Must never be missing: tea.Image: Reto Fehr
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The 35th Africa Cup of Nations ends today with the final game between Senegal and Morocco. In four and a half years, the World Cup will also take place in Morocco (as co-main host with Portugal and Spain). Is that good?
Jan 18, 2026, 11:24January 18, 2026, 11:45
My son loves trains. In Morocco you drive with it Al Boraq (the lightning) the fastest train in Africa. I would like to bring him a souvenir of this. But I don’t find classic “merch”. So on my last morning in Rabat I’m looking for a textile printer to print two shirts. Employee Hamza designs the shirts within 15 minutes on the first floor of a faceless high-rise building in the capital. He finds the shirts and I can pick them up in the evening. Yes, I should pay the 30 francs now.
The problem: My train to Casablanca leaves shortly after 7 p.m. Before we leave, Hamza writes to me: The pressure isn’t working today. He asks if I (or someone) can come over tomorrow. I ask if he could also send the shirts to Switzerland by post? Of course I would transfer the shipping costs in advance.
Back in Switzerland, I explain to my son that he will receive something, but it is still on the way. If I tell the story to my family, friends or acquaintances, I am ridiculed for my naivety. The money is gone, I will never receive the T-shirts.
The entrance to my trusted textile printer.Image: Reto Fehr
I still trust Hamza. But it’s a bit strange that he didn’t invite me to tea. Because if there’s one thing I did in Morocco, it was: drink tea. No matter where and no matter who: in the restaurant, in the stadium, in the accommodation, at the market. Tea is offered everywhere. I love tea, but I’ve never drunk so much in my life.
Watson at the Africa Cup
Yes, I know: Africa is not a country and Morocco cannot be said to apply to the entire continent. In some areas, my experiences in Morocco correspond to those of other African Cups or private trips on the continent, which I have been visiting more or less regularly for 25 years.
The tea ritual
Also important: There is no such thing as just a cup of tea. Drinking tea is a ritual here. Declining an invitation is considered rude. There is usually a metal teapot (Berrad) and a small tea glass on a silver tray (Siniya). What is then important is pouring: This is done from a height of 30 to 50 centimeters. It is used for foam formation, ventilation and cooling. Because the tea is served blazing hot.
And tea is always served.Video: Watson
I love the ritual, even if I don’t actually have time here and there. But it’s perfect for my first Africa Cup, where it’s not the air conditioning that’s causing the slight noise, but the rainy weather.
All the tea drinking plays its part in making me quickly fall in love with the country. Okay, admittedly: I know I fall in love with a country more quickly than others. Actually, I’ve fallen in love a little bit with each of the 80+ countries I’ve traveled to. Except for one.
Drink tea with my latest Morocco merchandise. I fall in love with a country so quickly. Image: Reto Fehr
I’m generally not very picky: surprise me, don’t be perfect and give me things that Switzerland can’t give. There is probably no country that does not meet these criteria. And the exceptional country mentioned above was probably just having a bad day and would deserve a second chance.
Cape Spartel: This is where the Atlantic and the Mediterranean meet.Image: Reto Fehr
Three days after my visit to Hamza, I asked if the postal delivery would work? Unfortunately not, he writes. That doesn’t work. Couldn’t I send someone over? I ask a journalist I met recently and who is still in Rabat. He immediately said yes: He could stop by there tomorrow. I am writing this to Hamza who sends me the opening times. The next day the journalist contacted me: the office was closed and no one was there. I’ll ask Hamza. He takes his time with his answer, and a day later he writes: “Yesterday was a holiday.”
Africa Cup
Game for 3rd place:
Egypt – Nigeria 0:0, 2:4 nP
Final:
Senegal – Morocco 8 p.m
Largest football stadium in the world planned
Morocco definitely had a lot to celebrate during the Africa Cup of Nations. The enthusiasm for football is huge, even if it is generally not as exuberant as at Africa Cups south of the Sahara. I will never forget the atmosphere at the round of 16 against Tanzania in the 70,000-seater stadium. Some journalist colleagues followed the game with earplugs. My God, that was loud! Believe me, as a father of three little boys, I know very well what loud is. But I’ve never experienced such constant noise.
Mood shortly before kick-off between Morocco and Tanzania.Video: Watson
This noise level is likely to be exceeded at the 2030 World Cup. The largest football stadium in the world is currently being built east of Casablanca. It will accommodate 115,000 spectators and Morocco hopes to get to the World Cup final.
Two colleagues from “Kicker” wanted to visit the construction site during the Africa Cup (the video is worth it). However, the Moroccan royal family’s prestigious project is largely cordoned off and provided with privacy screens. The complex, which is reminiscent of Moroccan tents, is scheduled to be completed in 2028. Planned costs: almost 500 million francs.
This is what the Stade Hassan II in Benslimane, east of Casablanca, should look like.
The special banknote for the Africa Cup
Yes, the king is making the World Cup – and now the Africa Cup – cost a lot. During the Africa Cup, calls for referee favoritism towards Morocco were loud. “Sportwashing” is also a term that you hear again and again. One thing is clear: a lot is being invested.
This is not only well received by the young population. There were massive youth protests in the fall. There’s nothing left to see of it now. When I ask locals about the World Cup, no one says anything negative. Always difficult to classify it correctly. The repression in Morocco is great and the police presence around the Africa Cup is enormous.
The highlight of (excessive) investments for me is a special banknote worth 100 dirhams. It has been in circulation since the start of the Africa Cup of Nations. Will there also be such a series for the World Cup?
The special banknote worth around 10 francs.Image: Reto Fehr
When I want to pay with the new note at the airport, the saleswoman says she only accepts euros. I say I only have dirhams. Then she calls a colleague via video call and asks whether my note is an official means of payment.
And what will the 2030 World Cup be like?
It is always one of the most unpleasant situations during my trip when I have to explain to the local population that these grades are official. That surprises me. I had been warned in advance by many people about how difficult traveling in Morocco could be, especially in the tourist centers and old towns with very stubborn “guides”.
Soccer World Cup 2030
The 2030 World Cup will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. There is also a game each in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay (somehow almost all continents had to be taken into account so that the 2034 World Cup could be awarded to Saudi Arabia). 104 games will be played. Portugal is planning to have three stadiums, Spain with 11, Morocco with 6. 25 to 35 games are likely to be played in Morocco. I visited the World Cup stadiums in Tangier, Fez and Rabat: Tangier and Rabat are simply impressive bowls with around 70,000 seats each. In Morocco they are hoping for the opening game in Europe/Africa and for the final in the new Stade Hassan II (but the Bernabeu is the favorite). It is still unclear where exactly which games will be played.
I haven’t experienced that. If I was asked by these “guides”, they left me alone after the second “la, shukran” (no, thank you) at the latest. When I walked through the streets in the evening to my accommodation in the old town, I never felt unsafe, it never seemed threatening. In Swiss cities I sometimes get looked at more strangely. I was warmly welcomed everywhere and treated with respect (keyword: tea).
Out and about in the old town of Rabat.Image: Reto Fehr
Of course, I was traveling in January and not during the peak travel season and can only give the perspective of a tall man. And I wasn’t in Marrakesh. It’s really hectic there. Overall, Morocco gave me a relaxed travel experience with great train connections between the big cities. This will probably be a step better for the 2030 World Cup. Can I recommend a visit to Morocco for the World Cup finals in four years? Without question.
The question still remains about the Al-Boraq shirts. My colleague tried Hamza again yesterday. But it might be difficult for him to make it during opening hours (until 1 p.m.). I ask Hamza if he could leave the shirts outside the door if my colleague is late? “Ok, sûr,” he texts me. Shortly after 1 p.m. my colleague sent me a picture of the shirts: “Done.” Now the only question that remains is whether they will be able to travel to Germany and from there by post to Switzerland.