Stade Mohammed V

Stade Mohammed V Capacity and Location

Stade Mohammed V seats 45,000 spectators in the Maârif district of Casablanca, and its record crowd of 110,000 at a 1997 derby remains the highest ever recorded at a Moroccan stadium.

That seated figure is disputed. Wikipedia and several match-day guides list 45,000; the travel sites avygeo and rehlat put it nearer 67,000 after recent work. We use 45,000 as the primary number, sourced from Wikipedia, and flag the higher figure as unconfirmed until CAF or the Moroccan federation (FRMF) publish a certified capacity for the renovated ground.

The stadium anchors a 12-hectare sports complex that also holds a 12,000-seat gymnasium, an Olympic pool, a media centre and an anti-doping laboratory. The pitch is a hybrid grass surface, first laid as a semi-artificial system in 2006 and 2007.

It sits on Boulevard Brahim Roudani in central Casablanca. The Tramway T1 runs closest, with the Wafasalaf and Riviera stops a five to ten minute walk away for about 8 dirhams.

Raja CA and Wydad AC: Two Clubs, One Stadium Since 1955

Raja Club Athletic, founded in 1949, and Wydad Athletic Club, founded in 1937, have shared Stade Mohammed V since it opened in 1955, splitting Casablanca into rival green and red halves.

Wydad, in carmine red, traces its roots to the nationalist movement under the French protectorate, and its Curva Nord fills one end. Raja, in emerald green, grew from a more working-class following before independence, and its Magana curve answers from the other. The ground itself carries the nickname Le Donateur, the Donor.

Their meeting, the Casablanca derby, is among the most charged fixtures in African football. Both sets of fans prepare tifo displays over weeks, and Raja's stands are known well beyond Morocco for the chant Rajawi Falastini. Raja CA and Wydad AC have between them carried Casablanca to repeated CAF Champions League finals.

Notable Matches at Stade Mohammed V

Stade Mohammed V staged the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations final, in which Cameroon beat Nigeria 1–0 through an Emmanuel Kundé penalty, and it hosted four CAF Champions League finals between 2017 and 2023.

Its biggest occasions run from a continental final in the 1980s to its place in the next World Cup.

Morocco co-hosts the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal, and Stade Mohammed V is part of that plan. The wider Africa Cup of Nations returned to the ground for the 2025 group stage.

Renovation Timeline and 2030 World Cup Preparations

Stade Mohammed V has gone through five major renovations since 1981, the latest in 2024 and 2025 to prepare for AFCON 2025 and the 2030 World Cup.

The main phases:

• 1981: renamed and renovated ahead of the 1983 Mediterranean Games
• 2000: structural upgrade
• 2006–2007: hybrid semi-artificial pitch installed
• 2015: facility modernisation
• 2024–2025: major rebuild for AFCON 2025 and the 2030 FIFA World Cup

Visitor Experience and Match-Day Logistics

On match days the Maârif district jams completely, so the Tramway T1 to Wafasalaf or Riviera is the quickest way in, well ahead of the taxi queues.

A petit taxi runs about 20 to 30 dirhams when the driver uses the meter, and asking to be dropped near the Twin Center rather than the gates avoids the worst of the gridlock. After the final whistle it pays to walk fifteen minutes clear of the stadium before booking a ride on inDrive or Heetch.

There is no alcohol sold, in line with Moroccan law, and stalls outside the ground sell kefta and mint tea. Fans rate the match-day atmosphere highly, though gate closures have been reported, so arriving early is sensible.