This Tuesday, Algerian and Congolese supporters will not be the only foreign nationals to fill the stands of the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat to watch the clash of the round of 16 of the CAN 2025 between Algeria and DR Congo. A small group of Americans is also expected in the corridors in the Moroccan enclosure, not to enjoy the match, but to glean valuable information.
A delegation of agents from the FBI, the main intelligence and investigation service of the American government, has been traveling to Morocco since last weekend as part of observation work in preparation for the 2026 World Cup, co-organized by the United States with Canada and Mexico, as revealed by local media Le360.
Led by Douglas Olson, director of operations in the field intervention services division and Kevin Kowalski, deputy director of the emergency response group, the agents already attended the round of 16 between Morocco and Tanzania last Sunday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. Their objective: to obtain information on the security system put in place by the Moroccan authorities.
“Examine the excellence of the Moroccan model”
According to the press release sent to the Moroccan media, the American visitors targeted several specific points, starting with the deployment of field units but also the levels of filtering and control, the use of high-precision video surveillance systems and the use of drones.
This Tuesday in Rabat, members of the FBI will instead focus on the process of welcoming and securing the entry of Algerian and Congolese supporters into the stadium. Coordination between the Moroccan police and foreign law enforcement agencies will also be in the sights of the small group, whose visit “is part of the American desire to examine the factors of success and excellence of the Moroccan model in terms of security of major sporting events”, as explained in the press release.
Next summer, in accordance with FIFA regulations, the American organizer will be forced to set up an international cooperation center comprising representatives of the security services of the different countries involved in the 2026 World Cup, as is the case during the CAN 2025.
Still according to information from 360, this FBI visit also aims to “strengthen bilateral security cooperation mechanisms” between the United States and Morocco, a partnership which will extend until the 2030 World Cup, which the North African country will in turn co-organize.
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