A consortium led by architects Oualalou + Choi and Populous has been awarded the contract to design the Grand Stade de Casablanca stadium in Morocco. With a capacity of 115,000 people, it is projected to be the largest football stadium in the world.
The contract was awarded following an international architectural design competition, which included proposals by firms Herzog & De Meuron, Zaha Hadid Architects, Foster + Partners, Cruz y Ortiz, GMP Architects and HPP Architects.
Following Morocco’s naming as joint hosts for the FIFA World Cup 2030 alongside Spain and Portugal, the stadium will be designed to be fully compliant for FIFA competitions. It will also be home to two local clubs.
Preparation for groundworks is underway on a 100-hectare site in the town of El Mansouria, in the province of Benslimane, 38km north of Casablanca.
The winning design draws inspiration from the traditional social gathering of Morocco known as a ‘moussem’, with the stadium structure set under a grand, tented roof that emerges as a dramatic intervention in the forested landscape. No images of the designs have been released yet.
Engineering firms Maffeis Engineering, ME Engineering, Rider Levett Bucknall, Momentum, and SEPSI complete the design team.
“We are very proud to have been selected for this prestigious project, with our partners Oualalou + Choi,” said Christopher Lee, managing director at Populous for the EMEA region. “The Grand Stade de Casablanca is an iconic, landmark venue for the citizens of Casablanca and Morocco that will become one of the great stadia of the world.”
“The Grand Stade de Casablanca is deeply rooted in Moroccan culture, with its traditions and contemporary expressions,” added Tarik Oualalou, design principal and founding partner at Oualalou + Choi and lead architect for the project. “It is rooted in ancient and primordial figures: the Moussem, the tent, and the garden, as well as the topography and landscapes of Morocco. It’s a generous space, open to the world and respectful to the Nature it protects. The Grand Stade de Casablanca is the embodiment of the great tradition of Moroccan hospitality.”
