Annar Adrar | |
 Adrar Stadium in 2019 | |
  Stade de Agadir Stade de Agadir, Souss-Massa, Morocco Show map of Morocco Stade de Agadir Stade de Agadir (Africa) Show map of Africa | |
| Location | Hay Mohammadi 80,000 Agadir Souss-Massa Morocco |
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| Operator | Sonarges |
| Capacity | 45,480 |
| Field size | 105 by 84 metres (114.8 yd × 91.9 yd) (9,000 m²) |
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| Construction | |
| Built | 4 June 2004; 2007; 2009 |
| Opened | October 11, 2013 |
| Renovated | 2023/25 2025/28 |
| Construction cost | $103,000,000 (USD) MAD 860 million (2013) |
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| Website | |
| sonarges.ma | |
Adrar Stadium (Arabic:ملعب آدرار;Berber languages:ⴰⴱⴰⵔⴰⵣ ⵏ ⵓⴷⵔⴰⵔ (Adrar means mountain inTamazight[1]);French:Grand Stade d'Agadir), is a multi-usestadium in Agadir, in theSouss-Massa region in the country ofMorocco, near theAtlas Mountains, inNorth Africa, and is used as a home venue by the localfootball team, Hassania Agadir. It is also sometimes used for the Moroccan national team and for other FIFA and CAF international football matches as a neutral venue.
The construction project began on paper in 2003, with the idea of building the stadium for Morocco's failed 2006 FIFA World Cup bid. In 2007, the project resumed, but it was only completed in time for its inauguration in 2013, the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup that year. It has also hosted the 2018 African Nations Cup.
The Adrar Stadium, with a capacity of 45,480, is mostly used for club football matches in theBotola Pro League, but it is also a host for occasional football matches for the Moroccan national team, a neutral venue for CAF friendlies and tournament qualifiers, and a music concert venue. As of 2024, renovations are under way to increase its capacity ahead of international football tournaments to be hosted by Morocco in2025 and2030.
The stadium's first plan was to be a host venue as a part of Morocco's bid for the2006 FIFA World Cup, which was instead awarded to Germany. Then, the project was put on hold and resumed in 2007 for Morocco's failed bid for the2010 FIFA World Cup, when in2010, South Africa was awarded the tournament as the host, and plans for the stadium were paused. The project was resumed in 2009 and finally completed on 11 October 2013.[2][3][4] The inaugural match featured tenants Hassania Agadir—moving from the Stade Al Inbiaâte—in a friendly match against theAlgerian sideJS Kabylie. Hassania's Saad Lemti scored the first goal in the stadium in the 76th minute, the lone goal of the match.[5] The Adrar stadium replaced their old venue,Stade Al Inbiaâte, as the home stadium of the local football club, Hassania Agadir.[6]
The stadium's facade is covered in stone steps and evokes astepped pyramid, and inside is the football field, surrounded by anathletics track.[7] The original budget by 2013 was 860 millionMoroccan Dirhams (MAD) ($103 million in USD) for the cost of construction, however, the final price of upgrading the stadium is higher at 1.008bn MAD. The architects for the project were the firmGregotti Associati International from Italy collaborating with the Moroccan architect Sâd Benkiran. On the site is a conference center, exhibition center, snack bar, and shops and restaurants.[8][2] The stadium completed in 2013.[3][9]
A two-phase expansion project, as part of a national investment in sporting infrastructure, was announced in 2024. The first phase, to be completed for the 2025Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Morocco, will expand capacity by 14,144. The second phase, to begin after the Africa Cup of Nations and conclude in 2028, will increase football capacity to approximately 70,000 in time for the2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host.[10][11][12]
Adrar Stadium plays host to the Moroccan football clubHassania Agadir (French:Hassania Union Sport D'Agadir), who play locally in the city of Agadir. As of 2024, they are in the highest league in Morocco, theBotola Pro.[13] The team saw some success in 2019, playing in the2019 Moroccan Throne Cup final, but losing toTihad AS of Casablanca.[14] Hassania also qualified for the African continent in theCAF Confederation Cup, with games played in Adrar stadium. During the2018-19 season, Hassania won games to qualify for the2018–19 CAF Confederation Cup knockout stage, where they lost to the Egyptian teamZamalek SC in the quarter finals and were eliminated from the knockout stages of the Cup.[15]
Hassania Agadir qualified for the2019–20 CAF Confederation Cup, where they progressed into the knockout stages again. However, theRoyal Moroccan Football Federation made the decision to play the quarter final home match againstAl-Nasr of Libya in Agadir behind closed doors, without any fans in attendance due to the restrictions imposed because of theCovid-19 pandemic. Hassania won the game, but then lost in the semi-final to fellow Moroccan teamRS Berkane. The match had been delayed for five months because of the competition's postponement due to the pandemic.[16][17]
Since its opening in 2013, Adrar Stadium has played host to numerous football matches for clubs and countries from around the world, includingFIFA (Club World Cup) andCAF (African Nations Championship) tournament games. It will host more tournaments in the future.[3] As well as Moroccan friendlies, qualification matches, and tournaments, Adrar stadium has also hosted other African nations, serving as a neutral venue for friendlies, and has had various African (CAF) teams play against each other in qualification matches for2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF),2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification and2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF).[18] Though the Moroccan government decided to cancel hosting the2015 Africa Cup of Nations due to fears of theEbola outbreak, the Adrar stadium would have been used for the tournament.[19] Instead,Equatorial Guinea was chosen as a replacement country to host the 2015 edition of AFCON.[20]
Former Moroccan men's national team managerEzzaki Badou has praised the stadium and its fans from theSous area, also citing the moderate climate of Agadir as favorable for the players.[21][22]
Football matches played involving the Morocco men's national team at Adrar Stadium since its opening in 2013:[18]
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 June 2024 |  Morocco | 6–0 |  Congo | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF Group E) |
| 7 June 2024 | Morocco | 2–1 |  Zambia | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF Group E) |
| 26 March 2024 | Morocco | 0–0 |  Mauritania | Friendly |
| 22 March 2024 | Morocco | 1–0 |  Angola | Friendly |
| 17 October 2023 | Morocco | 3–0 |  Liberia | 2023 AFCON qualification (Group K) |
| 31 May 2017 | Morocco | 1–2 |  Netherlands | Friendly |
| 12 November 2015 | Morocco | 2–0 |  Equatorial Guinea | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF 2nd round) |
| 12 October 2015 | Morocco | 1–1 |  Guinea | Friendly |
| 9 October 2015 | Morocco | 0–1 |  Ivory Coast | Friendly |
| 12 June 2015 | Morocco | 1–0 |  Libya | 2017 AFCON qualification (Group F) |
| 28 March 2015 | Morocco | 0–1 |  Uruguay | Friendly |
| 16 November 2014 | Morocco | 2–1 |  Zimbabwe | Friendly |
| 13 November 2014 | Morocco | 6–1 |  Benin | Friendly |
| 11 October 2013 | Morocco | 1–1 |  South Africa | Friendly |
TheConfederation of African Football (CAF) hosts matches in Agadir's Adrar stadium. The most recent tournament in Agadir was the2018 African Nations Championship, a competition for men's football inAfrica. The country is hosting the African Football Cup of Nations in 2025 for the first time in over 36 years since the1988 African Cup of Nations. The Adrar stadium will again be a venue for some of the matches involving the 24 African teams, serving as one of the neutral venues in Morocco.[23][3] Morocco also hosted the2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations; however, the Adrar stadium was not used for the competition. InsteadRabat andCasablanca were chosen as host cities.[24]
Results of the football matches played in Agadir for the 2018 African Nations Cup men's tournament:[25][26][27]
| Date | Local time | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 January 2018 | 19:30 | Equatorial Guinea | 1–3 |  Nigeria | Group C |
| 16 January 2018 | 16:30 | Angola | 0–0 |  Burkina Faso | Group D |
| 16 January 2018 | 19:30 |  Cameroon | 0–1 | Congo | Group D |
| 20 January 2018 | 16:30 | Angola | 1–0 | Cameroon | Group D |
| 20 January 2018 | 19:30 | Congo | 2–0 | Burkina Faso | Group D |
| 24 January 2018 | 19:00 | Congo | 0–0 | Angola | Group D |
| 28 January 2018 | 19:30 | Congo | 1(3)–1(5) | Libya | Quarter-finals |
The Adrar stadium has played host to numerous FIFA international football games on club and country levels. TheFIFA Club World Cup tournament has been held in the city, and there is an open bid for Agadir to again become a host venue for the2029 FIFA Club World Cup. The venue will also be a destination for co-hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2030, with Morocco becoming the second country in Africa to host the tournament after South Africa.[9][11][28]
Morocco was the destination for the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup as a replacement to the tournament being held inJapan for the then yearlycontinental competition. The reason for the change in the host country was because of the Japanese2011 Tōhoku earthquake, which affected the country's infrastructure. The Moroccan bid was chosen as the firstClub World Cup inAfrica for 2013, with Agadir playing host to 4 games in the tournament. Then, in the following year, Morocco once again hosted the2014 edition of the CWC, although Adrar was not chosen as a venue for any matches for the tournament's second edition in Morocco.[29][30] For a third time, Morocco was chosen as the host country for the2022 FIFA Club World Cup. However, Agadir was not chosen as a tournament venue; insteadRabat andTangier were chosen for the matches of the tournament. The hosting of the tournaments in Morocco gave an incentive in 2022 for the government to expand its high-speed railway,Al Boraq, to finally connect Agadir to other cities.[31][32]
| Date | Local time | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 December 2013[33] | 19:30 | Raja Casablanca | 2–1 |  Auckland City | Play-off for QF | 34,875 |
| 14 December 2013[34] | 16:00 |  Guangzhou Evergrande | 2–0 |  Al Ahly | Quarter-finals | 34,579 |
| 14 December 2013[35] | 19:30 | Raja Casablanca | 2–1a.e.t. |  Monterrey | Quarter-finals | 34,579 |
| 17 December 2013[36] | 19:30 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 0–3 |  Bayern Munich | Semi-finals | 27,311 |
In attempting to host the FIFA World Cup, Morocco had submitted the failedMorocco 2026 FIFA World Cup bid, with the Adrar stadium being instrumental in the application. However,USA-Canada-Mexico were instead chosen as co-hosts.[31][37] Then, theMorocco–Portugal–Spain 2030 FIFA World Cup bid was chosen for the following World Cup four years later, with the Adrar stadium being scheduled to be used as part of Morocco's triple joint bid, along withSpain andPortugal. The bid was for the centenary anniversary of the FIFA World Cup. For 2030, FIFA decided on a new format to celebrate the "beautiful game", which sees three continents (Africa,Europe andSouth America) uniting to host the football (soccer) tournament. Therefore, as well as the triple bid around theIberian Peninsula, the South American countries ofArgentina,Uruguay, andParaguay had also bid to host the cup, and were selected to host the opening group stage games of the 2030 World Cup, whilst the rest of the group stages and knockout stages of the tournament is being held in and around the Iberian peninsula of Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The decision to host three games outside of the triple bid involving Morocco was made in recognition of FIFA's inauguration for the first FIFA World Cup during1930 in Uruguay, Latin America.[10][38][39]
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30°25′38″N9°32′25″W / 30.4272°N 9.5404°W /30.4272; -9.5404
