Courtesy: BBC
Morocco will go ahead with its development plan even if it loses out to the U.S., Canada and Mexico in the race to host the FIFA World Cup 2026, the country’s bid chief Hicham El Amrani said.
“We’ll carry on the projects because it is for the good of our country and continent, not only to host the World Cup,” BBC Sport quotes him.
“We are interested in one thing – winning, but even if we don’t win and we lose with fair play and that will be fine. At the end of the day we will have given our best, we will have showcased what Morocco is about,” he added.
The world football governing body will in June make a decision on the host of the 2026 tournament, but will have only two bids to pick from; Morocco and a joint bid from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Morocco’s bid detailed a plan to use 14 stadia across the country, five of which are existing and will only be renovated, while nine new ones will be built.
Six of the new stadia will be ‘modular’ meaning the capacity can be reduced after the tournament.
El Amrani said he is not concerned about whether African nations will vote for Morocco’s bid.
While nations like Algeria, Kenya and The Gambia have publicly given their backing to the plan, the South African government has said it does not support the bid.
“Even if Africa has always acted in unity, unity does not mean 100% of all the member associations, this is part of the democratic process,” he said.
“Nobody is forced to vote Morocco if he believes that it doesn’t serve the country or the country’s football interest.
Should Morocco’s bid win, the North African country will become only the second African country to ever host the prestigious football tournament.
The 2026 games will mark the first time the World Cup games involve 48 teams, an increase from the current 32 teams.
