Morocco’s push to bring the 2030 World Cup final to Casablanca has opened a public dispute within the co-hosting project, with Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch warning that the venue cannot be promised before Spain and Portugal have been consulted.
Morocco’s final claim meets resistance
Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan Football Federation and the government’s delegate minister for the budget since 2021, said on Thursday that Casablanca would have the “honour” of staging the final. His comments came during an event held by a political party, at the beginning of Morocco’s legislative-election campaign ahead of the 23 September vote.
Akhannouch publicly rebuked that declaration at an election gathering, insisting that Morocco should not offer the final before discussing the matter with its Iberian partners. He called for respect among the three co-hosts and said such a major decision should not be turned into an electoral promise.
The 2030 tournament is being organised by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while the leading stadium options for the final are Casablanca, Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu and Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou. FIFA has stressed that no choice has yet been made, saying the decision will be taken in due course.
Spain’s federation president Rafael Louzán also rejected the idea that Casablanca’s selection was settled. He suggested Lekjaa’s comments were linked to the newly opened Moroccan campaign and to an attempt to divert attention from the migration situation in Ceuta.
Louzán renewed Spain’s case for the decisive match, arguing that the country accounts for 55% of the joint bid and has the strongest football and event-hosting credentials. Spain, he noted, are reigning world champions in both the men’s and women’s game, and he said the final should therefore be played on Spanish soil.
The venue debate now sits alongside the broader calendar toward 2030: a shared World Cup project still several years from kick-off, but already facing one of its most politically sensitive organisational choices.
SEO Title: Morocco, Spain and Portugal dispute 2030 World Cup final venue
SEO Description: Morocco’s prime minister has challenged a Casablanca claim for the 2030 World Cup final, while Spain continues to press its case for the Santiago Bernabéu or another Spanish venue.
