2030 World Cup Final Venue Battle Grows
Spain and Morocco are competing to host the 2030 World Cup Final, with FIFA yet to decide the tournament’s biggest match venue.
New York will capture the football world’s attention on Sunday, but debate over the 2030 World Cup Final is already gathering pace. Morocco, Portugal, and Spain will jointly host the tournament, yet FIFA has not confirmed where the final will take place. While Spain remains confident it will stage the showpiece event, Morocco is making a determined effort to bring the 2030 World Cup Final to Casablanca.
Morocco is building the Hassan II Stadium, a USD 12-billion venue outside Casablanca with space for 115,000 fans. If completed by the end of next year as planned, it will become the largest football stadium in the world. Its main rivals are Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, which now seats 83,000 after major upgrades finished in late 2024, and Camp Nou in Barcelona, where renovation work aims to increase capacity to 105,000, although the project remains behind schedule.
The contest became public in January when Spanish Football Federation president Rafael Louzan declared that Spain would host the final. He said, “Spain has a proven organisational capacity over many years, and therefore Spain is going to be the one to lead that World Cup 2030 and where the final of the tournament will be played.” He also added, “Morocco is really undergoing a transformation, it is true, but some scenes at some matches at the Africa Cup of Nations not only harm the Cup of Nations, but also harm the image of world football.”
His remarks followed incidents during the Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat, where Senegal defeated Morocco amid crowd violence, problems involving ball boys, and a brief walk-off at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium.
Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa has avoided direct criticism. Instead, he said, “No decision has been taken to date regarding the allocation of the matches. These choices are made exclusively through consultations between the three host countries and FIFA.” However, sources within African football say Morocco continues to push strongly for Casablanca to host the 2030 World Cup Final.
If Casablanca wins the bid, it will become only the second African city to stage a World Cup final, following Johannesburg in 2010, where Spain claimed its only world title. Spain also hosted the 1982 World Cup, when Italy beat West Germany 3-1 in the final at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Which city do you think deserves to host the 2030 World Cup Final?
