $4 million from Russia 2018.

For the first time in 36 years, the Atlas Lions reached the knockout round. Their performance in the international competition was highlighted by a scoreless draw with Croatia and triumphs against Belgium (2-0) and Canada (2-1).

Morocco, the group F champion, will play Spain, the group E runner-up, in the round of 16 of the World Cup. At the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, the game will be played on December 6.

The forthcoming World Cup encounter between Spain’s professional football squad and Morocco’s Atlas Lions, according to Sergio Busquets, will be “very difficult.”

Football Italia’s match predictions state that while Spain has a strong possession-based style and Morocco has “shown themselves to be extremely capable combatants,” this round of 16 matchup “may be one of the trickiest to call.”

With Saudi Arabia’s unexpected 2-1 victory against Argentina, the World Cup this year has shown to be quite unpredictable.

The top-ranked football teams in the world, including Germany and Belgium, were also ousted from the World Cup’s group stage.

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On November 29, His Majesty King Mohammed VI reportedly called Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the phone.

The Al Sharq news site said that His Majesty King Mohammed VI called the Emir of Qatar to congratulate him on the launch of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and to commend him for the superb organization.

In a now-viral video, the Emir of Qatar is seen supporting Morocco’s national team on Sunday at Al Thumama Stadium. The Atlas Lions defeated Belgium, and the Emir was spotted cheering as the game drew to a close.

With a remarkable performance that attracted attention from across the world and was hailed as “historic,” Morocco overcame Belgium.

Morocco drew 0-0 with Croatia on November 20 before defeating Belgium.
A video of the former emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani waving the Moroccan flag went viral during Morocco’s match versus Croatia.

The former Emir of Qatar is seen in the video waving the Moroccan flag and applauding alongside his wife Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned during the Morocco-Croatia match. Sheikha Moza was subsequently given the flag by the Emir, and they both proceeded to wave it.

On December 1, Morocco and Canada will compete. Both teams are seeking a victory in this, their third game, in order to go on to the tournament’s next phase.

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In the opening game of Group A of the 2022 World Cup, Ecuador surprised Qatar.

Ecuador will depend on Enner Valencia, one of its players, to make the difference.
The Fenerbahçe striker opened the scoring in the 16th minute from the penalty spot after a goal was refused in the opening minutes for being offside.

A first goal that destabilized the Qataris who seemed overwhelmed on the field, conceding a second goal in the first half on a powerful header of the first striker Enner Valencia (31st). A double that allows the South Americans to take an advantage.

At the end of the first half, Qatar presented a threat, but Almoez Ali’s header was just too off to narrow the gap. For the Qataris, the second half was likewise unsatisfactory.

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Abderrazak Hamdallah, a striker for the Moroccan national team and international team, has been the subject of rumors that a syndicate is attempting to get him, especially since he failed the friendly match between Atlas Lions and Georgia.

By releasing a photo of Hakim Ziyech, Nayef Aguerd, and assistant coach of the national team Rashid Benmahmoud in response to the rumors, Hamdallah answered cleverly.

Abderrazak Hamdallah said in a press release that “all the guys are like brothers.” We get along well with the technical team, and I’m hopeful it will lead to excellent results in the forthcoming games.

Observers confirmed that Hamdallah, with the Royal Moroccan Football University, intended to send a clear message to anyone who questions the team’s unity.

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Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, stated on Saturday that he identified as “Arab,” “gay,” and a “migrant worker,” harshly denouncing the “moral teachings” of those who oppose Qatar, which he called “hypocrisy,” only days before the World Cup-2022 began.

The Italian-Swiss leader emphasized his Italian ancestry during a news conference to help him feel connected to the immigrants who came to Doha to work.

He said this opening anaphora: “Today I feel Qatari, today I feel Arab, today I feel African, today I feel gay, today I feel disabled, today I feel migrant worker.”

I am the son of migrant workers, so it brings back memories for me, he remarked. “I understand what it’s like to face harassment and discrimination for being a foreigner. I experienced discrimination as a youngster (in Switzerland) because I was red, had freckles, was Italian, and had poor German.

In response to the numerous accusations leveled at Fifa over the working conditions of World Cup construction workers, Gianni Infantino stated that the international federation was one of the few to be concerned about their fate.

“How many of Qatar’s multibillion-dollar corporations have resolved the question of migrant employees’ fate?” Because a change in legislation equals less profit, none. But we accomplished it,” he continued, before wondering, “Why isn’t this progress recognized?”

NGOs frequently criticize Qatar for its treatment of migrant workers, notably those in construction, security, and domestic labor, as well as LGBTQ+ people.

These allegations are vigorously refuted by the authorities, who point out that they have reformed their labor laws, as well as by the Qatari organizers of the Mondial, who assure that members of the LGBTQ+ community will be welcomed without discrimination, despite laws in the country criminalizing sexual relations between people of the same sex.

“These prejudiced moral teachings are pure dishonesty,” stated Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA since 2016 and the sole candidate for his successor in 2023.

“We should apologize for the next 3,000 years for what we Europeans have done for the last 3,000 years before we start lecturing people,” he continued.

Concerning LGBTQ+ rights, the leader stated that Qatari officials had informed him that “everyone” would be “welcome” during the event (November 20-December 18).

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On November 19 in Lekhwiya, close to Doha, the International Center for Police Cooperation officially opened its doors. The construction of this building is an integral aspect of the security plan for the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

Along with members of Interpol, Europol, and other delegations from various nations that help Qatar in areas of security for the 2022 World Cup, a Moroccan security delegation participated in the unveiling of the International Center for Police Cooperation this past Saturday, November 19. (November 20-December 18).

Morocco had attended a private gathering of the biggest intelligence services in the world on Thursday, November 17, in Doha. Along with Moroccan intelligence officials, the summit included attendees from France, the United States, and a few nearby nations. The meeting, which was presided over by the head of international cooperation for Qatari intelligence, centered on the last-minute plans for World Cup security as well as on cooperation between partner country services with regard to this crucial element of the success of the large-scale round ball event.

The conference was held inside the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup’s National Command Center. The tournament’s inaugural game will be played on Sunday, November 20, between the host nation and Ecuador.

In addition, it should be mentioned that the Kingdom has dispatched a mission made up of representatives from the DGSN, which is charged with helping to ensure the safety of the World Cup stadiums and the teams in charge of maintaining public order during this occasion.

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