Morocco withdraws from the race to host African competitions

Morocco will no longer bid for African competitions

Africa Today at 05:40

Morocco withdraws from the race to host African competitions

Morocoo / @Foot Africa

The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, announced that Morocco will no longer be submitting new bids to host African competitions in the coming years.

📍#Fact_Checking: Mr. Fouzi #Lekjaa never said that #Morocco would no longer bid to host African events.

He stated, "If any of the 54 African countries wants a competition ALREADY SCHEDULED in Morocco, we’ll give it to them, with additional support."..

MASTERCLASS 😌 pic.twitter.com/SduwfJESu7
— Dr. Nada Yamani 🇲🇦 (@Nada_Yamani) June 13, 2026

Morocco steps aside for other African nations

As a guest on the show “Podcast Maghareb” broadcast on the “Al Jazeera 360” platform, Fouzi Lekjaa explained that Morocco’s organization of several continental tournaments in recent years was due to special circumstances and the need to save certain competitions from cancellation.

The 55-year-old Moroccan official stated:

“We have always explained to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that when no country steps forward to host youth category competitions, Morocco opens its doors to organize them. We are convinced that youth are the foundation of African football’s future. Without real investment in young talent, it will be impossible tomorrow to have teams capable of competing in the Africa Cup of Nations or qualifying for the World Cup.”

Fouzi Lekjaa also emphasized that Morocco’s hosting of three consecutive editions of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations was not out of a desire to keep the competition’s hosting rights, but rather because no other country applied, due to high costs and insufficient sports infrastructure.

The FRMF president pointed out that these competitions generate limited revenue compared to the investments they require. Morocco hosts them primarily to support the development of African football.

He concluded by recalling that the Kingdom has always been there to support CAF whenever needed, thus contributing to the growth of African football, far from any financial considerations.