Morocco ‘will host’ 2030 World Cup final, says FA president Fouzi Lekjaa

Morocco will host the 2030 World Cup final at the new Hassan II Stadium, according to Royal Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa, despite FIFA not yet having announced a venue for the match.

The 2030 World Cup will be jointly staged by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, with several cities competing to host the final. The leading candidates include Casablanca, Madrid and Barcelona.

“The Hassan II Stadium is where the 2030 World Cup final will be played,” Lekjaa said in comments reported by the Moroccan website Al Botola.

He added: “God willing, the final will be between Morocco and France so that we can restore our honour.”

Morocco is seeking to stage the match at the new stadium being built near Casablanca. Its planned capacity is expected to reach 115,000, which would make it the largest stadium in the world.

Spain, meanwhile, is also insisting that it should host the final. Its proposed venues are the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid and Camp Nou in Barcelona, once both stadiums have been redeveloped and their capacities increased.

Lekjaa said the new stadium would provide the setting for the next World Cup final, as uncertainty continues over where the match will be played.

The bid to host the 2030 final has become a strong contest between Morocco and Spain. FIFA has yet to confirm the stadium that will stage the tournament’s concluding match.

If the final is held in Morocco, it would be only the second World Cup final to take place in Africa, following the 2010 edition in Johannesburg. That match saw Spain win the World Cup for the first time.

Spain previously hosted a World Cup final in 1982, when the match was played at the Santiago Bernabeu. Italy won the tournament on that occasion.