2030 World Cup final: things are looking good for Morocco!

The mayor of Madrid is concerned about Morocco’s push to host the 2030 World Cup final and criticizes the Spanish government for its lack of involvement.

The battle over the 2030 World Cup final is taking on a new dimension. While Morocco is publicly displaying its ambition to host the tournament’s last match, Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida now acknowledges that the Moroccan bid represents a serious threat to the Spanish capital.

In an interview with Heraldo de Aragón, the Madrid official said that Casablanca currently had more arguments in its favor in this race: “Casablanca has a better chance than Madrid of hosting the 2030 World Cup final.” A notable position at a time when Spain, Morocco and Portugal will jointly host most of the competition.

Martínez-Almeida: “I am not optimistic”

The mayor of Madrid went further, explaining his pessimism. “I am not optimistic because I believe, and it is entirely legitimate for Morocco and the King of Morocco to do so, that they want this final and that, logically, I think they are acting at the political and institutional levels to achieve it,” he said.

Martínez-Almeida also directly criticized the Spanish government’s actions, drawing a parallel with the situation in Ceuta: “If it is not capable of defending the border of Ceuta, how is it going to defend the World Cup final in Madrid?” A statement directed at Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez.

Madrid mayor calls for “consequences” in the event of failure

For Martínez-Almeida, losing the right to host the final would constitute a significant enough setback to raise questions in Spain. “What I do not have is evidence or indications that the government is moving in that direction. The fact that the final is not held in Madrid should lead us to question whether the World Cup should take place or not. It is not for me to say, but if the final is not played in Madrid, I think there should be consequences.”

Madrid is notably relying on the Santiago Bernabéu, the stadium of Real Madrid, which already hosted the 1982 World Cup final. Morocco, meanwhile, is promoting the future Grand Stade Hassan II in Benslimane, near Casablanca, announced with a capacity of approximately 115,000 seats. Its completion is scheduled before 2030, which should allow the Kingdom to test the venue before the tournament.

Fouzi Lekjaa keeps up the pressure for Benslimane

These statements came a few days after another declaration by Fouzi Lekjaa. The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation had stated: “We will mobilize all institutions and all Moroccans so that Morocco hosts the 2030 World Cup final. Whether people like it or not, whether some want it or not.” Lekjaa had already strongly reaffirmed Morocco’s ambition for the final.

About ten days earlier, the Moroccan official had been even more categorical: “Benslimane province will have the honor of hosting the 2030 World Cup final,” also going so far as to respond to reports from Spain: “Every day, I hear Marca’s chatter… The final will be in Benslimane, at the Hassan II stadium.”

Despite this battle of communications, the matter officially remains open. FIFA reiterated in September that no final decision had yet been made regarding the final’s stadium and that it would make a decision “in due time.” With four years to go before the tournament, the duel between Morocco’s Benslimane project and the Spanish bids therefore remains wide open.

Read also: AFCON 2027: how can you get your ticket to the final tournament?

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

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