Morocco Eyes 2026 World Cup Bid

Rabat: Morocco will spend a total of $15.8 billion on stadiums and infrastructure if it wins the bid to organise the 2026 World Cup, media reported on Sunday.

Citing the chairperson of the bid committee Moulay Hafid Elalamy, the financial daily l'Economiste said that $3.2 billion from the total budget would be invested by the private sector.

In addition to renovating the existing stadiums and building new ones, Morocco vowed to construct 21 new hospitals that meet the highest international standards and 131 new sites for training, reports Xinhua. If the country wins the bid, these projects would create some 110,000 jobs every year from the year of designation to the organisation year. Elalamy said that organising the World Cup is in line with Morocco's economic and social development strategy.

Morocco formally submitted its bid book to FIFA on Friday containing all plans for stadiums, infrastructure and transport required for the competition. This is Morocco's fifth bid to host the World Cup, after their unsuccessful bids for the 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 editions of the tournament. Morocco is competing a joint bid from the US, Mexico and Canada.

FIFA will make the decision at FIFA Congress on June 13 in Moscow, Russia, on the eve of the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

IANS