Morocco secures $316m from AfDB for World Cup-ready airports

The African Development Bank has approved a €270m ($316m) loan to Morocco to upgrade airport infrastructure ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, aiming to boost passenger capacity and support the country’s growing tourism sector.

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Morocco is investing AED38bn ($4bn) to increase airport passenger capacity to 80 million by 2030, up from 38 million currently, in preparation for a rise in tourist arrivals during the World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

The North African nation, Africa’s most visited country in 2024, set a new tourism record in 2025 with 18 million arrivals by November, surpassing last year’s total of 17.4 million.

The AfDB financing will expand passenger terminals and modernise airport equipment in Marrakech, Agadir, Tangier, and Fez, key tourist destinations, according to a statement from the bank.

This loan brings the AfDB’s total commitments to Morocco in 2025 to €1.3bn, cementing Morocco as the bank’s largest client on the continent.

Morocco is also expanding the fleet of its state-owned carrier Royal Air Maroc to strengthen Casablanca as a regional hub connecting Africa with Europe and the Americas.