Stade Mohamed V

Stade Mohammed V
Former names Stade Marcel Cerdan (1955-56)
Stade D'honneur (1956-1981)
Location Rue al-Azrak Ahmed, Maarif, Casablanca, Morocco
Owner City of Casablanca
Capacity 67,000
Surface Grass
Opened March 6, 1955
Tenants
Wydad Athletic Club
Raja Casablanca
Morocco national football team

The Stade Mohammed V (Arabic: مركب محمد الخامس) is part of a big athletic complex situated in the heart of the city of Casablanca, Morocco, in the western part of Maarif district. It was inaugurated March 6, 1955, and currently has a capacity of 67,000.[1]

The stadium's record attendance of 100,000[2] was set in 1997, in a football match between Raja Casablanca and their rivals Wydad. In the 2016-17 Botola season, Raja drew the highest average home attendance (20,000). [3]

Often hosting the games of the Morocco national football team, the Mohammed V Stadium is equally known as the home of Wydad Casablanca and Raja Casablanca. It is named after King Mohammed V of Morocco.

History

Inaugurated on March 6, 1955 under the name of Stade Marcel Cerdan, the stadium had a capacity of 30,000 places. The following year, after the independence of Morocco, it took the name of Stade D'honneur.

At the end of the 1970s, in preparation for the 1983 Mediterranean Games which were held in Casablanca, the stadium was closed for a major renovation; with an increase of the seating capacity, installation of the electronic panel, and construction of the gymnasium and covered swimming pool around the stadium, it reopened in 1981 under its current name, Mohammed V Stadium.

Today, the complex has the stadium itself, an indoor gymnasium with a 12,000 capacity, an Olympic-sized swimming pool with a 3,000 capacity, a media centre of 650 m², a conference room, a meeting room, a care centre, and an anti-doping centre.

Mohammed V Stadium is located right in the center city of Casablanca, the international airport of Casablanca is 25 kilometres from the stadium, and the Casa-Voyageurs rail station is 5 kilometres from the stadium. The stadium has a parking lot with a capacity of 1,000 cars.

At the time of the 2006-2007 season, the stadium was closed and reopened in April 2007. It currently has a semi-artificial lawn of very good quality.

International competitions

The complex hosted the following competitions:

References

Coordinates: 33°34′58.32″N 7°38′48.54″W / 33.5828667°N 7.6468167°W / 33.5828667; -7.6468167

Preceded by
Cairo International Stadium
Cairo
African Cup of Nations
Final Venue

1988
Succeeded by
Stade 5 Juillet
Algiers
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