Spain and Morocco clash over where 2030 World Cup final should be played

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has intensified the dispute over the venue for the 2030 World Cup final, saying Spain will host more matches than any other country in the tournament.

Sanchez defended the joint Spain-Portugal-Morocco bid in an interview with radio station La Septima, while recalling Spain’s World Cup triumph in the United States and describing the sight of US President Donald Trump handing the trophy to the Spanish team as “a real political ecstasy”.

His comments come amid growing concern within the Royal Spanish Football Federation that the final could be awarded to Morocco rather than Spain.

Sanchez said the original initiative had come from Spain and Portugal, who later included Morocco in the project.

“It is true that two countries organised or launched this idea, Spain and Portugal, because it was Europe’s turn to host the tournament, and we added a sister country such as Morocco,” he said.

The Spanish prime minister sought to reassure supporters by stressing the scale of Spain’s role in the tournament.

“Spain will host the greatest number of World Cup matches compared with any other country,” he said.

Sanchez also expressed a desire for Spain to repeat its previous success when the tournament is staged in 2030.

“We won in South Africa, we won in New York, and now it is our turn to win in Spain in 2030, isn’t it?” he said. “This is a matter for Fifa, and Spain is the country that will host the most matches.”

Dispute over the final

The disagreement over the final has become increasingly political. According to journalist Juanma Castano on the El Partidazo de COPE programme, pressure from former US President Donald Trump could play a significant part in determining whether the decisive match is held in Morocco.

People’s Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo is reportedly considering a more confrontational response. The same programme reported that, during his election campaign, Feijoo was examining a proposal for Spain to withdraw from hosting the tournament if Fifa did not award the final to the country.

That possibility is at odds with the position of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, whose president Rafael Louzan has ruled out any withdrawal.

Speaking on El Partidazo de COPE, Louzan called for institutional calm and highlighted the commitments already made by Spain.

“Spain has signed agreements with the other countries, with Fifa and with the government to organise this World Cup,” he said.

The 2030 tournament is therefore set to remain a three-country project, but the question of where its most important match will be played continues to fuel tensions between Spain and Morocco.