Spain, Portugal and Morocco are preparing to co-host the 2030 World Cup, the first edition staged across six nations. Yet a contest over the final’s location has emerged after Morocco FA president Fouzi Lekjaa identified a proposed 115,000-seat venue in Morocco as the intended destination.
Spanish news agency EFE reported on Thursday that, while addressing a political event in Bouznika, Lekjaa said Morocco aimed to stage the final. “The province of Benslimane will have the honor of hosting the 2030 World Cup final,” he said.
The announcement met swift resistance from Spanish football officials, who have long promoted Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabeu as the natural venue for the decisive match. The site has not been confirmed, however, because FIFA retains final authority over tournament match allocations.
Morocco has launched an ambitious infrastructure program to support its co-hosting duties, anchored by a record-setting stadium project. Benslimane, the municipality highlighted by Lekjaa, lies about 60 kilometers (37 miles) outside Casablanca and is set to host Hassan II Stadium, a $1 billion project planned for 115,000 spectators. Once complete, it would become the largest football-specific stadium in the world.
Digital renderings of the Stade Hassan II stadium in Morocco. (Populous via Handout/Getty Images)
Although Lekjaa has publicly identified Benslimane as the preferred final venue, FIFA has not announced the tournament’s match assignments. As a point of comparison, MetLife Stadium—rebranded as New York/New Jersey Stadium during international competition—was not officially selected to host the 2026 World Cup final until February 2024, illustrating the extended lead time typically used before such decisions are announced.
Spain also seeks to host the final
Several structural decisions remain unresolved for the 2030 World Cup, including whether matches scheduled in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will remain ceremonial opening fixtures or expand into the main tournament, as well as how an enlarged final field would operate. Whatever the format, hosting the decider remains highly prized, and Spanish officials show no intention of yielding it without a fight.
Speaking to reporters in Ceuta, Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Rafael Louzan urged the bid partners to maintain unity. “Spain has to work with those with whom we signed the bid. We can’t say: now you’re in, now you’re not… We have all signed an acceptance of a bid, and the bid, as you know, is what it is. Therefore, we must work on that.”
Louzan subsequently reinforced Spain’s case for hosting the final by highlighting the country’s credentials. “The disappointing part was that it was not made completely clear where the final would be played. Spain, a two-time world champion and the current No. 1 in both men’s and women’s football, must host the final. We will all work together, because we have no other choice, so that we can deliver the best World Cup in history,” said the RFEF president.
