The home of Morocco's national football team has undergone several renovations since it first opened in 2011. As its capacity continues to grow so does its stature on the international stage, with it set to host matches in both the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The city of Tangier is one of the oldest in Morocco – with a history of over 2,500 years. Sitting on the Strait of Gibraltar, the gateway to the Mediterranean, the city provides an important connection between Africa and Europe. It’s so close to Europe in fact that, when sipping mint tea on one of the city’s beaches, the coastline of Spain can be seen.
Tangier’s strategic location was one of the reasons it was chosen as the home for the country’s national stadium – the Grand Stade de Tanger.
The multi-use stadium – which is also known as the Ibn Battuta Stadium named after the famous Moroccan scholar and explorer – was originally opened as a 45,000-seater in 2011. Our team also were on hand to help with renovations – between December 2020 and February 2022 – that helped expand the stadium's capacity to 65,000. The renovations were finished in time for the stadium to host matches for the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup.
"The competition was a great success for the stadium," says Abdelilah Biz Biz, our Area Service Leader in Tangier. "The atmosphere was fantastic, and the overall experience was greatly helped by Schindler’s vertical mobility solutions, which allowed for quick and convenient access to all areas of the stadium."
This wasn’t the first major event at the stadium, though. On top of being the home ground for "the Atlas Lions," – Morocco’s national football team – the stadium has also hosted multiple matches in the 2011 African U-23 Championship and the 2018 African Nations Championship. In addition to that, the Trophée des Champions – the French Champions trophy – was played there in 2011 and 2017, as well as the Supercopa de España – the Spanish Super Cup – in 2018.
For our team in Tangier, it’s also been a great experience to be part of a project of such national importance. "We’ve really seen the impact this project has had for Moroccans," explains Abdelilah. "To be part of something so important to the nation has been a real honor."
Inside the stadium, we have 12 Schindler 5500 elevators and 10 Schindler 9300 escalators. "Our units ensure unimpeded access for all visitors," says Abdelilah. Also, our elevators allow the stadium to cater for corporate events, meeting rooms, and VIP rooms, providing the option for many different experiences. "The elevators really help when organizing events and catering for big matches, especially for the Moroccan national teams. We know that we can always get things where they need to be."
We have a team of four technicians who help monitor and maintain the elevators and escalators at the stadium, ensuring everything runs smoothly. "The stadium has been an amazing project to work on, especially in the last few years. It feels like it’s continually growing and improving as a venue to visit," says Abdelilah. "We rotate our duties to make sure someone is always available, and for big matches we always have at least two technicians in the stadium."
"Football has always been a popular sport here, but it’s really taken off recently, especially after last year’s World Cup," explains Abdelilah, referring to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where the Moroccan men’s team became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the competition.
While the stadium's most recent renovations were only completed early last year, there are already plans in the works to expand the stadium further.
This next phase of expansion will represent another major overhaul. The stadium will become fully covered to shield spectators from the elements and will see the running tracks around the football pitch removed – helping to increase the stadium’s capacity to 80,000. The work is scheduled to be completed in 2025 – in time for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which Morocco will host.
But the stadium is not stopping there. Morocco was recently part of a successful joint bid – along with Spain and Portugal – for the FIFA Football World Cup in 2030. Meaning that the Grand Stade de Tanger will be hosting matches as part of the world’s largest competition, bringing fans together from across the globe for the love of the game.