World Cup 2026: Joan Laporta challenges Morocco and Madrid for the final

The Barça president wants the title match to be played at Spotify Camp Nou rather than in Casablanca or Madrid

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World Cup 2026: Joan Laporta challenges Morocco and Madrid for the final

Joan Laporta is officially pushing Spotify Camp Nou’s candidacy to host the 2030 World Cup final against Morocco and Madrid.

The race to host the 2030 World Cup final has a new declared candidate. Joan Laporta wants Spotify Camp Nou to fully enter the contest against the future Grand Stade Hassan II in Benslimane, near Casablanca, and Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu. Speaking as a guest on Cadena SER, the FC Barcelona president publicly defended the Catalan venue.

“The final should be neither in Casablanca nor in Madrid; it should be at Spotify Camp Nou,” Laporta declared,

before adding jokingly: “Casablanca and Madrid are the same thing.” His main argument is that the renovated Camp Nou should reach a capacity of around 105,000 spectators.

Camp Nou joins the Morocco-Spain battle

The bid remains completely open. Morocco is backing the candidacy of the Grand Stade Hassan II, announced with a capacity of 115,000. Fouzi Lekjaa had even stated that the final would be played in Benslimane. But FIFA subsequently reminded everyone that no official decision had yet been made regarding the final.

Laporta believes that Spain should host the event, while defending Barcelona over Madrid. The Santiago Bernabéu had already hosted the 1982 World Cup final, won by Italy against West Germany. Camp Nou has never hosted a World Cup final, but UEFA has just awarded it the 2029 Champions League final.

2030 World Cup: six countries involved

The World Cup 2030 will be primarily hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal. To celebrate the competition’s centenary, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each host one match. The six national teams are automatically qualified.

According to the schedule released by FIFA, the commemorative matches in South America are due to be played on June 8 and 9, 2030. The opening matches in the three main host countries are scheduled for June 13 and 14. The final is scheduled for Sunday, July 21, 2030, with no stadium officially designated at this stage.

Casablanca, Madrid or Barcelona: three XXL bids

The choice is therefore set to be fiercely contested. Casablanca is relying on the future Hassan II stadium and its 115,000 seats, Madrid on the Bernabéu’s prestige, while Barcelona is putting forward a renovated Camp Nou with 105,000 seats. For Laporta, hosting the final would represent major international recognition for the Blaugrana stadium.

The Barça president says that the club will officially defend its candidacy before the relevant bodies. While awaiting FIFA’s decision, Spain and Morocco continue to publicly showcase their ambitions to secure the tournament’s most prestigious match. The matter also indirectly concerns FC Barcelona, the reigning La Liga champions, who want to put their stadium back at the centre of major global events.