In Huesca, where the 2030 World Cup remains a contest of influence as much as stadium plans, LaLiga president Javier Tebas said he expects Morocco to host the final while Gianni Infantino remains FIFA president, barring an unexpected change.
A final pointing towards Casablanca
Speaking at a conference organised by the Association of Directors and Executives of Aragon, Tebas said the balance of signs currently favours Morocco rather than Spain for the tournament’s showpiece occasion. He stressed, however, that he would rather see Spain lift the World Cup than stage the final on the peninsula.
- Tebas said that, provided there is no surprise, the 2030 final will be played in Morocco while Infantino is FIFA president.
- He pointed to Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, as a figure with considerable influence.
- Lekjaa is also Morocco’s finance minister and sits on FIFA’s Executive Committee.
- Tebas suggested Lekjaa would have had good reason to say that Morocco would receive the final.
The Hassan II stadium project
The LaLiga chief also linked Morocco’s ambitions to the Hassan II stadium under construction in Casablanca. In his view, a venue being built to those specifications is a clear indication of the country’s intentions for 2030.
“They are not building the Hassan II stadium in Casablanca for a cricket final,” Tebas said, underlining his belief that the project is designed with football’s biggest international occasion in mind.
LaLiga’s complaint over Spain’s role
Tebas criticised the lack of involvement given to LaLiga in the organisation of the World Cup, despite the competition having handled the process concerning Spanish stadiums entering the hosting picture.
He also said LaLiga’s relationship with Spain’s current government was not good. Reflecting on the situation, Tebas said that so many developments in the country had made little sense in recent years that, regrettably, very little now came as a surprise.
