Football: The multiple repercussions of the Mondialito
In just over a week from now, the eyes of world football fans will be on Morocco. The country will host the next edition of the Club World Cup, also called Mondialito, which will take place between February 01 and February 11 in the cities of Rabat and Tangiers. All the TV channels of the world will broadcast the matches, as well as reports during and after this international event, which will be followed on the five continents.
What will the Mondialito bring to Morocco? To see it closely, many things, and in particular the brand awareness that Rabat needs, particularly on the eve of the awarding of the candidacy for the organization of the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), where Morocco is in competition with four other countries including Algeria. For now, the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lakjaâ, is maneuvering to meet the challenges of the Mundialito, before focusing on Morocco’s candidacy for the organization of AFCON 2025 . The fact that FIFA trusts Rabat to host the World Cup of Champions Clubs testifies to the consideration of the highest footballing body in the world. In other words, this decision to host this Cup establishes Morocco as a destination that worthily represents the African continent. The Mondialito business plan provides for revenue from the sale of tickets and from local sponsors. It should be noted that the upgrading of the stadiums of Tangiers and Rabat to meet FIFA standards did not wait for the awarding of the organization of the Club World Cup to be initiated. This event made it possible to speed up the work in the two stadiums, whose redevelopments were already programmed, and this, for the benefit of the local clubs. Nevertheless, in terms of projected revenue, ticketing should generate nearly 50 million Dirhams (US$ 5 million) and local sponsorship more than 20 million Dirhams (US$ 2 million). Added to this is the international sponsorship managed by FIFA, which represents a large part of the revenue. The Mondialito will also be a breath of fresh air for tourism. Indeed, thousands of tourists who are also football fans are expected to attend the competition. According to specialists, the Brazilian club Flamengo, for example, is used to bringing between 10 and 20,000 of its supporters. For Real Madrid, it will be necessary to count on the arrival of nearly 15,000 of its fans, given the geographical proximity and the availability of means of transport such as planes and boats, and this, not to mention the Egyptian and Saudi fans who will be very numerous to travel to Morocco for this ten-day competition. All these matches will create a new momentum in favor of the local economy to fill hotels, restaurants, and other establishments.
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