Casablanca is home to two of Africa's best-known clubs, Wydad AC and Raja Club Athletic, and to one of the continent's fiercest rivalries, the Casablanca derby. Both clubs play at the Stade Mohammed V in Maârif, renovated for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. This guide covers the two clubs, the derby, the stadium, how tickets have been sold, what to wear, how to stay safe on match day, and where Casablanca fits in Morocco's co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup.
Football in Casablanca, for visitors
Wydad AC: the reds
The clubs. Wydad was founded on 8 May 1937 by seven Moroccans and has worn red since the start. It has won the CAF Champions League three times (1991-92, 2016-17 and 2021-22) and played at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Its best-known supporters' group is Ultras Winners, founded in 2005. Wydad was historically linked to the monarchy, and Raja to the working class and the left, though these old associations have faded (Wikipedia).
Raja Club Athletic: the greens
The clubs. Raja was founded on 20 March 1949 in the Derb Sultan district of Casablanca and plays in green and white. It is known as the Green Eagles and has also won the CAF Champions League three times (1989, 1997 and 1999). Its ultras groups include Green Boys, founded in 2005 and described as Morocco's first ultras group, and Ultras Eagles, founded in 2006 (Wikipedia).
The Casablanca derby
The rivalry. The first league derby was played on 10 February 1957, and Raja won 1-0. The rivalry hardened in the 2000s, when the ultras groups appeared. A derby is now as much about the stands as the pitch: large tifos, chanting from both ends and flares. At one 2019 derby the flares were so many that, in Wikipedia's words, "it looked at times that the stands were on fire". Fixtures change each season, so check the Botola Pro calendar for the next date.
Stade Mohammed V ("Donor")
The stadium. The stadium stands in the western part of Maârif, in central Casablanca. It opened on 6 March 1955 as the Stade Marcel Cerdan, became the Stade d'Honneur after independence, and took its present name in 1981. Raja and Wydad have both played here since it opened, and Moroccan media often call it "Donor", the clubs' historic home (Wikipedia; Hespress).
The renovation, and where it stands now
The stadium. The stadium closed in 2024 for a full renovation ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, remodelled for more than 44,000 spectators (Atalayar, 13 Feb 2025). It reopened on 12 April 2025 with a Wydad-Raja derby (Hespress, 3 Apr 2025) and hosted Africa Cup of Nations matches from December 2025 to January 2026. In October 2025 Hespress reported that a further closure for works had been postponed but was still planned. We have no newer confirmation of whether it is open, so check where your match is being played.
How tickets are sold
Tickets. There is no single system, and it changes from match to match. For the derby on 12 April 2025, tickets went on sale through Wydad's online platform (Africa Soccer). For the derby on 29 October 2025, they were sold on Wydad's official website and at named sales points for each club's fans; that match ranged from MAD 60 in the club ends to MAD 2,000 for the top VIP seats (Morocco World News, 25 Oct 2025). In 2022 the organiser Casa Events sold Raja and Wydad matches on guichet.ma and casawe.ma as well as at physical counters (Le Matin). We found no dedicated official ticketing app. Check the home club's official channels for each match, and avoid touts.
Choosing where to sit
Tickets. At the October 2025 derby the cheapest zones were split by club: zones 4 and 6 for Wydad fans, zones 5 and 7 for Raja fans, with covered, premium and VIP seats sold separately (Morocco World News). The club ends are where the ultras stand, sing and light flares for the whole match. If this is your first match, a covered or VIP seat away from both ends is the calmer choice. Zone numbers can change, so check the ticket before you go.
What to wear
Match day. Wydad is red and Raja is green and white, so colour tells everyone which side you are on. In a club end, wear only that club's colours or nothing at all. Anywhere else in the ground, and on the way in, plain neutral clothes are safest: no red, no green, and no shirts from other Moroccan clubs. Wear flat, closed shoes, as crowds at the gates and on the stairs can be dense.
Match-day safety
Match day. The derby has a history of trouble: a 17-year-old Wydad fan died in a clash between supporters in 2007, and more than a hundred people were arrested after fighting in 2010 (Wikipedia; Morocco World News). Before a 2019 derby the US Mission in Morocco warned of large crowds, heavy traffic and street closures around the stadium and the Arab League Park tram stop, and told its staff to keep a low profile (Morocco World News, 23 Nov 2019). Arrive early, keep valuables at your hotel, stay clear of groups of rival fans, and leave a little after the final whistle rather than in the crush.
Casablanca and the 2030 World Cup
2030. FIFA confirmed Morocco, Spain and Portugal as 2030 World Cup hosts on 11 December 2024 (CAF). Morocco's showpiece is the Grand Stade Hassan II, being built at El Mansouria in Benslimane Province, east of Casablanca, to a design by Oualalou + Choi and Populous for 115,000 spectators (Wikipedia). The opening date is unconfirmed: Fouzi Lekjaa said in January 2025 it should be finished by 2027, while Wikipedia gives 2029. Which matches it will host, including the final, has not been confirmed, so check. Our 2030 World Cup travel guide covers planning a trip around the tournament.
A match in a private day
Booking. We do not sell match tickets. If you have your own, we can fit a match into a private guided day in Casablanca, with a driver to drop you near the stadium and collect you afterwards at an agreed meeting point away from the crowds. We confirm the plan in writing before you book.
Going to a match?
We do not sell tickets, but if you have yours we can build a private day in Casablanca around the match, with a driver to take you to the stadium area and collect you afterwards. Tell us the date and your group, and we confirm the plan in writing.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Casablanca derby
- Wikipedia: Wydad AC
- Wikipedia: Raja CA
- Wikipedia: Stade Mohammed V
- Atalayar: the Mohammed V complex to reopen with over 44,000 seats (13 Feb 2025)
- Hespress: the Mohammed V complex reopens with the derby (3 Apr 2025)
- Hespress: the Raja-Wydad derby will be played at Donor (12 Oct 2025)
- Africa Soccer: ticketing details for the Casablanca derby (8 Apr 2025)
- Morocco World News: ticket prices for the Wydad-Raja derby (25 Oct 2025)
- Le Matin: Raja and WAC tickets back on sale online (20 Apr 2022)
- Morocco World News: US advises personnel to avoid the Casablanca derby (23 Nov 2019)
- CAF: Morocco confirmed as co-hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup (11 Dec 2024)
- Wikipedia: Hassan II Stadium
- Morocco World News: Grand Hassan II Stadium to be completed by 2027, Lekjaa says (23 Jan 2025)
- Hespress: works speed up around the future Grand Stade Hassan II (23 Mar 2026)