AFCON final debacle dents Morocco's chances of hosting 2030 World Cup final

While New York hosts the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, attention is already beginning to shift towards the next tournament and the race to stage its biggest match.

With Spain, Portugal and Morocco set to co-host the 2030 World Cup, an increasingly fierce battle is emerging over which country will host the final.

Morocco is pushing to bring the 2030 World Cup final to the newly planned Hassan II Stadium outside Casablanca. The $12 billion venue, expected to seat 115,000 spectators, is projected to become the largest football stadium in the world when construction is completed by the end of next year.

Behind the scenes, Moroccan football officials are reportedly lobbying FIFA and their fellow hosts to secure the prestigious fixture. If successful, Casablanca would become only the second African city to stage a World Cup final after Johannesburg hosted the 2010 showpiece, where Spain lifted their first and only world title.

However, Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa has publicly played down the speculation, stressing that no decision has been made and that the allocation of matches will be determined jointly by FIFA and the three host nations.

Spain, however, believes the final belongs on its soil. Spanish Football Federation president Rafael Louzan has repeatedly insisted the country's proven organisational record makes it the natural choice to host football's biggest match.

Spain has two major candidates: the renovated Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, which now holds around 83,000 fans, and Barcelona's Camp Nou, whose ongoing redevelopment is expected to increase its capacity to 105,000 once completed.

Louzan has also questioned Morocco's readiness by referencing crowd trouble during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, arguing that such incidents damage the image of world football. Spain previously hosted the World Cup final at the Santiago Bernabeu in 1982, when Italy defeated West Germany 3-1.

With no official decision yet from FIFA, the diplomatic contest between the two nations is expected to intensify in the months ahead as both seek the honour of staging the 2030 World Cup final.