FIFA team left Morocco on Saturday after inspecting facilities in view of the country’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup. But were they satisfied with what they saw in the North African country?
Head of the Bid Committee, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, is happy with the initial report of the visit but pointed out the need for more work in order to fully meet FIFA’s requirements, with less than two months to the vote.
“The task force made some remarks about the non-compliance of some stadiums. Our experts are in discussions with FIFA, who will send more advanced experts to Morocco next week to discuss with us about the proposed solutions for stadiums and accommodation,” Elalamy said.
“The task force also notified the non-compliance of the stands of some stadiums whose layout does not give enough visibility to the sideline because of athletic tracks and banners. This is essential because there is a risk of reducing the number of available places to less cthan 40,000, which would disqualify those stadiums,” he said.
Would the Kingdom be able to fix all that before June 13, when FIFA’s 211 member Federations will be called upon to cast their votes to elect the host nation(s)? Many locals are in doubt.
Morocco are being challenged by North American trio United States, Canada and Mexico who are jointly bidding to host the tournament.
