CAF Will Back Morocco’s Bid to Host 2026 World Cup- Official
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will support Morocco in its candidacy to host the 2026 World Cup, said CAF official and the Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick.
He said Morocco will meet next month’s deadline to bid to host the World Cup, noting that interested countries have to meet the deadline of August 11 to submit their bids with the USA, Canada and Mexico having already sent their applications.
Pinnick recalled that Morocco has previously failed to host the World Cup in 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010.
FIFA’s rotational hosting policy means Africa is one of four confederations that can bid for the 2026 finals as Europe (Russia 2018) and Asia (Qatar 2022) cannot be considered.
Morocco “is a country that can host the world tournament,” Pinnick told the BBC following his attendance of a symposium in Rabat last Month.
He pointed out that Morocco has practically everything, in terms of infrastructure, and that it enjoys the full support of CAF in its World Cup endeavor.
Morocco’s growing clout in Africa is also reflected in football. The Kingdom has lobbied for Madagascar’s Ahmad to become CAF president in March prior to hosting the CAF symposium in July where sweeping changes were made to the continent’s football.
Last week, a newly created third vice-president role in CAF went to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation president Faouzi Lekjaa.
“Morocco has leaders right now who are eager and excited about developing the game, not just in Africa,” Pinnick continued.