Months after the crowds left following the Africa Cup of Nations, the Grand Stade de Marrakech is once again full of activity. Only this time, there is little football to be seen.
The lower stands are being knocked down. The athletics track is on its way out. Dust and excavated earth have taken over parts of the ground as workers pull apart a stadium that had itself only recently emerged from an AFCON facelift.
The stadium is being remade for the 2030 World Cup and, during a visit to the site, Le360 Sport found the MAD 2.2 billion project firmly in its demolition phase.
Morad Karaoui, SONARGES regional director for Marrakech-Safi, said workers first stripped the stadium’s cladding before moving onto the lower stands.
The playing field is to be lowered by around five meters, after which the lower bowl will be rebuilt around it. The athletics track separating supporters from the pitch is being removed altogether.
When the stadium reopens, spectators will therefore sit considerably closer to the football.
Concrete work on the new structure is due to start in the coming weeks, Karaoui said, although the builders will not be starting entirely from scratch.
The existing roof structure is staying. It will be worked into the new design, with the revamped roof extending over the stands to provide greater cover from sun and rain.
The old configuration accommodated around 40,000 people. SONARGES is working towards a net capacity of 46,000 seats, with the rebuilt stands designed to eliminate obstructed views.
“The goal is for every seat to offer a direct and optimal view of the playing area,” Karaoui told Le360 Sport.
For AFCON, the stadium had 15 boxes. By the World Cup, it is supposed to have 74.
The overhaul also extends behind the stands, with new display panels, digital systems and video surveillance among the equipment planned for the venue. Lamalif will handle part of the lighting and related works, while specialist contractors will be brought in for the pitch and furniture.
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Contractors have been given 18 months to turn the present construction site into the finished stadium, putting completion around early 2028.
Karaoui said the work remained within that contractual timeframe, though weather and delays in getting imported equipment and materials to Marrakech could still have a say.
