Cranes to be based in Rabat as Marrakesh prepares for AFCON

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Uganda’s AFCON 2025 fixtures

December 23

Tunisia v Uganda (Annex)

December 27

Uganda v Tanzania (El Barid)

December 30

Nigeria v Uganda (Fes)

Matches in Marrakesh

Group Matches:

December 22

South Africa v Angola

December 24

Ivory Coast v Mozambique

December 26

Egypt v South Africa

December 26

Angola v Zimbabwe

December 28

Ivory Coast v Cameroon

December 30

Zimbabwe v R. South Africa

December 31

Gabon v Ivory Coast

January 6

Round of 16

January 10

Quarterfinal

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Over the years, Marrakesh had been equipped to host both football and athletics championships.

Besides its natural grass pitch, the stadium’s design integrated a running track for major athletics competitions.

However, as Marrakesh City prepares to accommodate thousands of fans ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and 2030 FIFA World Cup, the city’s main sports facility will have to undergo reconstruction to meet the set standards of both CAF and FIFA.

“We are going to reconstruct this stadium just like we are doing with the stadiums in Tangier, Agadir and Rabat,” Omar Khyari, advisor to the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), told Vision Sports yesterday.

The significant changes to the multi-purpose facility will involve removing the athletics track, lowering the pitch, and constructing new stands for an increased capacity of 45,860.

The improvements will focus on enhancing fan experience by removing the athletics track and moving the stands closer to the pitch.

The reconstruction of Marrakesh Stadium fits within King Mohammed VI’s vision.

King Mohammed VI has positioned Morocco as one of the world’s leading investment destinations and leader in the hospitality industry.

Six cities (Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakech, Fes and Tangier) and nine stadiums were selected for Africa’s flagship football tournament.

Marrakesh will have eight matches during the Africa Cup of Nations. It is also one of the potential venues for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host along with Portugal and Spain.

Built by Italian construction company Gregotti Associati International in January 2012, with unique architectural design, the 45,240 capacity multi-purpose stadium will have the capacity to host the Olympic Games in future.

“This stadium is unique in many ways. The team in charge of the renovations will even make it much better,” Omar pointed.

Known as the ‘Red City’ due to the stadium’s red walls built to reflect the traditional colours of the ancient city, Marrakesh will, however, retain its rectangular shape and four towers that carry a set of halogen lamps that illuminate its natural grass during matches.

Managed by the state company SONARGES (La Société Nationale de Réalisation et de Gestion des Équipements Sportifs), Marrakesh will undergo upgrades in two phases, according to regional director Karaoui Morad.

The first phase is already completed. It ushered in comfortable seating, new VIP areas, a renovated media tribune, two modern Videomatrix scoreboards, new eco-friendly lighting systems and advanced security cameras.

In the second phase, which starts immediately after the Nations Cup, the pitch will be lowered by 10 meters to expand the stadium’s capacity to 46,000 seats.

Nestling in the lush palm groves, Kenzi Fara Roses hotel that has 384 rooms, including ten suites, has also undergone renovations to meet the expectations of South Africa, Egypt, Angola and Zimbabwe, who will pitch camp in Marrakesh.

Uganda Cranes will be based in Rabat and as such, a majority of Cranes fans will reside within Morocco’s administrative capital.

But if you plan how to travel around Morocco during AFCON 2025 in advance, Marrakesh will provide you with a combination of football, culture and tourism. It’s also a shopper’s fantasy as you can get everything traditional in the souks (markets).

Marrakesh is blessed with numerous resorts and luxury hotels. Most of them are being refurbished to improve the fans' experience.