Updated 5 August 2026
New evidence of street dogs being killed in Moroccan towns contradicts assurances given during the country’s 2030 World Cup bid, an international animal welfare coalition says, as it demands urgent action from football’s governing body.
FIFA is facing renewed calls to intervene over the alleged mass killing of Morocco’s free-roaming dogs ahead of the 2030 World Cup, after a coalition of animal welfare groups presented what it says is disturbing new evidence of shootings and poisonings across the country.
The International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC) has written an open letter to FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström, warning that the incidents directly contradict assurances given by Morocco during its successful bid to co-host the tournament with Spain and Portugal.
FIFA’s own November 2024 Bid Evaluation Report recorded Morocco’s claim that “since August 2024 the culling of animals is prohibited in the country”. The IAWPC says footage recently supplied to the organisation tells a very different story.
The coalition says the footage appears to show a dog being poisoned by injection in Kenitra, and another shot in broad daylight in a public square in Tinghir as terrified animals flee around it.
It has also gathered evidence relating to Jerada, where dogs were allegedly shot before their bodies were collected from the streets using a mechanical digger. Residents reported hearing gunfire and dogs crying out between 3.30am and 5.20am on 21 July, and photographs said to have been taken that day show dead dogs being removed in the bucket of a JCB.
The coalition claims to have obtained a purchase order, reference number 42/2026/C.J., issued by the Commune of Jerada, for 1,125 hunting shotgun cartridges, which it says were bought for the purpose of culling dogs.
Les Ward MBE, chairman of the IAWPC, did not mince his words: “Morocco’s assurances that the killing of dogs has been prohibited since August 2024 is a lie.”
He said FIFA “has been given hours of film and other evidence of dogs still being shot, poisoned, caught and killed in Moroccan towns and cities,” adding: “Each new incident represents another breach of the assurances upon which Morocco’s World Cup bid was assessed. Yet FIFA continues to remain silent.”
The open letter points to page 47 of FIFA’s Bid Evaluation Report, which states that information, statements, plans and proposed measures submitted during the bidding process are legally binding on the member associations involved. Campaigners are now asking FIFA to explain its position and enforce those commitments.
The IAWPC is a coalition of more than 80 animal welfare organisations campaigning against the mass killing of Morocco’s free-roaming dogs before 2030. It has built what it describes as an extensive evidence library documenting alleged shootings, poisonings, beatings, brutal captures and appalling conditions inside pounds. Campaigners fear as many as three million dogs could lose their lives as Morocco moves to clear free-roaming animals from areas used by tourists and football supporters.
Since this article was published, Morocco has adopted amended Draft Law 19.25, presented as a measure to protect stray animals. But the IAWPC says it still fails to ban the killing of healthy dogs, using vague terms such as “unjustified killing” and “exceptional cases” that could allow culling to continue. The coalition also fears the law could criminalise people who feed, shelter or treat street animals, while much of the detail may not be published for another two years. It has submitted its concerns to the Moroccan government and parliament.
Rather than culling, the coalition is calling for a humane, nationwide catch, neuter, vaccinate and return programme, designed to reduce street dog numbers gradually while also protecting public health through vaccination.
In its letter, the IAWPC urged FIFA to demand an immediate end to the shooting, poisoning and other brutal killing of free-roaming dogs, to back a transparent and scientifically effective catch, neuter, vaccinate and return programme, and to meet urgently with the coalition and Moroccan welfare organisations documenting the alleged incidents.
Ward said the violence was not only an animal welfare catastrophe but was also affecting residents, including children, who may witness dogs being killed in public places.
“How many wake-up calls does FIFA need before, as is likely, three million dogs inhumanely lose their lives for their World Cup tournament in 2030?” he said. “FIFA cannot continue to accept hollow assurances from the authorities that are contradicted by evidence emerging every day from Morocco’s streets. FIFA must enforce its agreement with the Government of Morocco, hold the authorities to account and stop the killing.”
The coalition also paid tribute to Moroccan citizens and animal welfare organisations campaigning for change, often at considerable personal risk. It said decisive action from FIFA would offer vital support to those struggling to make their voices heard, and help prevent the tournament from becoming associated with large-scale animal cruelty.
To find out more about the campaign: https://iawpc.org/morocco-dog-campaign/
Sign the petition calling on the Prime Minister of Morocco to end the barbaric killing of dogs on the streets and beaches of Morocco: https://support.soidog.org/content/help-stop-inhumane-abuse-dogs-morocco
