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A fierce contest is emerging between Morocco and Spain over the right to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup final, with both nations intensifying their campaigns to secure football’s biggest showpiece, Reuters reported.
Although Morocco, Portugal and Spain will jointly stage the 2030 World Cup, FIFA has yet to decide where the final will be played.
Morocco is making an ambitious push by constructing the 115,000-seat Hassan II Stadium near Casablanca, a $12-billion project expected to become the world’s largest football stadium when completed by the end of 2027. The venue is Morocco’s proposed site for the World Cup final.
Spain, meanwhile, is backing two iconic venues—the renovated Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, with a capacity of around 83,000, and Camp Nou in Barcelona, which is being expanded to accommodate 105,000 spectators, although renovation work remains behind schedule.
The rivalry intensified after Spanish Football Federation President Rafael Louzan declared in January that Spain should host the final, citing the country’s long record of staging major sporting events. He also referred to organisational challenges during the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco to strengthen Spain’s case.
Morocco has avoided engaging in a public war of words. Football federation chief Fouzi Lekjaa said no decision has been made and stressed that the allocation of matches, including the final, will be determined jointly by FIFA and the three co-hosts.
According to Reuters, Morocco is actively lobbying behind the scenes to bring the final to Casablanca, setting up an intense competition with Spain in the months ahead.
If Casablanca is selected, it would become only the second African city to host a FIFA World Cup final after Johannesburg in 2010. Spain last hosted the World Cup final in 1982, when Italy defeated West Germany 3-1 at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
