Nigeria's Super Eagles are one of the 10 African teams playing in Morocco over five days

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

From this Friday afternoon to Tuesday, Morocco begins what is aptly a festival of World Cup qualifying matches. Within the period, a series of seven World Cup qualifying matches involving 10 countries including Nigeria will be played.

Thus, the Kingdom of Morocco has become the preferred destination for African sports events due to its world-class infrastructure.

With arenas in some of African countries ruled inadequate and coupled with unrest, instability as well as deteriorating health conditions in some of the countries, the ultimate destination turned to be Morocco.

The countries with inadequate facilities are: Sudan, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, and Liberia. They all opted for Morocco for their home games just as they did in the days leading to 2015 Afcon when owing to outbreak of Ebola virus, Guinea took their matches to Morocco.  

The 'mini World Cup' will take place between this Friday November 12 and Tueady 16, as part of the qualifying rounds for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Tangier, Marrakech, Agadir, Rabat, and Casablanca will host the games.

If the seven matches are added to the eight Morocco had earlier hosted within the qualifying series for Qatar 2022, the country is on record as having most World Cup qualifying matches.  

The projected games are scheduled as follows:

  • Morocco will face Sudan on November 12 in the Prince Moulay Abdellah Complex in Rabat at 8:00 p.m.
  • Also on November 12, Burkina Faso will play Niger at Grand Stadium in Marrakech at 2:00 p.m.
  • On Saturday 13 November in group C, Liberia will play against Nigeria on in Tangier Grand Stadium at 5:00 p.m.
  • The next day, Sunday 14 November, it will be the turn of Mali facing Uganda on at Agadir Grand Stadium before facing their Central African Republic counterpart on November 16 in Tangier at 5:00 p.m
  • On Monday, Guinea Bissau and Sudan in Group E will face off on November 15 in Marrakech Grand Stadium at 5:00 p.m.
  • The encounter between Morocco and Guinea, which will take place at 8:00 p.m. on November 16 at Mohammed V Sports Complex in Casablanca, will bring the series to a close.

Morocco had previously hosted eight African qualifying matches for Qatar World Cup 2022, on October 12-16. Morocco's Atlas Lions was ranked 29th in the latest FIFA rankings, which were released on October 21.