If Moroccan and Spanish officials weren’t
already busy arguing over Ceuta’s borders, they’ve likely spent the past few years locked in another dispute: who will get to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup final. Morocco and Spain are set to co-host the tournament along with Portugal, but the question of where its biggest match would take place has remained a point of contention. Now, that debate may have finally been settled, with Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa announcing that the final will be played in Casablanca.
Meanwhile, FIFA has yet to confirm the news. While both Morocco and Spain have made no secret of their ambitions, football’s governing body has repeatedly maintained that no official decision on the venue has been made and that an announcement will come in “due course.” According to Lekjaa, though, Casablanca has been chosen to host the highly coveted fixture.
“The province of Benslimane will have the honour of hosting the 2030 World Cup final,” Lekjaa said at a political party event this week.
If everything goes according to plan, the final will be held at the soon-to-open Hassan II Stadium, a new venue expected to become one of the biggest football stadiums in the world, with a capacity of more than 100,000 seats. Located in Benslimane, around 60 kilometres outside Casablanca, the stadium will serve as the new home ground for local club Wydad as well as Morocco’s national team.
Hosting the final would be another huge moment in what has been a remarkable few years for Morocco’s football scene. From the men’s historic run at the 2022 World Cup to potentially lifting the curtain on the competition’s final night eight years later, few countries have seen such a rise happen in such a relatively short amount of time. But before anyone starts cheering, celebrations will have to wait until FIFA makes things official.