Morocco has committed to building a host of new football stadia despite having failed in its bid to host the 2026 edition of the Fifa World Cup national team tournament.

Morocco was yesterday (Wednesday) defeated by the joint proposal comprising the United States, Canada and Mexico in its bid to host the tournament. The United 2026 bid prevailed by 134 votes to 65 in an election held during the Fifa Congress in Moscow, Russia.

Morocco had proposed that 14 stadia across 12 cities would stage matches. However, nine of these would have needed to be built from scratch, with the remainder to be renovated. In March, Morocco 2026 outlined plans for $3bn (€2.5bn) in stadia spending should it succeed in landing the World Cup.

Morocco 2026’s proposed stadia included five existing venues in Marrakech (95,565), Agadir (46,048), Fez (46,092), Rabat (46,500) and Tangier (65,000) that were set to undergo renovation and expansion to meet Fifa requirements.

Three brand new stadia were planned including the 93,000-capacity National Stadium in Casablanca that will be the future home to the national team and host the opening match and final of the World Cup. New stadia with capacities of 45,600 apiece would also be developed in Oujda and Tetouan.

Morocco 2026 also outlined plans for six Legacy Modular Stadiums (LMS) with capacities of around 46,000 in Casablanca, Marrakech, El Jadida, Meknes, Nador and Ouarzazate.

Despite yesterday's defeat, the Morocco 2026 bid team has said it remains committed to building the infrastructure outlined in its proposal.

Moulay Hafid Elalamy (pictured), chairman of the bid committee, said: “Morocco is proud to have led a campaign that was committed, ethical and totally in keeping to the rules imposed by Fifa. Through this bid, Morocco has demonstrated its ability to organise the Fifa World Cup, which in 2026 for the first time will see the participation of 48 teams, meeting the new demanding specifications of Fifa.

“Under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty The King, the Kingdom of Morocco is determined to continue on its current trajectory. The projects that we have presented in the Bid Book will be realised. We managed this bid with a sporting spirit and we will continue our path in the same vein.”

The United 2026 proposal received more than double the number of votes that Morocco gained during yesterday's Congress meeting. Morocco failed to receive an overwhelming backing from its fellow African nations, with South Africa, Guinea, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Benin, Botswana, the Cape Verde Islands, Lesotho, Liberia, Namibia and Sierra Leone all voting for the United 2026 bid.

“We were very hopeful but, at the end of the day, if you lose a certain number of votes from your own continent, and from some of our Arab brothers, who flipped coins, then you have no chance,” Morocco bid ambassador Daniel Amokachi said, according to the Reuters news agency.