Morocco’s hopes of hosting the 2030 World Cup final appear under threat, with Spain increasingly confident that Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu will stage the tournament’s showpiece match.
The 2030 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay also set to stage selected matches to mark the competition’s centenary.
While FIFA has yet to officially confirm the venue for the final, comments from Spanish football officials suggest the Bernabéu is emerging as the leading candidate.
Rafael Luzan, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), has indicated that Spain expects to host the final at Real Madrid’s iconic stadium.
He underlined Spain’s central role in the joint bid, saying that “cooperation between countries is essential, and infrastructure plans are progressing well. We are working to ensure that Spain hosts the best World Cup in history in 2030.
It would be incomprehensible if Spain did not host the final, since it is shouldering 55% of the cost of the bid.”
The remarks have intensified debate among the co-hosting nations, with the final widely viewed as the most prestigious match of the tournament.
The Bernabéu’s historical significance, combined with recent modernisation work that has increased its capacity to 83,186, is seen as a strong argument in Spain’s favour.
Morocco, however, is promoting an ambitious alternative. The country has proposed six stadiums as part of its hosting plan, including the new Hassan II Stadium, currently under construction.
The venue is expected to hold 115,000 spectators and is estimated to cost €480 million. Moroccan officials believe the scale and modernity of the project could persuade FIFA to award the final to the country, drawing comparisons with Qatar’s Lusail Stadium, which hosted the 2022 final.
That comparison, however, has its limits. Qatar was the sole host nation in 2022 and faced no internal competition for the final, unlike the complex multi-country arrangement planned for 2030. In addition, the Bernabéu’s global profile remains unmatched among the proposed venues.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has also weighed in on the debate, suggesting that “the 2030 World Cup final will be played at the Bernabéu.” Such statements point to a growing belief within Spanish football that FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s organisation favours Madrid.
For Morocco and its football federation president Fouzi Lekjaâ, the uncertainty represents a significant challenge, as the battle to host the most symbolic match of the World Cup continues behind the scenes.
