Launched by FIFA for future tournament hosts, the program gave representatives from Morocco and other upcoming host nations an opportunity to study the operational and organizational aspects of the 2026 World Cup, jointly staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Throughout the program, participants visited Dallas and Miami, touring official venues including the World Cup stadiums in both cities, Inter Miami CF’s training center, the FIFA Fan Festival, FIFA’s headquarters, the tournament operations center in Miami and the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas.
FIFA experts from more than 30 areas of specialization shared insights into the planning and decision-making behind the organization of the 2026 World Cup. The program also offered participants a closer look at the operational environment, governance model and cross-departmental coordination required to deliver the largest World Cup in history.
This year’s Observer Programme brought together representatives from major international sporting organizations, including Major League Baseball (MLB), World Rugby, the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), alongside organizers of current and future FIFA men’s and women’s tournaments.
Participants also included representatives from Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organizers of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027, the hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup and centenary celebration matches—Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay—as well as Saudi Arabia, which will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and FIFA’s continental confederations.
Ismail Radi, representing the Morocco 2030 Foundation, described the experience as “a great opportunity to gain a practical understanding of how a World Cup operates and prepare for the organization of the 2030 World Cup.”
He added that the Moroccan, Portuguese and Spanish delegations welcomed the lessons learned from site visits and exchanges with FIFA teams, particularly on the tournament’s most complex operational aspects.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup, marking the tournament’s centenary, is scheduled to run from June 8 to July 21, 2030. It will begin with commemorative ceremonies and opening matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay before the competition moves to its main hosts, Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
Ahead of the tournament, Morocco will host the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat on March 18, 2027. The elective congress is expected to bring together around 2,000 participants representing FIFA’s 211 member associations, marking the second time the Kingdom hosts the governing body’s General Assembly after Marrakech welcomed the event in 2005.
