Marrakesh Stadium (,

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

: Annar n Mrraksh), is a multi-use

stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. It was designed by Gregotti Associati International. Completed in January 2012, it is used mostly for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

matches with the capability of hosting Olympic Games. It is home to Kawkab Marrakesh football team. The stadium has a capacity for 45,240 spectators. It replaces Stade Al Harti as the home of Kawkab Marrakech and as the main stadium of the city. It hosted the

2014 IAAF Continental Cup The 2014 IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event that was held in Marrakech, Morocco, on 13–14 September 2014. It was the second edition of the IAAF Continental Cup since the name and format was changed from th ...

, four games including the final in the

2014 FIFA Club World Cup The 2014 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2014 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club association football, football ...

, and the

2014 African Championships in Athletics The 2014 African Championships in Athletics was held in Marrakech, Morocco from 10 to 14 August 2014. The competition was the 19th edition of Africa senior championships. The competition served as preparation to African athletes for the next conti ...

. It will be one of the venues for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. It is one of the potential venues for the

2030 FIFA World Cup The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be the 24th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. Three countries will host the competition, representing, for the ...

which Morocco will co-host along with Portugal and Spain.

History

Construction

Launched in September 2003, the construction of the stadium lasted 7 years and 3 months. Inauguration took place on January 5, 2011, with friendlies involving two Moroccan teams; Kawkab Marrakech and Wydad Casablanca facing two French teams; Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint Germain.

Criticism

After more than seven years in construction, the Marrakchis people and the contributors unveiled the first stadium in the world to be both rectangular and host a running track. The criticism from that branched from these constructive decisions is that the distance from the running track to the bleachers is much too far. Considered a fault to the builders, the space contrast is attributed to a lack of potential spectators in the stadium, who avoid the stadium due to poor vision.

Means of access

The stadium is located north of Marrakesh. It is served by the international airport Marrakesh - Menara at fourteen kilometres, and the railway station of the city. Access to the stadium is provided by sixteen doors and a grand entrance.

International events

The stadium hosted the following international events: * 2013 FIFA Club World Cup Final *

2014 FIFA Club World Cup Final The 2014 FIFA Club World Cup final was the final match of the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, a football tournament hosted by Morocco. It was the 11th final of the FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament organised by FIFA between the winners of the six contin ...

References

External links

Photos of construction of stadiumStadium Guide Article
Football venues in Morocco S Buildings and structures in Marrakesh Athletics (track and field) venues in Morocco Sports venues completed in 2011 2011 establishments in Morocco KAC Marrakech 21st-century architecture in Morocco {{Morocco-sports-venue-stub