Inside Morocco AFCON pitches: How stadiums stay unaffected by heavy rain

Five days into the tournament, people around the world are impressed by the quality of the pitch drainage, as the fields remained largely unaffected by the heavy rains currently hitting the Kingdom.

Thanks to the SubAir pitch technology, there were no signs of waterlogging. No puddles appeared, the ball kept rolling normally, play went on without interruptions, and the pitch handled the heavy rain perfectly throughout the games.

The SubAir System is a key tool for high-performance sports turf, giving full control over subsurface conditions, whether dealing with heat, humidity, rain, or dryness.

“SubAir will ensure that Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium consistently maintains optimal playing conditions and the healthiest grass possible,” Bernhard Company,  the British firm behind Morocco’s first SubAir installation and a provider of turf health solutions worldwide, promised six months ago.

The system is made up of pumps and blowers connected to underground drainage. 

It pushes fresh air into the soil to feed the roots, removes harmful gases, and pulls out excess water up to 36 times faster than a gravity drainage system.

This gives turf managers full control over subsurface conditions, “creating a premium playing surface with the ability to bounce back quickly after heavy rainfall.”

Tunisia’s coach, Sami Trabelsi, praised Morocco’s sports infrastructure after his team’s 3-1 win over Uganda on Tuesday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, saying, “we played today after two or three hours of heavy rain, and despite that, the pitch was excellent, allowing us to play the football we love.”

The stadium also has Africa’s first hybrid grass pitch, mixing real grass with synthetic fibers for better drainage, durability, and player safety. 

The artificial fibers keep the surface steady when players run or slide, while the natural grass soaks up rain, letting the pitch recover quickly.