Focus on Rabat: Seven AFCON teams just miles from four stadiums

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 DECEMBER 21, 2025 TO JANUARY 18, 2026 
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📍 RABAT

In our first part of the Team Base Camp series, I looked at Casablanca, Morocco’s economic and business capital that is one of the six host cities of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Besides serving as the kingdom’s primary financial hub, Casablanca also hosts Morocco’s major industries, then some of the most established national and international company headquarters.

A road trip from Casablanca to the administrative capital Rabat, averages a travel time of about an hour.  This journey exposes you to the historic Hassan Tower (pictured below), the serene Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the picturesque blue-and-white Kasbah of the Udayas and the bustling Medina.

If you’re looking for a calm and yet relatively short road trip on your visit to the kingdom, Casablanca-Rabat is a must.

In part two of this series, our focus takes us to Rabat, a city that has in recent years, transitioned into Africa’s most celebrated sports hub.

Rabat is central role to AFCON 2025. It hosts four stadiums: Prince Moulay Abdellah, Stade Al Barid, Stade Olympique Annexe Complexe Sportif Prince Abdellah and Complexe Sportif Prince Heritier Moulay El Hassan.

The city offers a wide spectrum of accommodation choices. Besides Uganda, who are accommodated at the STORY Le Carrousel Rabat, and Morocco who are in nearby Sale, five other teams call Rabat home.

Morocco’s national football team is accommodated at the Mohammed VI Complex, while Benin stays at Le Tour Hassan Palace Hotel, Tunisia at the The View Hotel Rabat, DR Congo at the Conrad Rabat Arzana while Botswana is based at The Dawliz Rabat, Algeria at the Rabat Marriott, and Tanzania at Fairmont La Marina.

The city hosts all the teams in Group A (Mali, Zambia, Comoros, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea and Sudan) with the exception of host nation Morocco and Algeria from Group E. 

TEAM HOTELS AND BASES 

 GROUP A 

🇲🇦 MOROCCO - Mohammed VI Complex

The Mohammed VI Complex in Sale is a state-of-the-art football training facility that, besides hosting various training facilities, also includes five-star hotel amenities that are reserved for national football teams, players, and technical staff.

The Atlas Lions (the tournament hosts) are accommodated at this luxurious facility during the Africa Cup of Nations. Renamed after the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, the football centre sits on a 30-hectare piece of land.

The facility also has impressive restaurants, four natural turf grass football fields, three artificial turf fields, a covered football field, a hybrid football field, an outdoor Olympic swimming pool, two tennis courts and a beach soccer field.

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 GROUP C 

🇨🇩 DR CONGO - Conrad Rabat Arzana

The first thing you notice at the Conrad Rabat Arzana, DR Congo’s preferred hotel, is the ocean. Perched on an elevated waterfront with stunning Atlantic views, lagoons, and beaches, this hotel offers the comfort and ambiance needed by a team to win a major title.

This resort provides an exceptional location for players to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the Atlantic Coast, lush green gardens and ocean views. The cheapest room goes for $200 (sh710,000).

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🇹🇳 TUNISIA - The View

Tunisia’s hotel The View is more than just a place to stay, it’s a realm of experiences. Besides, its central location, The View is an ideal base for a football team. It has a variety of restaurants that allow any team to customize its food menu. The cheapest room goes for $150 (sh530,000).

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🇺🇬 UGANDA - STORY Le Carrousel Rabat

One of the finest accommodations in Rabat. It has an elegance to it and beautiful views to the Atlantic Ocean. The setting is simply magnificent: lush gardens, a relaxing pool, and a peaceful atmosphere. It is a few miles from the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco. The cheapest room goes for $300 (sh1m).

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 GROUP D 

🇧🇼 BOTSWANA - Dawliz Rabat Art & Spa

Overlooking Oued Bouregreg, Dawliz Rabat Art & Spa is a five-star hotel. It is a three-minute drive from the beach and the marina and a few miles from Hassan Tower. Recently renovated, Dawliz Rabat Art & Spa offers luxurious rooms with a balcony overlooking the outdoor swimming pool. The cheapest room goes for $150 (sh500,000).

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🇩🇿 ALGERIA - Rabat Marriott Hotel

Nestled in the heart of Rabat, the Marriott Hotel offers more than enough to cater for Algeria’s needs. It exudes a blend of modern comfort and a perfect retreat from the bustling city streets. The cheapest room goes for $150 (sh500,000).

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🇹🇿 TANZANIA - Fairmont La Marina Rabat-Sale

Fairmont La Marina Rabat-Sale is designed to mirror a majestic cruise liner.
Located on the banks of the Bouregreg River, Tanzania should feel at home at this fully serviced hotel. The cheapest room goes for $440 (sh1.6m).

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