The Grand Stade de Casablanca will be constructed in El Mansouria, about 35 kilometers from Casablanca, with a capacity of 115,000 seats. A total of seven candidates submitted designs.
Ultimately, it was the
American firm Populous, in collaboration with the Moroccan architects Oualalou + Choi, that was chosen.
Populous has a rich back catalog of successful stadium designs, from the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium to the Emirates (Arsenal’s stadium) and Olympic Stadium (West Ham) in London, the Estadio da Luz (Benfica) in Lisbon, and numerous baseball stadiums in the States.
EUR 456 million
The site in El Mansouria, a coastal town with less than 20,000 inhabitants, will cover approximately 100 hectares. The groundwork has not yet gotten underway.
The Moroccan government provided a budget of approximately EUR 456 million for the construction of the new project.
When the Grand Stade de Casablanca is built, it will be the largest football stadium in the world. That accolade currently belongs to the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, which can accommodate 114,000 supporters.
In Europe, Camp Nou has the most seats (99,354), but Barcelona is still expanding their home stadium. If everything goes according to plan, it will be reopened for the 2025–2026 season with a capacity of 105,000.
“
We are very proud to have been awarded this prestigious project,” said Christopher Lee, Managing Director of Populous. “The Grand Stade de Casablanca will become an iconic attraction for all residents of Casablanca and Morocco.”
“It will be a stadium that is strongly anchored in Moroccan culture, with its traditions and contemporary forms of expression,” added architect Tarik Oualalou. “It has its roots in ancient and primitive customs: the Moussem (an annual gathering of nomadic peoples from the Sahara), the tent, and the garden, as well as the topography and landscape of Morocco.”
The stadium should be ready in 2026. Morocco hopes it can host the World Cup final there on July 21, 2030. After the World Cup, the Grand Stade could possibly become the 'home ground' of Raja and Wydad Casablanca. Portugal and Spain do not need to build new stadiums, as they have sufficient infrastructure that meets FIFA standards.
