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A meeting of the task force concerning cooperation between Morocco and France with a view to organizing the 2030 World Cup was held yesterday evening at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé.
This meeting, chaired by the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and head of the Morocco-2030 Foundation, Fouzi Lekjaa, featured the participation of Nicolas Forissier, the French Minister Delegate to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, responsible for foreign trade and economic attractiveness, along with Mohamed Bachiri, head of Morocco’s Industry Group at the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, and Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation.
Lekjaa emphasized that the 2030 World Cup is a significant milestone within a development project that has been underway in Morocco for two decades, reminding attendees that the kingdom will host several editions of the Women’s World Cup under 17 years old, similar to the Africa Cup of Nations, prior to the 2030 World Cup.
He added that economic stakeholders from both countries are working together on various ongoing projects and expressed hopes of benefiting from French expertise in organizing major sporting events, such as the 1998 World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games.
Lekjaa highlighted that a new facet of cooperation will focus on youth through football, to promote values such as tolerance, sportsmanship, and inclusion.
For his part, Forissier stated in a press comment that his visit to Morocco is part of bilateral meetings aimed at strengthening the excellent relations between Morocco and France, underscoring the importance of deepening Moroccan-French friendship across several fields, particularly economy, industry, and agriculture.
The French official praised Morocco’s organizational expertise demonstrated during the Africa Cup of Nations, affirming that France wishes to lend its experience to establish a strong partnership in practice.
He explained that “this collaboration, besides its economic aspect, aims to solidify the friendship between the two peoples and open promising opportunities for the youth in both countries through sports and cooperation.”
Mohamed Bachiri confirmed that the 2030 World Cup represents a structured economic project that has the potential to transform the national economy, explaining that this global sporting event is capable of mobilizing significant investments, accelerating the modernization of strategic sectors, and creating numerous job opportunities for businesses.
He noted that events like the World Cup bring about sustainable transformation in the country’s attractiveness and trajectory, citing the French model during the 1998 World Cup and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as examples.
Bachiri considered that “this competition, which will be jointly organized with Spain and Portugal, positions Morocco at the heart of the Euro-Mediterranean space, serving as a strategic bridge between Europe and Africa, based on proximity and joint development,” highlighting that this task force meeting is part of the renewal of the historical partnership between Morocco and France.
On the sidelines of this meeting, a roundtable discussion was held to explore cooperation projects leading up to the 2030 World Cup, bringing together Moroccan companies and their French counterparts.
