Spain stakes claim to 2030 World Cup final amid Morocco interest

The Spanish Football Federation president, Rafael Louzan, said that the 2030 World Cup final will be staged in Spain, with no official confirmation from FIFA, as reported by The Independent on January 27th.

While Morocco has expressed its intention to host the final game in Casablanca, the Grand Stade Hassan II, with a capacity of 115,000 spectators, is still under construction and due to be completed in 2028.

“Spain has proven its organisational capacity over many years,” Rafael Louzan said, “It will be the leader of the 2030 World Cup and the final of that World Cup will be held here.”

Spain, Morocco, and Portugal are in the race to host the final of the 2030 World Cup, with each side strengthening its efforts and infrastructure to stage the showpiece match.

However, Louzan’s comments come too early, as FIFA told Reuters in 2025 that deciding the venue for the 2030 finals was premature, while the 2026 host city was decided two years before the tournament.

The Moroccan Royal Football Federation president, Faouzi Lekhja, has previously expressed his desire to host the World Cup final in Casablanca. A final in Morocco would be the second time a FIFA World Cup final would be hosted in Africa, the first being in South Africa in 2010.

“Morocco is really undergoing a transformation in every sense, with magnificent stadiums,” said Louzan. “We must recognise what has been done well. But in the Africa Cup of Nations, we saw scenes that damage the image of world football.”

The Africa Cup of Nations finals ended in a 1-0 win for Senegal against Morocco, following a sequence of events in which Senegal’s national team walked off the pitch for 14 minutes to contest a penalty awarded to Morocco. The situation quickly turned heated when fans and players clashed near the stands.

While FIFA criticised the act, Morocco’s Football Federation threatened legal action, and the Moroccan head coach called it a “shameful act” by the Senegalese national team.

A Moroccan source from the 2030 World Cup organising committee responded to the statements, calling them “nothing more than media hype”. Morocco is relying on its success of hosting the AFCON to showcase its organisational readiness and capable infrastructure.

Spain boasts of its high-profile stadiums, including Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu, with a capacity of 84,000, and Barcelona’s Camp Nou, with a capacity of 100,000. It has nominated 11 stadiums to host the games, while Morocco has nominated six and Portugal three. 

The Independent, Inside World Football, Assahifa Arabic, Maghrebi.org