Football

Morocco–Spain–Portugal: The 2030 FIFA World Cup as a driver of an unprecedented economic partnership

Published

7 months ago

February 11, 2026

In Rabat city, preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup are already translating into a tripartite economic dynamic between Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, with public and private stakeholders outlining the contours of a legacy set to extend far beyond the sporting arena.

At the Mohammed VI Football Complex—now a showcase of Morocco’s sporting and institutional development—the Morocco–Spain–Portugal Business Forum dedicated to preparations for the 2030 World Cup was held on Tuesday, February 10, 2025.

This economic gathering goes well beyond the sporting dimension, positioning itself within a framework of strategic cooperation among the three host countries of this historic edition, organized across two continents.

Co-organized by the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), and the Portuguese Business Confederation (CIP), the forum brought together public decision-makers, business leaders, and economic representatives from Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, in the presence of the Spanish Ambassador to Morocco, Mr. Enrique Ojeda Vila, and the Chargé d’Affaires of the Portuguese Embassy in Rabat, Mr. Nuno Gabriel Cabral.

From the opening session, emphasis was placed on the unprecedented nature of this World Cup, which will see, for the first time, three neighboring countries—linked by history and geography—coordinate their efforts to host more than 100 matches, within a framework of continuous mobility across the host cities and territories.

This organizational reality, which requires a high level of harmonization in infrastructure, transport, logistics, and security, was presented as an exceptional opportunity to structure long-term and sustainable economic partnerships.

Speaking at the forum, Mr. Fouzi Lekjaa, President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the Budget, highlighted the strategic significance of the venue hosting the event, stating:

“This complex reflects the enlightened vision of His Majesty the King for the development of sport in general, as well as for designing and monitoring a development model for Moroccan youth, and indeed for youth at the continental and global levels.”

He recalled that the complex hosts a permanent FIFA office and has become a central hub for football development serving youth worldwide.

Mr. Lekjaa also praised the recent success of the Africa Cup of Nations organized in Morocco a few weeks earlier, noting that “everything was done, built, and organized by Moroccan companies and Moroccan professionals,” and describing the tournament as a major milestone on the path toward hosting the 2030 World Cup.

The Minister stressed the historical dimension of this edition, which will mark the centenary of the first World Cup held in 1930, recalling that “this will be the first World Cup ever organized across the African and European continents.”

According to him, the geographical proximity and the long-standing civilization, cultural, and economic ties between Morocco, Spain, and Portugal constitute a decisive asset for the success of this event.

He also emphasized the organizational complexity linked to the mobility of national teams across several cities and countries, explaining that “a national team may play its first match in Madrid, the second in Marrakech, and the third in Lisbon,” which requires exemplary coordination in logistics, transport, security, and infrastructure.

This reality, he stressed, calls for permanent complementarity among the three countries to ensure organizational consistency.

For his part, CGEM President Chakib Alj underscored the strategic importance of the forum, stating that “this highly anticipated event brings together companies and decision-makers from our three countries around a clear and shared ambition: to invest together, innovate together, and create value together.” He recalled that the World Cup must be viewed as a lever for growth, social cohesion, and sustainable development well beyond the sporting deadline.

Mr. Alj noted that the current international context—marked by the restructuring of global value chains—makes regional economic convergence indispensable, asserting that “moving forward alone is no longer an option.”

He recalled Spain’s experience, which underwent profound transformation through major sporting events such as the 1982 World Cup and the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, both of which acted as catalysts for modernization and international repositioning.

Regarding Morocco’s preparations, he detailed several structuring projects, stating that “the capacity of six major airports will be doubled, the highway network will be expanded by nearly 30%, and the high-speed rail line connecting Kenitra to Marrakech will become operational.”

He also mentioned strategic logistics projects such as Nador West Med and the Atlantic Port.

The CGEM President recalled that the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations served as a full-scale rehearsal, noting that “AFCON generated direct economic returns estimated at over €2 billion, against approximately €1 billion in investment in sports infrastructure,” and that “more than 60,000 direct and indirect jobs were created.”

He highlighted that over 3,000 Moroccan companies were mobilized and that thousands of young people benefited from training programs that sustainably enhanced their employability.

Finally, Mr. Chakib Alj emphasized cooperation opportunities in infrastructure, tourism, technology, health, and training, affirming that “the 2030 World Cup offers us a unique opportunity to materialize rich and diverse partnerships,” and reaffirmed CGEM’s determination to facilitate bridges between economic operators in the three countries.

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Football

‘Super Falcons’ WAFCON Campaign Was a Huge Success’ — Fanny Anum

Published

3 hours ago

August 27, 2026

Logan Mclaughlin

Ex Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Fact-Finding Committee Chairman and former Nigerian player and coach, Fanny Amun, explicitly stated that the just-concluded 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco was a huge success for the Super Falcons.

In an exclusive interview with Brila Media on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, Amun said, _”I disagree with anybody who says the Super Falcons’ performance was woeful. The WAFCON in Morocco was a huge success.”_

This claim has elicited a widespread reaction and criticism from fans all over the country, as most people believe, based on facts and the eventual tournament turnout, that the campaign was a historic disaster for Nigerian women’s football.

The Super Falcons struggled to advance to the 2026 WAFCON quarter-finals due to their opening game loss to Malawi.
The 10-time African champions were knocked out in the quarterfinals and lost the chance at direct qualification to the World Cup after a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon.
By losing a subsequent playoff match 2-1 to South Africa, Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. This marked the first time in history that the Super Falcons will miss the global tournament since its inception in 1991.

Amun clarified his perspective by arguing that simply competing and advancing past the group stages means the tournament shouldn’t be written off as an absolute failure, noting that many other teams exited much earlier.

He also defended the NFF against public backlash regarding logistical issues, such as the team’s late arrival in Morocco, blaming visa delays by the host nation rather than federation mismanagement.

_“The issue of the players’ departure is not that of the NFF. If the host country, like Morocco, issues the visas and they then decide to depart late, it is not the NFF”,_ Amun said.

His remarks have polarized the football community, especially since they came just days after his own committee submitted a sweeping report on August 21, 2026, which exposed deep systemic rot, financial discrepancies, and camp infiltration within the national team setup.

The NFF itself viewed the tournament as a failure, immediately dismissing head coach Justine Madugu and his entire technical team.

In mid-August 2026, the NFF appointed Fanny Amun to head a 6-member fact-finding panel. The group was tasked with investigating recent declines in Nigerian football, specifically focusing on the Super Falcons’ historic failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The committee’s sweeping report exposed significant inner rot, which includes: Interference by NFF board members and officials intruding into team camps, unequal payments between administrators and players, a cash-for-players selection scandal, technical deficiencies, poor grassroots development, and weak league management.

Immediately after submitting the report on August 21, 2026, Amun announced his resignation as the committee’s chairman. He explained at a press conference at the National Stadium in Lagos that he completed the task early and resigned explicitly to protect the integrity of the findings, ensuring no external forces could alter or compromise the report before its submission to the NFF, National Sports Commission (NSC), and FIFA.

The post ‘Super Falcons’ WAFCON Campaign Was a Huge Success’ — Fanny Anum appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.

Football

Mato inspires Hearts into Conference League with assist, shootout goal

Published

15 hours ago

August 27, 2026

Elliot Michael

Uganda Cranes forward Rogers Mato made a decisive contribution as Hearts qualified for the UEFA Conference League league phase after eliminating Rapid Vienna in a dramatic penalty shootout in Austria on Wednesday night.

Mato came off the bench at the end of normal time, assisted Calvin Miller’s extra-time goal and then converted his penalty in the shootout as Hearts won 4-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time. The result left the tie level at 4-4 on aggregate.

Rapid had taken the lead through Ercan Kara in the 34th minute, leaving Hearts trailing 3-2 on aggregate following the 2-2 first-leg draw at Tynecastle.

Pierre Landry Kaboré restored parity for Hearts in the 79th minute, forcing extra time before Mato was introduced for captain Blair Spittal at the end of the 90 minutes.

The Uganda international did not take long to influence proceedings.

In the 100th minute, Hearts broke quickly and Mato delivered the cross from which Miller finished with his left foot to put the Scottish side 2-1 ahead on the night and 4-3 up on aggregate.

Hearts were playing with 10 men by that stage after Tómas Magnússon had been sent off for a second bookable offence in the 76th minute, making their effort to protect the advantage even more difficult.

Rapid eventually found a way back in the 119th minute when Nenad Cvetkovic scored from close range, making it 2-2 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate to send the tie to penalties.

Mato was again entrusted with responsibility in the shootout and made no mistake, converting right-footed into the bottom-left corner to put Hearts 3-2 ahead at that stage of the shootout.

Goalkeeper Beau Reus then played his part, saving penalties from Moulaye Haïdara and Marco Tilio as Hearts eventually prevailed 4-3 to seal their place in the Conference League league phase.

The result completes an important European breakthrough for Mato in his first season at Hearts, but his involvement goes beyond simply being part of a qualifying squad.

With the tie finely balanced and Hearts reduced to 10 men, the Ugandan was trusted for extra time, created the goal that temporarily put his side on course for qualification and then converted under pressure in the shootout.

Mato had also featured in the first leg in Edinburgh, coming on in the 73rd minute as Hearts drew 2-2 with Rapid.

The qualification means Mato will now have the opportunity to play in the league phase of a major UEFA club competition, providing another platform for the Uganda Cranes forward to test himself against European opposition during his first campaign in Scottish football.

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Football

URA Ladies poach another player from Kampala Queens

Published

1 day ago

August 26, 2026

Elliot Michael

Newly promoted FUFA Women Super League outfit, URA Ladies continue to beef up their squad ahead of the new season by signing new players. According the latest signings, the target to bring on board players with experience.

A day after announcing the arrival of midfielder Shamusa Najjuma from Kampala Queens (now KCCA Women), the Tax Collectors have also announced the arrival of defender Patience Nabulobi on a two-year deal.

Nabulobi arrives with vast experience having featured for several clubs in the top division, including Uganda Martyrs Lubaga, Makerere University and most recently Kampala Queens.

URA Ladies are busy in the transfer market and are seeking to beef up the team both in the technical and playing areas.

Reports indicate, the club is already in talks with Kawempe Muslim’s assistant coach Moses Nkata to take on the new role as the permanent head coach.

It should be noted that Nkata was part of the technical team that helped URA Ladies earn promotion. The working relationship stemmed from the initial agreement where Kawempe Muslims Junior Team served as the Women Club for URA FC up until full acquisition.

However, even after full acquisition, the bulk of the players from Kawempe Junior Team were retained plus the coaching staff that included Nkata and head coach Ayub Khalifa.

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