In the mind’s eye, the road map ahead has clarified fast. It can look dazzling, viewed from Morocco.
February 2025: The Atlas Lions triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations in front of 70,000 fans, perhaps more, in Rabat or Tangier and a rollercoaster that began two winters earlier, by reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, continues to soar.
June 2030: The legend grows. Before 90,000 fans in Casablanca, Morocco knock Brazil out of the World Cup.
If those scenarios have an element of random fantasy, the stage at least is now set. Wednesday’s announcement, hardly trailered at all by Fifa, that the hosting of the World Cup in seven years' time had been won by a joint bid submitted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal follows close on the heels of last week’s Confederation of African Football decision to stage the 2025 Afcon in Morocco.
Morocco-Spain-Portugal had been favourite for 2030, its proposals considered more robust than a submission from South America to share the tournament across four nations: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile. Discreetly, Fifa had been talking to both rivals about a possible compromise ahead of the scheduled announcement of the successful bid early next year. Agreement was reached ahead of deadline.
The compromise is that one game each from the opening round of matches will be played in Montevideo, Uruguay, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in Asuncion, Paraguay, before the tournament as a whole settles on North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
It’s a novel idea, and environmental campaigners have criticised it as a bad idea. By the time the draw for the event, assigning qualified teams to groups and fixtures, is made in 2029, there will be various groups of supporters complaining about the distances they must travel if they want to support their countries on site.
Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, argues the vast spread of venues is both respectful to World Cup history and generously inclusive. Three continents; six countries. The one absolute certainty is that Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital, will stage the opening game of the vast, 48-team tournament, a gesture towards the past.
The year 2030 marks the centenary of the first men’s football World Cup, held in Uruguay and won by the hosts, whose players back then may have lacked the careful attention to fitness and stamina of their modern equivalents but certainly had their energies sapped less by travel. At the 1930 World Cup, which had 13 teams involved, the longest distance between match venues was three and a half kilometres.
One hundred years later, Uruguay, and whichever of the other 47 World Cup finalists they play on opening night must immediately prepare for a transatlantic journey, as must Argentina and Paraguay, and whoever are their match-day one opponents. They must voyage across four or five hours of time-zone difference for their next game. They’ll be changing season, too, from a southern hemisphere winter to a Mediterranean June.
Infantino celebrated the Europe-Africa-South America World Cup for having a unique “global footprint”. The South American preamble gives it a heavy carbon footprint.
But in an era when World Cups must accommodate 48 teams and 104 matches, the capacity for a single nation to host alone is restricted, and, if there is no co-hosting, limited to only the biggest or wealthiest states. The Morocco-Spain-Portugal map, around which 101 of the 2030 games will be played is certainly kinder to travellers than the so-called "United" World Cup of 2026, which will be the first to feature the expanded 48-country format and will be staged in the US, Canada and Mexico.
There, a supporter wanting to be at matches in Mexico City and Vancouver must prepare themselves for a 5,000-kilometre hike. By contrast, Agadir, the southernmost site among the possible venues in Morocco, to a northern Spanish venue, is less than 2,000km. There will be journeys from, say, Tangier to Seville, where a portion of the trip is most practical by ferry.
The task for the principal organisers of the 2030 tournament is now to nominate stadiums, and for Morocco – where there are plans for a super stadium in Casablanca and where arenas in Rabat, Tangier, Agadir, Fez and Marrakesh are candidate sites – and Portugal to lobby firmly for their share of the action. Spain is the dominant partner in terms of its stadium facilities. The final is widely expected to take place at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, currently in the final stages of redevelopment.
For the Mena region, Wednesday’s Fifa announcement came with a further boost, a strong signal about the hosting of 2034 World Cup. Football’s governing body invited bids only from the Asia and Oceania Confederations for that event, on the principle that continental rotation of World Cup hosts – North America in 2026; Africa, Europe and South America all included in 2030 – means it will be their turn in 11 years time.
Saudi Arabia, whose proposed joint bid with Egypt and Greece for 2030 was withdrawn earlier this year, immediately declared its interest in 2034 and has widespread support from across Asia and within Fifa.
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
ASIAN%20RUGBY%20CHAMPIONSHIP%202024
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EResults%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EHong%20Kong%2052-5%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESouth%20Korea%2055-5%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EMalaysia%206-70%20Hong%20Kong%3Cbr%3EUAE%2036-32%20South%20Korea%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2021%2C%207.30pm%20kick-off%3A%20UAE%20v%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EAt%20The%20Sevens%2C%20Dubai%20(admission%20is%20free).%3Cbr%3ESaturday%3A%20Hong%20Kong%20v%20South%20Korea%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
BIRD%20BOX%20BARCELONA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20and%20Alex%20Pastor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGeorgina%20Campbell%2C%20Mario%20Casas%2C%20Diego%20Calva%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Nope'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jordan%20Peele%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Daniel%20Kaluuya%2C%20Keke%20Palmer%2C%20Brandon%20Perea%2C%20Steven%20Yeun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
More coverage from the Future Forum
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
READ MORE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
