Grand Theatre of Rabat which will host the CAF 2024 Awards is a proposed venue for the 2030 World Cup Draw.
Three grand venues are in contention to host the draw for the 2030 World Cup after the 2026 World Cup would have taken place.
The contending venues are the Grand Theater in Rabat Morocco, WiZink Center in Madrid Spain and the MEO Arena in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.
This came out from FIFA’s report that indicates that each of the three joint hosts put forward a unique venue.
Morocco nominated the Grand Theater in Rabat. FIFA described the venue as meeting all the norms with a total area of 25,000 square metres and an auditorium which can seat 1,800 guests.
Spain nominated Madrid’s WiZink Center. This venue boasts a vast 5,800 square meters of space and can host over 16,000 people.
Portugal, meanwhile, proposed the MEO Arena in Lisbon. It is known as one of Europe’s largest multipurpose arenas and has previously hosted the Euro 2004 draw. The MEO Arena offers 5,200 square meters of space and seating for 20,000.
Meanwhile, Morocco is set to switch the venue of this year’s CAF Awards from Marrakech to Rabat in a bid to showcase the Grand Theater.
It is believed that the change from Marrakech to Rabat is influenced by the French Football Federation.
French President, Emmanuel Macron, saw Rabat’s new theatre — with its cutting-edge facilities and striking design — on his recent visit to Morocco.
This change is a smart move as the CAF Awards will be putting on full display one of Morocco’s world-class venues, while the country hopes to host more major sports events down the line.
Lalla Hasnaa and Brigitte Macron inaugurated the Grand Theater that King Mohammed VI set in motion in 2006 with a whooping budget of MAD 1.677 billion ($170 million).
The venue is considered a cultural powerhouse. It has a 7,000-seat amphitheatre, and a stunning 7.1-hectare layout.
