Morocco to spend $15.8bn if wins 2026 World Cup bid

Rabat, March 19 (IANS/MAP) Morocco will spend a total of $15.8 billion on stadiums and infrastructure if it wins its bid to organise the 2026 World Cup.

The chairperson of the bid committee Moulay Hafid Elalamy said that $3.2 billion from the total budget would be invested by the private sector. Morocco is ranged against a joint bid from the US, Mexico and Canada.

In addition to renovating the existing stadiums and building new ones, Morocco vowed to construct 21 new hospitals that meet the highest international standards and 131 new sites for training.

If the country wins the bid, these projects would create some 110,000 jobs every year from the year of designation to the organisation year.

"The interests of the Kingdom will be preserved at best in this sporting fight and, in the event of any departure from the rules, Morocco knows how to defend itself," Elalamy said.

Morocco formally submitted its bid book to FIFA on Friday containing all plans for stadiums, infrastructure and transport required for the competition.

This is Morocco's fifth bid to host the World Cup, after their unsuccessful bids for the 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 editions.

FIFA will take a decision at the FIFA Congress on June 13 in Moscow on the eve of the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

--IANS

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