CAN 2025: 529 security interventions and 202 individuals brought before judicial offices installed in stadiums

On the occasion of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, organized in Morocco from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026, authorities recorded 529 security interventions and 202 individuals were brought before judicial offices installed inside the stadiums hosting the matches.

According to a joint statement issued by the Ministry of Justice, the Presidency of the Public Prosecution, and the Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nationale, these judicial structures made it possible to ensure rapid and effective processing of offenses committed during the competition.

Checks and recorded offenses

During the tournament, security forces carried out 529 interventions, including 307 identity checks coordinated immediately with judicial authorities in order to handle incidents directly at the judicial offices set up inside the stadiums.

Control and search operations at stadium entrances revealed:

• 68 attempts to access stadiums without a ticket
• 17 cases involving the use of fake tickets
• 16 cases related to the possession or consumption of drugs
• 20 cases involving possession of flares

Authorities also seized five bladed weapons as well as two tear gas canisters.

Fight against illegal ticket resale

As part of preventive security operations carried out in several host cities, security services identified 396 individuals suspected of speculating on match tickets after detecting illegal sales announcements on social media.

These suspects were subject to judicial investigations supervised by the competent prosecutors. Technical investigations and field operations made it possible to identify and arrest these individuals in several cities, particularly those hosting tournament matches.

202 individuals brought before judicial offices

In total, 202 individuals were brought before the judicial offices installed inside stadiums as part of 152 criminal procedures related to various offenses provided for by the Penal Code and certain specific laws.

Decisions taken by representatives of the public prosecution were distributed as follows:

• 82 cases referred to the courts
• 56 cases settled through a transactional fine
• 2 procedures dismissed without further action
• 12 cases requiring additional investigations

Regarding the nationality of those prosecuted:

• 79.2 percent were Moroccan
• 20.8 percent were foreign nationals, mainly from Africa and Europe.

Most frequent offenses

The most commonly recorded offenses were:
1. Fraudulent entry or attempted entry into stadiums (25.48 percent)
2. Ticket speculation or illegal resale (10.96 percent)
3. Pitch invasion (7.46 percent)

According to the statement, the majority of incidents remain linked to organizational violations or failure to comply with access rules, which overall reflects a good level of public discipline and effective security management of the event.

Judicial offices installed directly in stadiums

To ensure rapid handling of cases, nine specialized judicial offices were installed in stadiums located in six Moroccan cities:

• Rabat
• Casablanca
• Marrakech
• Agadir
• Fès
• Tanger

These structures made it possible to process offenses immediately in order to avoid overloading the courts and to guarantee a rapid judicial response.

A large-scale security system

The DGSN deployed an integrated security system based on:

• 3,000 to 4,000 security agents per match
• advanced video surveillance systems
• the use of drones
• the integration of artificial intelligence technologies to monitor suspicious behavior

Authorities also established the African Police Cooperation Center, the first of its kind on the continent, bringing together representatives of the security forces of participating countries as well as international organizations such as Interpol, FIFA, and CAF.

A preparatory experience for the 2030 World Cup

According to the statement, this experience serves as a full-scale laboratory to test judicial and security mechanisms ahead of upcoming major sporting events, particularly the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will organize jointly with Spain and Portugal.

Moroccan authorities emphasize that this approach, based on institutional coordination, technology, and proximity justice, helped ensure the smooth running of CAN 2025 in a climate of exemplary security and organization.

Editorial team/le7tv (Joint Press Release)