Morocco has made a big step in its preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup after the country awarded a $320 million stadium construction contract to a local consortium that will deliver the mega stadium project.
The new 115,000-seat Grand Stade Hassan II will be located on a 100-hectare site near Benslimane, north of Casablanca. The modern stadium is set to become the largest stadium in Africa upon completion.
Project Factsheet
Official name: Grand Stade Hassan II
Location: Near Benslimane, north of Casablanca, Morocco
Capacity: 115,000 spectators
Construction cost: Approximately $320 million
Architects: Oualalou+Choi (lead architect), in collaboration with Populous
Also read: Morocco Launches Construction Tender of $320 Million Hassan II Stadium, World’s Largest Stadium
Stadium Construction Contract Winners
The winning bid on the stadium project was submitted by Casablanca-based construction leaders TGCC and SGTM. The duo were the only consortium among those in the race to meet both the technical and financial requirements, according to Morocco’s official public procurement platform.
Contacted by Construction Review Online, Oualalou+Choi confirmed its role as the lead architect for the project.
The stadium is envisaged as the eventual centrepiece of a wider sports city. However, Oualalou+Choi, the project’s lead architect, told Construction Review Online that facilities associated with that longer-term vision — such as a 25,000-seat athletics stadium and an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool — “are not being built just now, not in this phase,” which is focused on the stadium itself. Other elements that have been discussed for the broader complex, including a multipurpose arena, hotels and a conference centre, likewise fall outside this phase.
The stadium’s transport links are a key part of the plan, with its location offering easy access to major highways serving Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, as well as Mohammed V International Airport.
Completion Date
The construction works of the stadium are expected to be finished in December 2027, ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
The Grand Stade Hassan II is expected to be one of the tournament’s flagship venues, complementing stadium upgrades in Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Marrakech, Fes and Agadir.
About Oualalou+Choi
The architecture and urban design practice of Oualalou+Choi approaches the architectural project as a means of negotiating complex situations, however foreign or obscure. Founded by Linna Choi and Tarik Oualalou, the office’s work spans a wide range of scales, typologies and contexts, serving as investigations as much about exploring given project constraints as about questioning the limits of the design profession. Its most significant works include the Volubilis Museum, the Cultural Center of Morocco in Paris, the United Nations COP22 Village, the Campus for the World Bank/IMF Annual Meeting in Marrakech, the Morocco Pavilion for EXPO 2020 Dubai, and the FLIJ tent constructed on the plaza of the Arab World Institute in Paris. The practice’s current projects include the Grand Stade de Hassan II for the 2030 World Cup — set to be the world’s largest stadium at 115,000 seats — the South Casablanca station, soon to become the city’s second high-speed train station, the 27,000 m² Saham Bank Headquarters in Casablanca, and the renovation of the historic Lincoln Hotel in the heart of Casablanca.
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