Modeling the Impact of the 2030 FIFA World Cup on Territorial Development in Morocco

The 2030 FIFA World Cup: An important international sporting event fueling the territorial develop-ment of Morocco The analysis considers the likely socio-economic, infrastructural and environmental impacts of staging such event using spatial econometrics (SE), Input Output modeling and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). Sources of empirical data: Haut-Commissariat au Plan (HCP), Moroccan Ministry of Economy, Tanger Med port reports, and national energy statistics. It thus considers existing and potential regional (urban-rural) disparities in the course of a comparative analysis, and hence also whether territorial outcomes of development can be better supported via infrastructure investments, land-use allocations and governance arrangements. The results show that there are measurable spillover effects in employment, urban sprawl per capita, and renewable energy capacity deployment that could support policy planning in line with Morocco's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) by 2030. These results confirm the need for intervention targeted to optimize socio-economic outcomes that are coupled with reduced environmental risks.