The first images of the 115,000-seat Grand Stade Hassan II stadium, designed by architecture studios Oualalou + Choi and Populous for the 2030 World Cup, have been revealed online.
Images of the building, which will become the world's largest football stadium, were revealed during a meeting held by the 2030 World Cup organising committee in Marrakesh earlier this week.
Named Grand Stade Hassan II after the former king of Morocco, the stadium is planned for a location in Benslimane, around 40 kilometres from the Moroccan city of Casablanca.
Architecture studios Oualalou + Choi and Populous won a competition to design the stadium earlier this year.
The first renders of the world's largest football stadium have been revealed
Grand Stade Hassan II is being designed to host games during the 2030 World Cup that will take place in Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. It is also set to become the home of Morocco's national football team.
With 115,000 seats, it will overtake the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in North Korea, which has a capacity of 114,000, as the largest football venue in the world.
However, the Narendra Modi Stadium in India – a cricket venue with a capacity of 132,000 – will retain its title of the world's largest stadium.
Grand Stade Hassan II will be covered in a large tent-like roof informed by traditional Moroccan Moussem tents. Renders show the translucent structure supported above the seating stands on numerous angled columns.
"The Grand Stade de Casablanca is deeply rooted in Moroccan culture, with its traditions and
contemporary expressions," said Oualalou + Choi founding partner Tarik Oualalou when the competition win was announced.
"It is rooted in ancient and primordial figures: the Moussem, the tent, and the garden, as well as the topography and landscapes of Morocco," he continued. "It's a generous space, open to the world and respectful to the nature it protects. The Grand Stade de Casablanca is the embodiment of the great tradition of Moroccan hospitality.”
Other studios shortlisted to design Grand Stade Hassan II include Swiss practice Herzog and de Meuron and UK practice Zaha Hadid Architects.
Along with the Grand Stade Hassan II, five other stadiums will host games in Morocco during the World Cup, along with three stadiums in Portugal and one each in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina.
A further 11 stadiums will host games in Spain, including Real Madrid's recently revamped Santiago Bernabéu.