The Africa Office of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was inaugurated on Saturday at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, during a ceremony presided over by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The event was held in the presence of the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, and several other prominent figures.
“This is a historic moment and a day of celebration and joy that will be inscribed in golden letters in the history of FIFA and football in Africa, in Morocco, and across the world,” said Mr. Infantino during his speech on the occasion. He emphasized that “the inauguration of the FIFA Africa Office is timely, especially as it coincides with the celebrations of the glorious Throne Day,” adding that the Mohammed VI Football Complex is “an incredible and magnificent facility.”
“I thank His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the momentum he has given to the development of sport across the continent,” he continued, noting that the Royal momentum to develop football is “unique.” Mr. Infantino also stated that the Mohammed VI Football Complex, which now hosts the FIFA Africa Office, has become a vital hub for African football and a testament to a country and a continent oriented toward the future.
“This is not merely a FIFA Africa Office we are inaugurating today.
It is rather a global FIFA center, as it will have a worldwide impact on the practice of football,” he asserted. The FIFA President also recalled that Morocco will be hosting several major sporting events, including the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for men, the next five editions of the U-17 Women’s World Cup, and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted with Spain and Portugal. “The world will unite here in Morocco,” he proudly stated.
He also underlined that the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations between Morocco and Nigeria, taking place this Saturday evening in Rabat, will be “a grand and beautiful celebration” of women’s football in Morocco and Africa, highlighting the Moroccan public’s unparalleled passion for football.
For his part, Mr. Motsepe welcomed the inauguration of the FIFA Africa Office in Morocco, stating that “no better place could have been chosen for this office.” In this regard, he thanked His Majesty King Mohammed VI for His continuous efforts in favor of football on the continent, noting that African football is of global standard. After praising the performance of African teams at the last World Cup in Qatar—particularly the Moroccan national team, which reached the semi-finals—the CAF President expressed his conviction that African football is destined to reign over the global scene in the years to come.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lekjaa emphasized that the Mohammed VI Football Complex, which hosts the FIFA Africa Office, was made possible thanks to the farsighted Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, explaining that it is the result of a strategy aimed at the development and flourishing of Moroccan and African youth.
“This Vision aims to make Morocco a land of hospitality and a meeting point for talents from all over the world,” he said. According to Mr. Lekjaa, this Office reflects FIFA’s commitment to African football and the development of all its categories, recalling that Morocco has always been—and will remain—a country of tolerance and intercultural dialogue.
The headquarters agreement for the establishment of the FIFA Africa Office in Morocco was signed last December in Marrakech, on the sidelines of the 2024 CAF Awards ceremony, by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaa.
French 
English