MOROCCO · WORLD CUP
Key Facts
- —The country Morocco is a North African kingdom, and it will co-host the 2030 men’s football World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
- —What happened A state tender committee picked Casablanca-listed builder SGTM for the main Fez stadium upgrade on Friday 2 October 2026.
- —How big SGTM’s winning bid is 2.83 billion dirhams (US$285 million), including tax, for 20 months of heavy works.
- —What it pays for The money covers demolition, structural work, waterproofing, the steel frame, roofing, facades and interior finishes.
- —The bigger bill Two more tenders for electrics, air conditioning and plumbing lift the announced amounts past 4.34 billion dirhams (US$438 million).
- —The catch Those two lots are only estimates, so the final cost of the Fez stadium works is still unknown.
- —What comes next Bids for the electrical and plumbing lots open on 10 November, with about 56,000 seats targeted before 2030.
Morocco has chosen SGTM, a listed construction group, for the main upgrade of the Fez stadium before the 2030 World Cup. Its winning bid is 2.83 billion dirhams (US$285 million), including tax, for 20 months of work.
The choice comes from tender minutes published by ANEP, the state agency that builds Morocco’s public facilities. Two newer tenders already lift the announced value of the works to about US$438 million.
What SGTM Will Build
The contract is lot one of the upgrade of the Fez Sports Complex, the city’s big stadium. ANEP’s evaluation committee finished its work on Friday 2 October 2026.
ANEP posted the tender minutes that day on Morocco’s public procurement portal. Moroccan media reported the result on Sunday 4 and Monday 5 October.
The lot covers demolition, structural work, waterproofing and the steel frame.
It also includes roofing and facades, floor and wall finishes, false ceilings, joinery and painting. In short, it is the heavy building work that reshapes the stadium itself.
SGTM bid 2,825,100,670.80 dirhams (US$285 million), including value-added tax. Dollar figures here use about 9.92 dirhams to the US dollar, the rate on 5 October 2026.
ANEP had estimated the job at 2.816 billion dirhams (US$284 million), so the winning price sits just 0.3% above that estimate. The only other bid, from a consortium of Entreprise Moussadak Bouchta (EMB) and Inter Tridim, came to 3,151,650,079.80 dirhams (US$318 million).
The works should take 20 months, counted from the official order to start. La Vie éco reported that timetable when ANEP launched the tender in August 2026.
Why the Fez Stadium Needs Work
Fez has one of six Moroccan venues expected to host 2030 World Cup matches, alongside 11 in Spain and three in Portugal. Dezeen, the architecture magazine, calls the Fez stadium the oldest Moroccan ground set to host games.
The stadium already hosted group matches at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), including Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Tanzania in December 2025. It was renovated before that tournament and could then hold up to 35,000 spectators, Médias24 reported.
The World Cup plan goes further, to the standards of FIFA, world football’s governing body. La Vie éco reported that the venue should hold close to 56,000 seats before 2030.
Dezeen also reports plans to remove the running track that circles the pitch, as at many Moroccan grounds.
The tender also sets green targets, Hespress reported. The Fez stadium upgrade aims for at least 30% less energy use than a standard design, and at least 40% less water.
How the Fez Stadium Bill Adds Up
On Tuesday 29 September 2026, ANEP launched two more international tenders for the stadium. Electrical works are estimated at 1,291,232,409.48 dirhams (US$130 million), Médias24 reported.
A second lot covers heating, air conditioning and plumbing, estimated at 228,181,888.80 dirhams (US$23 million). Together the two lots come to about 1.52 billion dirhams (US$153 million).
Febrayer, a Moroccan news site, added these estimates to SGTM’s contract and reached more than 4.34 billion dirhams (US$438 million). It cautioned that this is not necessarily the final cost, because other parts of the programme may follow.
Fez is a smaller job than Morocco’s showpiece, the planned 115,000-seat Grand Stade Hassan II near Casablanca. Contracts linked to that site reportedly total about 13.6 billion dirhams (US$1.37 billion), La Nouvelle Tribune reported on 2 October.
That wider figure covers a much larger group of projects and infrastructure around the site, the paper said. The stadium’s own construction budget was first estimated at about 5 billion dirhams (US$504 million).
The Builder Behind the Bid
SGTM is short for Société Générale des Travaux du Maroc. It joined the Casablanca Stock Exchange in December 2025, when the Kabbaj family sold a 20% stake in the company.
Demand for those shares reached 34 times the amount on offer, according to African Markets.
The group already works on stadium projects in Marrakech and Agadir, Boursenews reported in May. It is also part of the consortium with fellow builder TGCC that is building the Grand Stade Hassan II.
At the end of June 2026, SGTM had an order book of 34.8 billion dirhams (US$3.51 billion). First-half revenue fell 7.2% to 6.6 billion dirhams (US$665 million), while net profit rose 7.3% to 793 million dirhams (US$80 million).
Beyond stadiums, Boursenews lists dams, ports, airports and high-speed rail among SGTM’s projects. The Fez stadium job adds another visible World Cup contract to that list.
What It Means for US Readers
For investors, the Fez stadium contract shows how World Cup spending flows to Moroccan construction groups. SGTM is listed in Casablanca, not in New York.
The two newer lots are international open tenders, so foreign contractors, American firms included, can bid alongside Moroccan ones.
For travellers, Fez is expected to host World Cup matches in 2030 in a much bigger stadium. In the meantime, Le360 reported in August that stadium works have sharply cut match venues in the Fès-Meknès region.
For policy watchers, Morocco’s World Cup bill arrives in pieces, lot by lot. Costs are published tender by tender, so the full price of the Fez works is not yet public.
What Is Not Known
No start date for the works has been published yet. SGTM’s 20-month clock runs only from the official order to begin.
So far ANEP has posted only the committee’s minutes, not a final award notice.
The final cost of the Fez stadium upgrade is also open, since the electrical and plumbing lots are still estimates. Further lots may follow, Febrayer noted.
It is also unclear how long the stadium will be closed during the works. Maghreb de Fès, the reigning Moroccan league champion, is expected to play home games at the city’s Hassan II stadium meanwhile, Febrayer reported.
What Comes Next
Bidders for the electrical and plumbing lots can visit the site on Monday 2 November 2026. Bids open on Tuesday 10 November, at 10:00 for the electrical lot and 11:00 for the plumbing lot.
Once ANEP orders work to begin, SGTM has 20 months to finish lot one. The goal is a stadium of about 56,000 seats, ready before the 2030 World Cup.
More: Morocco news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Who will upgrade the Fez stadium in Morocco?
SGTM, a Moroccan construction group listed in Casablanca, was chosen for the first lot, the largest announced so far. The tender committee of ANEP, the state public-works agency, completed its review on 2 October 2026.
How much does the Fez stadium upgrade cost?
SGTM’s lot costs 2.83 billion dirhams (US$285 million), including tax. Two more lots are estimated at about 1.52 billion dirhams (US$153 million), and no final total has been published.
Will Fez host World Cup 2030 matches?
Fez is expected to be one of six Moroccan venues hosting matches. Morocco co-hosts the 2030 tournament with Spain and Portugal.
How big will the Fez stadium be?
It could hold up to 35,000 spectators after its renovation for AFCON 2025, Médias24 reported. The World Cup plan targets close to 56,000 seats, according to La Vie éco.
When will the work be finished?
The main lot runs for 20 months from the official order to start. No start date has been published yet.
Sources: ANEP, extract of the tender minutes for lot 1 of the Fès Sports Complex upgrade (AOOI/01/GSF/2026/ANEP), Moroccan public procurement portal (French), 2 October 2026; ANEP, tender notice for lot 2, electrical works (AOOI/02/GSF/2026/ANEP), Moroccan public procurement portal (French), 29 September 2026; ANEP, tender notice for lot 3, fluids (AOOI/03/GSF/2026/ANEP), Moroccan public procurement portal (French), 29 September 2026; Boursenews (French), SGTM picked for the Fès stadium upgrade, 5 October 2026; H24info (French), SGTM wins the Fès stadium upgrade contract, 5 October 2026; Febrayer, report on the contracts to modernise the Fez stadium (Arabic), 4 October 2026; Médias24 (French), two new works lots for the Fès stadium, 30 September 2026; La Vie éco (French), tender launched for the Fès stadium upgrade, 10 August 2026; Hespress English, Morocco launches international call for tenders to upgrade Fez Sports Complex, 13 August 2026; Dezeen, All 23 stadiums set to host the 2030 World Cup, 19 July 2026; La Nouvelle Tribune, Morocco’s 2030 super-stadium contract values, 2 October 2026; Boursenews (French), SGTM growth outlook and project pipeline, 6 May 2026; African Markets (French), SGTM share sale on the Casablanca Stock Exchange, 10 December 2025; Le360 Sport (French), where Botola Pro clubs will play this season, 24 August 2026; Lebrief (French), tender launched to modernise the Fès Sports Complex, 13 August 2026; Le Matin (French), SGTM first-half 2026 results, 19 September 2026; La Vie éco (French), SGTM share sale draws a record number of subscribers, 9 December 2025; beIN SPORTS, Nigeria beat Tanzania at the Fez stadium in AFCON 2025, 23 December 2025.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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