FIFA opens regional office for Africa in Morocco

July 28 – Hard on the heels of FIFA opening its office in New York, FIFA has now added another new office in Morocco, co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup, further decentralising its operations and opening a rival base to the Cairo, Egypt, headquarters of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino inaugurated the new FIFA hub which will serve as the organisation’s Africa office, hosting a mix of personnel from different departments. The office is to provide support to provide technical and educational support to African nations.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe and Moroccan FA chairman Fouzi Lekjaa, one of the continent’s key power brokers, were in attendance alongside a host of African FA presidents as Rabat staged the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which Nigeria claimed for a tenth time with stunning comeback win against hosts Morocco.

In the lead-up to the 2030 World Cup when Morocco will be one of six co-hosts in a super-sized event, the North African nation is taking on a bigger role in football. They will host five consecutive editions of the U-17 Women’s World Cup and the Moroccans have expressed interest in staging the 2029 Club World Cup.

It all fits with Infantino’s expansionist vision of the game. Under him, FIFA have spread their operations around the globe with hubs in Paris, Jakarta, Miami as well it recent New York opening. The French capital is home to FIFA’s football development activities with strong ties to Africa, but that office has been downsized.

FIFA and Infantino also moved the organisation’s legal department from Zurich to Miami where FIFA have a hub ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. That move was met with resistance from FIFA’s in-house lawyers. The world governing body however have never clarified the motive for the decision.

The global governing body also has 11 regional development offices scattered around the world to provide member associations with more support. These offices are in Barbados, Panama, Paraguay, Senegal, Congo, South Africa, Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates, India, Malaysia and New Zealand.

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