Morocco is set to play a leading role in shaping the future of African football, with Rabat confirmed as the new home of the FIFA Africa Office. The announcement was made during a high-level event in Marrakech, where FIFA President Gianni Infantino signed a historic agreement alongside Moroccan Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch and President of the Moroccan Football Association (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa.
The new FIFA Africa Office is expected to begin operations in 2025 and will serve as the main hub for FIFA’s activities on the continent. The agreement reflects both FIFA’s confidence in Morocco’s footballing growth and the country’s strong commitment to the sport.
Speaking at the event, Gianni Infantino said, “We know how welcoming the people of Morocco are. Everybody loves Morocco. I am sure the world will celebrate Morocco and football here, again, in 2030.” He added, “This is where we’ll draw the future of African football, together. We will write new fascinating and exciting pages for the future of African football.”
It’s very important for FIFA to be here, to be in Morocco, to be in Africa, to be, in fact, everywhere in the world, that’s what I was saying earlier too.
It’s true that in Africa there are 54 countries, 54 CAF and FIFA member countries, but it’s with the whole world. Morocco is now the leading country of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, it’s the leading country of the 2017 Women’s World Cup for the next five years, it has propelled Morocco onto the world football map.
It’s obviously also the leading country for the FIFA World Cup in 2030, the Centenary World Cup, it’s important for us to be here, it’s a country that has done a lot in terms of football development. In recent years, not just the semi-finals, obviously, the whole world had become Moroccan in 2022 in Qatar when we saw what this magnificent national team did.
But not only that, that’s not the result of chance, it’s the result of long-term work, by the president, by all Moroccans under the impetus of His Majesty, who is the real driving force of a country that has moved three speeds ahead of all others towards the future, we can see it, I was in different cities here in Morocco in recent days as well, we see what’s happening, not just at the level of football, but really at the level of society, of infrastructure, everything is ready, not only to organize the most beautiful party during the World Cup in Ville-Taronne, but everything is ready for this country to really be part of the great countries of the world in the future.
And that’s why FIFA must be here, for this Africa-FIFA office, but as I said, it’s the World-FIFA office, it must be present everywhere. This is a strategic hub for FIFA. It’s not just an administrative hub, we’re going to take care of the federations and development in Africa, which is obviously one of the priorities, but there are other priorities, it’s football, federal football, the development of football.
We have an academy, a center here, that we can use for young people, for trainers, for coaches, for referees, for medical personnel, we can do everything here. And that’s why we’re here. Morocco, obviously, will benefit, we thank them. Africa will benefit, but the whole world will benefit. We are going to project from here.
Fouzi Lekjaa, who has been instrumental in Morocco’s football development, welcomed the move, saying, “Hosting the FIFA Africa Office in Rabat confirms Morocco’s status as a football leader on the continent and aligns with our vision to support African football at all levels.”
The announcement comes as Morocco prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030™ alongside Portugal and Spain. It will be only the second time the global tournament returns to African soil, and the decision was confirmed at the Extraordinary FIFA Congress in December 2024.
Morocco’s football journey has seen major progress in recent years. The men’s national team made history by reaching the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, while the women’s team reached the round of 16 in their first FIFA Women’s World Cup™ appearance in 2023. Morocco also secured a bronze medal at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024.
Off the field, Morocco has hosted numerous international competitions, including the 2022 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA Club World Cup™. It will host the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025 and five consecutive editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ from 2025.
“We are building a strong base for football in Africa, and Rabat will be at the centre of that transformation,” Infantino concluded.
With offices already established in Paris, Miami, and Jakarta, FIFA’s expansion into Morocco signals a new and exciting chapter for football development across Africa.
