⚽ Updates from the Afcon semi-final; kick-off 8pm GMT
⚽ Read Football Daily | Follow us on Bluesky | Mail Billy
Morocco’s players head out to warm up in Rabat, high-fiving an Atlas lion (a cuddly mascot, not a real one) on their way out of the tunnel. The country’s hosting abilities have been under scrutiny throughout this Afcon with a view to co-hosting the World Cup with Spain and Portugal in 2030. Jonathan Wilson has been there:
The high-speed Al-Boraq rail service from Rabat to Tangier is exceptional and should be extended through Casablanca to Marrakech by 2030. The conventional trains are very good, though they would come under strain at a World Cup, and don’t yet reach as far south as Agadir. With internal flights limited, that is an obvious potential problem. Hotels have easily been able to cope with the influx of visitors for the Cup of Nations without absurd price increases, and Morocco has a developed tourist infrastructure. That may yet not be enough for the far greater stresses of a World Cup, but the foundations are there.
