Stade Mohammed V: Casablanca Football Ground, Capacity and Fan Guide

Stade Mohammed V is Casablanca's best known football ground, part of the Complexe Sportif Mohammed V in Morocco. When checking a fixture, distinguish the stadium venue from the wider sports complex. The ground has staged matches involving Raja CA, Wydad AC and the Morocco national team, making it a major football and soccer destination for African supporters.

The ground has had three names, and its crowd records and its current capacity are separate figures. The useful starting point is the renovated ground, followed by the history behind those larger attendance claims. For visitors from Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Accra or Kampala, understanding the ticket arrangements and journey matters as much as recognising the famous stands.

What Is the Capacity of Stade Mohammed V?

FRMF president Fouzi Lekjaa said in February 2025 that the complex would reopen with a capacity of over 44,000 spectators. That dated figure is the most useful guide when planning a visit, and it should not be mixed up with historical crowd estimates.

The ground opened with capacity for 30,000 in 1955, while the much larger figure of 110,000 belongs to reported historical attendance records. Accounts associate that crowd with the Casablanca derby and Morocco against Ghana in 1997, and report it again for Morocco against Argentina in 2004. A crowd estimate from an earlier stadium layout answers a different question from how many spectators the renovated venue accommodates.

Who Plays at Mohammed V Stadium?

The ground has a dated record with Raja CA, Wydad AC and Morocco. Raja met Olympique de Casablanca in the Coupe du Trône final that marked the 1983 reopening, and Raja played Wydad in the derby that reopened the renovated ground on 12 April 2025. Morocco secured qualification for the 1970 World Cup here and played Ghana in 1997 and Argentina in 2004. Always read the fixture listing alongside the venue field, because knowing where a club or national team has played before does not establish where an individual match will take place.

The distinction also matters when reading the results and records modules. A domestic derby, a continental final and an international match can share this stadium without belonging to the same competition record. For a Nigerian supporter following the Super Eagles, the ground has its own link through the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations final, although a Morocco fixture here does not by itself mean Nigeria are involved.

Why Has the Ground Had Different Names?

Stade Marcel Cerdan, Stade d'Honneur and Stade Mohammed V are successive names for the same Casablanca ground. It opened on 6 March 1955 as Stade Marcel Cerdan, named after the French boxer. Following Moroccan independence, it became Stade d'Honneur in 1956. Readers searching those older names are therefore following the history of this venue, rather than looking for separate stadiums elsewhere in the city.

The sequence that followed was closure for renovation in 1981, then reopening on 21 August 1983 as the Complexe Sportif Mohammed V. That reopening featured the Coupe du Trône final between Raja and Olympique de Casablanca. Complexe Sportif Mohammed V names the wider sports complex, while Mohammed V Stadium is the familiar English rendering.

Which Matches Made Stade Mohammed V Famous?

The 1988 Africa Cup of Nations final, in which Cameroon beat Nigeria, is a defining match in the stadium's continental history. Its national significance reaches further back, to Morocco securing qualification for the 1970 World Cup, the country's first appearance at the finals. Together, those milestones explain why Casablanca belongs in conversations about African football stadiums, even before the club rivalries enter the discussion.

Continental club football added CAF Champions League finals in 2017, 2021 and 2022, followed by the second leg of the 2023 final. The stadium also staged the 2018 CAF Super Cup, the 2018 African Nations Championship final and the opening leg of the inaugural African Football League final in 2023. Those occasions give the ground significance across Africa, while Raja against Wydad supplies the recurring local fixture around which its identity turns.

What Changed Before AFCON 2025?

The 2024 to 2025 rehabilitation reshaped the stadium before its return as an AFCON venue. Work included removing the athletics track and extending the stands, changing the relationship between spectators and the pitch. The renovation programme ran from March 2024 to March 2025, and the ground reopened with Raja against Wydad on 12 April 2025. That derby provides a clear date for separating the renovated venue from earlier descriptions.

AFCON 2025 ran from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, with Casablanca hosting six AFCON 2025 matches and the third place match. Its match programme brought Zambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Comoros and Sudan to the ground. For supporters researching tournament memories, the opponent pairings below identify those games without mixing them into the stadium's domestic fixture history. The tournament's 2025 name remained in use through its January 2026 conclusion.

How Do I Get to Stade Mohammed V?

Stade Mohammed V is in Casablanca, Morocco, so plan your journey around a city destination rather than an outlying stadium complex. Treat the entrance named on your ticket as your guide for the final approach, and read the organiser's instructions before you travel.

Leave room for the last stretch and any walking required near the stadium. Derby arrangements can change access around the ground, so follow the event's arrival instructions rather than relying on an ordinary journey estimate. Confirm the return journey too, especially when travelling after an evening match.

What Should Visiting Fans Know About Matchday?

Your ticket's entrance and seating details should guide the final part of a Stade Mohammed V visit. Check the organiser's ticket instructions before travelling, and distinguish the match date from the sales date when reading announcements. For the Casablanca derby, allow additional arrival time and follow the supporter allocation attached to your ticket. The atmosphere is part of the attraction, but a clear route to the correct entrance makes it easier to enjoy.

Ghanaian supporters have a direct historical connection through the reported Morocco against Ghana crowd in 1997. Nigerian supporters can trace the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations final, which Cameroon won against Nigeria at this ground. South African supporters can place the venue within their wider interest in continental club finals, while Kenyan and Ugandan visitors have its AFCON and CHAN history to explore. A football trip need not depend on your own national team appearing, provided the fixture, ticket availability and travel arrangements justify the journey.

How Can Fans Across Africa Follow Matches Here?

Before planning your viewing, read the fixture's local conversion for your own country. Nigerian readers look for WAT, Kenyan and Ugandan readers for EAT, South Africans for SAST, and Ghanaians for GMT. A good listing shows all four side by side, with the date attached. As a worked example with no date, a listing of 20:00 WAT would read 19:00 GMT, 21:00 SAST and 22:00 EAT. Avoid applying one permanent conversion from Casablanca, because Morocco's clock arrangements require checking against the date of the match.

Broadcast information should also be checked for the individual competition and country. A channel carrying a CAF club final does not establish coverage for a domestic derby or an international fixture. Use the viewing information alongside the fixture, then confirm the start time in your own zone. Before leaving home for a viewing centre or travelling to the stadium, check the dated listing and your access arrangements.