How Alboraq makes it simple for fans to watch AFCON matches in Tangier

If you are attending the matches at the ongoing 35th AFCON in Morocco, it will take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours to drive a personal car from Rabat to watch matches at the Ibn Batouta stadium in Tangier and about 3 hours and 30 minutes using a bus.

The distance is slightly over 250 km. The northern side of Morocco needs early arrangement to avoid the traffic.

Ibn Batouta has already played its first match of the 7 fixtures and will stage the 2nd match on Saturday between two heavyweights, Dr Congo and Senegal.

Tangier, also known as a white city owing to its white buildings, is located barely 7 km away from Europe by sea and is the only Moroccan town where the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea meet near Gibraltar.

Despite the long distance Moving from Rabat to Tangier by high-speed train, commonly referred to as Alboraq, will take you exactly 1 hour and 20 minutes, reducing the duration by road by half.

The double-decker Alboraq, which has both business and economy class tickets, moves at a speed between 100 km/hour and 140 km/hour, taking half an hour to arrive at the Kenitra stage.

Operated by the Morocco Railways, the high-speed train will cost you about 370 dirhams, equivalent to Ksh 5,500, in business class, while opting for economy is only Ksh 1,300.

The train was launched in 2018, with Morocco becoming the first African nation to adopt one of the most efficient transportation systems, which is also used in countries such as China.

The high-speed train also links Tangier and Casablanca in two hours and 10 minutes instead of the normal five-hour train ride, enabling you to watch two AFCON matches on the same day at the Ibn Battuta in Tangier and the Mohamed V stadium in Casablanca.

Ibn Battuta Stadium will on Saturday 27th host an anticipated high-octane Group D match between the Lions of Teranga Senegal and DR Congo’s Leopards, both teams aiming for victory to book their slot in the last 16 stage.