Morocco will return all buses used during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to Spanish manufacturer Irizar immediately after the tournament, confirming that the vehicles were leased solely for the duration of the competition.
The buses were used to transport national teams, match officials and tournament staff across host cities. According to Irizar, the arrangement was strictly a rental agreement limited to AFCON 2025, putting to rest public speculation over whether the Moroccan government or the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had purchased the buses for permanent use.
The clarification follows growing public interest in how host nations manage tournament logistics after major sporting events.
In previous AFCON editions, several host countries opted to buy large fleets of buses outright, many of which later fell into disuse due to poor maintenance and lack of post-tournament planning.
A notable example is AFCON 2023 in Cameroon, where buses acquired for the tournament were recently reported by local station Equinoxe FM to be “rotting” at Olembe, years after the competition ended.
By leasing rather than purchasing the vehicles, Morocco’s approach is being viewed as a cost-effective and sustainable model that avoids the long-term burden of maintaining specialised transport assets after the tournament.
The decision has sparked discussion among football administrators and policy analysts, with some suggesting it could set a new standard for future AFCON hosts seeking to balance efficiency, fiscal responsibility and legacy planning.
