Grand Stade Hassan II

The Grand Stade Hassan II is a 115,000-capacity football stadium under construction in the town of El Mansouria, in Benslimane province roughly 38 kilometers north of Casablanca, set to become the largest football stadium in the world. Conceived as the centerpiece of Morocco's co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, shared with Spain and Portugal in the tournament's centenary year, and a leading contender to host the final, the stadium is designed by global stadium specialists Populous in collaboration with Paris-based studio Oualalou + Choi. Its design reinterprets the moussem, the traditional Moroccan communal gathering held beneath immense tents, as a monumental translucent aluminum-lattice canopy that appears to float within the forested landscape like a vast luminous sail. Thirty-two grand stairways pierce the structure as monumental gateways and botanical walkways, and hanging gardens suspended 28 meters above the ground create an elevated oasis beneath the canopy. Covering more than 226,000 square meters within a 100-hectare complex, the stadium will seat around 29,500 general-admission spectators across steep end tiers and roughly 12,000 VIP guests along the main stands, with a permeable canopy engineered to let Casablanca's sea breezes flow through. Named for King Hassan II and overseen by Morocco's national sports infrastructure agencies, the roughly 5.1 billion dirham (about $520 million) project will serve after the tournament as the home of Casablanca clubs Raja CA and Wydad AC and the Moroccan national team.