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The poor state of stadia in Africa has been brought to the fore once again as seven countries have requested to play their home matches in Morocco due to lack of a CAF-approved facility
Morocco will play host to nine 2026 World Cup qualifiers for seven African countries that do not have stadiums approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host international matches.
Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger, Chad, Somalia, and Sao Tome and Principe are the countries that have elected to play their home matches in Morocco when the World Cup qualifiers begin this month.
While the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said the initiative is part of its partnership and cooperation agreements with a group of African football associations, it has more to do with a lack of stadia in the said countries.
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The matches include a qualifier game between Ethiopia and Sierra Leone, which will take place in El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida on November 15.
The second game will take place between Burkina Faso and Guinea Bissau on November 17 in the Marrakech Grand Stadium, while the third will see Guinea face Uganda on the same day in Berkan.
Niger and Tanzania will also play their qualifier on November 18 in the Marrakech Grand Stadium.
November 20 will mark the qualifier game between Chad and Madagascar in Oujda, while the sixth game will be between Somalia and Uganda on November 21 in Berkan.
The seventh match will be between Ethiopia and Burkina Faso on November 21 in El Jadida, while Niger and Zambia will also play their qualifier on the same day in the Marrakech Grand Stadium.
Sao Tome and Principe will play Namibia on the same day in Agadir.
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Several African countries do not have CAF-approved stadiums and have been hosting their home matches away from home, including the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Morocco, who will co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, were in September selected to host the 2025 AFCON and will be using the matches to test some of their venues.
However, it is not a good picture for the continent given the number of countries without a proper stadium, showing just how badly football and sports in general has been neglected in Africa.
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