Success and pride are two words which are being used by the people of Morocco after flawless staging of the Africa’s secondary international tournament, 2018 African Nations Championship which climaxed on Sunday night.

These feelings supported by the positive experiences of international fans who visited Morocco during the event confirms they are creditable candidates to stage the 2026 World Cup.

Of course CHAN is incomparable to a World Cup but it did allow Morocco to show off their capability and now the task for the North African nation is to go further and shake joint US-Mexico-Canada bid out of any complacency.

Morocco with ready made arenas and convenient location, is making its fifth attempt to convince the international football community that is a logical place to take the spectacle.

In most parts of the world there is optimism in the North African country that they are better equipped now to host a World Cup than they ever have been before in terms of stadiums, infrastructure, transport and so forth.

Support from Europe and Asia is what Morocco will need in the complicated, very political lobbying that lies ahead. The Asian Confederation, includes the Gulf States, has 46 votes. Uefa, which covers Europe, carries 55 Fifa Congress votes with Africa having 54 Fifa Congress votes.

Morocco with a population of 35million people is culturally allied to Middle East and geographically close to the southern Europe is considered ready financially and infrastructurally. Of the two bidders, only Morocco that can deliver a high quality, low-cost tournament and show a world class sport experience to the globe.

The African Nation will be presenting  its bid book to FIFA on 16 March, which is thirty five days to go and already in larger part of the continent there is a sense Africa is insatiably hungry to host the tournament.

Soka25east looks at the six  reasons why the North African nation should win the bid to host the 2026 World Cup.

Geographical position

Morocco adequate time zone – the same as central Europe during the northern hemisphere summer is a factor in its advantage, making things simple for the lucrative European television broadcasts.

The 2026 World Cup will be a tournament like no other: 48 teams, 80 games packed into 32 competition days. That means four games on most days so if it were to host the World Cup then all of those games would be easily viewable in Europe, Africa and even the Middle East.

Another thing,Morocco is only few hours’ flight from Europe: attractive for sponsors, international and corporate travelers alike.

Then the country mix of different influences from Africa, Europe and the Middle East gives it very tangible Mediterranean cultural markers coating it as a splendid place for football lovers to spend time with warm hospitable people.

Safety

Morocco is one of the safest places in the world which is safer that it’s bidding opponents USA,Canada and Mexico.

The country modern monarch has taken time to cultivate productive relationships with key Western powers. These relationships and their importance to Moroccan economic and social stability proves the country’s safety.

Photo:Ariel view of beautiful coastal beaches of Morocco

Thus far, Morocco has not been the victim of attacks by international organized terrorists and on your visit to Morocco you will notice a very visible presence of security forces in strategic locations such as transport hubs and tourist centers designed to reassure visitors of the high levels of security in the country.

Overall, Morocco is one of the safest countries in Africa or the Middle East and North Africa region.

Government Support

Morocco minister of Youth and Sports, Rachid Talbi Alami has been quoted on several occasions saying that his government fully supports the football federation bid to host the World Cup.

In his latest public address Alami, pointed out at a press conference held by Morocco’s Bid Committee that his government, since its last bid to host the 2010 World Cup, has put great efforts and significant investments to develop its infrastructures.

Photo:Morocco officials during  launch of bid logo for 2016 World Cup

According to financial projections, Morocco can mobilize funds to host the World Cup without affecting budget balance in any way.

Moroccan government has also assured public that it grant visas to all supporters wishing to attend the World Cup and is committed to support companies that seek to set up business in the Kingdom.

Morocco attractive exchange rate means that fans can spend two or three weeks following their team from the pool to the knockout stages for the same cost as just one week in United States Canada or Mexico.

Infrastructure

Morocco has hosted the FIFA Club World Cup on two occasions and FIFA president Gianni Infantino was once quoted saying that the African country is “capable, in terms of infrastructure and organization, of hosting a World Cup.”

Transportation legacy has so far been a smooth process since the last 2010 World Cup bid. New airports and expanded terminals have opened in the country and no flight between any two host cities will take more than 80 minutes.

Photo: The first high-speed trains in Africa flashing along the Atlantic coast of Morocco.

A new high-speed rail network is being tested and will be in fully operation by mid-this year. This will offer fans a cheaper, simpler, more stream-lined tournament. Compared to the prospect of flying from one corner of North America to another, that must be attractive to fans trying to follow their team on a budget.

Stadiums
There are already six arenas located in the major cities of the country such Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fes, Marrakesh and Agadir with capacities of 45,000 or over to comply with Fifa World Cup requirements.

Photo: Beautiful view of Mohamed V Stadium

A sources close to the bidding team indicate that nine stadiums have been marked for the bid. Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, Prince Moulay Abdellah located in Rabat, Stade of Marrakech, Ibn Battouta stadium which is in city of Tangier, Stade of Adrar in Agadir and the famous Fez Sports Complex are some of potential hosts.

From the capacity of the stadiums to their location, through the security requirements, the playing area and press cabins the venues indeed are in perfect condition to host the biggest event in the world football.

Apart from the stadiums, Morocco has magnificent training bases though the government has already promised to put up more infrastructure so not to put anything under strain.

Experience

There is certainly experience in the process of World Cup bidding which makes Morocco’s 2026 team bid book likely to be much detailed.

Morocco were beaten by France for the 1998 hosting rights and by South Africa to a 2010 tournament designated by Fifa as Africa’s by right. In both cases the northern African nation’s case gathered an encouraging support.

A track record of expertise in successfully delivering major events is another bid headline that clearly states why the country will be able to host the event. The Club World Cup in December 2013 and 2014, won by Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, although that is a vastly smaller and shorter tournament.

The Moroccan Federation has so far engaged Vero, a strategic communications consultancy to help shape the vision of a welcoming, passionate and authentic tournament in one of Africa’s most dynamic nations.

The vote for the 2026 World Cup won’t take place until May 2020, giving Morocco plenty of time to demonstrate its sports leadership. In the meantime, the hope is that the Lions will get the chance to represent Morocco – and Africa – on the field.

Should Africa unite behind Morocco, it would give the country a significant amount of support as the continent has second-highest number of voting FIFA member countries behind Europe.