Morocco is set to make history with the construction of the Grand Stade de Casablanca, a proposed stadium that would be the largest football stadium in the world.
The North African country will host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, with aspirations for the mega-project to surpass Spain’s Bernabeu or Camp Nou as the prestigious venue for the final.
The planned site is in El Mansouria, a coastal town just east of Casablanca with less than 20,000 inhabitants. With an envisioned capacity of 115,000 spectators, the stadium will supplant the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, which can accommodate 114,000 supporters. The budget for the new arena is around five billion Moroccan dirhams, or around $500 million.
According to Stadium Database, construction of the Grand Stade de Casablanca has been in the pipeline since the beginning of the 20th century. The stadiums that will host the World Cup will be officially announced in 2026, by which time the construction of the stadium should be completed.
The National Agency for Public Facilities (ANEP) has reportedly awarded a contract to global architectural firm Populous, in collaboration with the French-Moroccan firm Oulalous + Choi (O+C), to design and construct the stadium after winning the competition for the contract.
“We are very proud to have been awarded this prestigious project,” said Christopher Lee, managing director of Populous. “The Grand Stade de Casablanca will become an iconic attraction for all residents of Casablanca and Morocco.”
“It will be a stadium that is strongly anchored in Moroccan culture, with its traditions and contemporary forms of expression,” said architect Tarik Oualalou.
“It has its roots in ancient and primitive customs: the Moussem (an annual gathering of nomadic peoples from the Sahara), the tent, and the garden, as well as the topography and landscape of Morocco.”
