Why it matters

Starting in 2030, in Casablanca, football enthusiasts, especially those of the two major clubs in the city, will no longer have to worry about the limited capacity of the Mohammed V Sports Complex: their city will have the largest stadium in the world.

What will be done

With a capacity of 115,000 seats, the Grand Stadium of Casablanca will be built on a 100-hectare site in the municipality of El Mansouria, in the province of Benslimane, 38 km north of Casablanca, near Benslimane Airport.

Other sports facilities will also be constructed near the new complex, including an athletics stadium, a gymnastics hall, a multipurpose sports hall, an Olympic swimming pool, a shopping center, a sports city, a park, a playground, and a hotel…

“The area will include the stadium and its ancillary facilities, as well as additional amenities and equipment,” specifies SONARGES.

Other sports facilities will also be built near the new complex, including a 25,000-seat athletics stadium, a gymnastics hall, a multipurpose indoor sports hall, an Olympic swimming pool, a conference and exhibition center, a shopping center, a sports city, a park, a playground, and a hotel, according to sources consulted by TelQuel.

According to Moulay Ahmed Afilal, Vice-President of the Casablanca City Council, “the excavation work for the stadium has already begun, along with the necessary studies for the effective start of the construction.”

Who is financing it

In accordance with the agreement signed last October between the government and the Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG), the construction of this new complex will receive an investment of approximately 5 billion dirhams over the period 2025-2028.

Who is in charge

The winning project by Oualalou+Choi and Populous draws inspiration from Morocco’s traditional social gathering, the moussem, with the stadium structure placed under a large tent-like roof.

Furthermore, the National Agency for Public Equipment (ANEP), which supports SONARGES in this project, has selected the group of architects responsible for designing the building. This group, led by the architects Oualalou+Choi and Populous, won the architectural competition.

They will be assisted by engineering firms Maffeis Engineering, ME Engineering, Rider Levett Bucknall, Momentum, and SEPSI. The winning project by Oualalou+Choi and Populous draws inspiration from Morocco’s traditional social gathering, the moussem, with the stadium structure placed under a large tent-like roof, emerging as a dramatic intervention in the forested landscape, as described on the O+C Architects website.

Written in French by Younes Saoury, edited in English by Eric Nielson