Madrid mayor insists losing 2030 World Cup final to Morocco would be an ‘insult’ to Spain

Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida has described the possibility of Spain losing the right to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup final to Morocco as a direct insult to his country.

Almeida has argued that Spain should reconsider its involvement in organising the tournament if FIFA selects another country to stage the final.

Speaking during a visit to the “Kings of the World” exhibition at Madrid City Hall on Sunday, he insisted that Spain had earned the right to host the decisive match through its football achievements, infrastructure and experience organising major sporting events.

According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the mayor also highlighted Spain and Portugal’s role in initiating the joint hosting project before Morocco joined the bid.

“The final has to be here. Spain and Portugal initiated the bid, and Morocco joined later,” he said.

Almeida questioned why Spain should miss out on the final, pointing to the country’s achievements in men’s and women’s football as well as Olympic football.

He also highlighted Madrid’s stadium infrastructure, particularly Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu and Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano.

The mayor went further by suggesting that Spain should reconsider its commitment to the tournament if the final is awarded elsewhere.

“It would be a direct insult to Spain. Sorry, Morocco,” he declared.

Although Almeida favours the Santiago Bernabéu as the venue, he said he would accept Barcelona’s Camp Nou, maintaining that the final should be played in Spain.

Spanish political pressure over 2030 final

Almeida’s comments add to the growing public debate in Spain over where the 2030 World Cup final should be staged.

Earlier this month, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of Spain’s opposition People’s Party, also threatened to seek Spain’s withdrawal from organising the tournament if Morocco were awarded the final.

Speaking on Spanish television programme El Chiringuito, Feijóo argued that Spain should not participate in hosting the competition unless it secured the decisive match.

However, his position differs from that of the country’s football authorities.

Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Rafael Louzán has defended Spain’s ambition to host the final but rejected calls to abandon the tournament over the venue decision.

Louzán has stressed that Spain has already made commitments to FIFA and its co-hosts, Morocco and Portugal.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has also expressed his preference for the final to take place in Spain, although he has not supported calls for the country to withdraw.

Morocco pushing for Grand Stade Hassan II

Morocco’s bid to host the final centres on the Grand Stade Hassan II in Benslimane, near Casablanca.

The stadium, which is under construction, is planned to have a capacity of 115,000, making it one of the largest football venues in the world.

Royal Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa expressed confidence in September that the final would be staged near Casablanca.

FIFA, however, has clarified that no decision has been made and that the venue will be selected through its evaluation process.

The competition between the proposed venues also brings FIFA’s technical assessments into focus.

In its November 2024 bid evaluation report, FIFA gave the Santiago Bernabéu, Camp Nou and Grand Stade Hassan II identical ratings of 4.3 out of five.

All three stadiums were identified as potential venues for the opening match or final.

The report also assessed other factors, including transport and accommodation, with Spanish cities receiving stronger ratings in certain categories. While the Bernabéu benefits from established infrastructure and experience hosting major fixtures, Morocco’s proposed stadium offers a significantly larger seating capacity.

FIFA inspections to shape venue decisions

Construction progress remains an important consideration for Morocco as FIFA evaluates the proposed venues ahead of the tournament.

FIFA is conducting inspections across the three host countries as part of the assessment process.

Its delegation visited the Santiago Bernabéu on November 12, while Morocco’s six proposed World Cup venues in Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir are expected to be inspected later this month.

FIFA confirmed in an October 27 statement that venue assessments would continue through November and December. The allocation of matches will follow the selection of the host cities.

Neither Morocco nor Spain has been awarded the final, leaving FIFA to make the decision as public calls for the match intensify in both countries.