Morocco and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) have formalised a major partnership to roll out 30 FIFA Arena mini-pitches throughout the Kingdom in a bid to nurture grassroots football and broaden access to the sport for young people. The agreement was signed on 23 January 2026 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Maâmoura, near Salé, by FIFA President Gianni Infantino alongside senior Moroccan officials and private sector partners.
The initiative positions Morocco as a pilot country for the FIFA Arena programme in Africa, part of a global plan launched by FIFA in 2025 to install at least 1,000 mini-pitches internationally by the time of the 2031 FIFA Congress. Designed as sustainable, safe and accessible community football facilities, these mini-pitches will be integrated primarily into public schools and key neighbourhood spaces to give children and adolescents regular opportunities to play and practice the game in an organised environment.
Under the agreement, the deployment will be supported by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), the Ministry of National Education, Preschool Education and Sports, and OCP Group, a major Moroccan phosphate and plant nutrition company that will play a key role in facilitating the installations. The partnership has been described by FIFA and Moroccan stakeholders as “unique, unprecedented and historic”, reflecting a shared vision to strengthen the link between sport, education and social development.
The mini-pitches, artificial grass surfaces tailored for small-sided games, are intended to augment physical education programmes, encourage regular physical activity and serve as community hubs where young people can both learn and enjoy football. By anchoring this infrastructure in schools and local communities, the project aims to promote the educational, civic and social values of sport, including teamwork, discipline and inclusion.
Moroccan officials present at the signing emphasised the broader developmental role of the project. Beyond providing safe recreational spaces, the FIFA Arena initiative is expected to foster social cohesion, equal opportunities and healthy lifestyles, aligning with national public policy goals in education, youth development and sport. By situating the pitches near educational institutions, the programme seeks to embed football into both formal and informal learning contexts and make the sport more accessible to underserved populations.
FIFA’s global Arena programme forms part of the organisation’s wider commitment to deploying sport as a tool for sustainable development. The initiative supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by expanding access to sport, promoting health and well-being, and using football as a conduit for broader community engagement and empowerment. Early phases of the programme have already seen pitches established in other African nations and beyond, underscoring the growing international momentum behind grassroots infrastructure investments.
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