September 11 – Moroccan FA president Fouzi Lekjaa has repeated his claim that the 2030 World Cup final will be played at the new Hassan II stadium outside Casablanca, although FIFA says no decision has yet been made.
Lekjaa made the claim at a political event in Benslimane on Thursday, saying: “Benslimane province will have the honor of hosting the 2030 World Cup final.”
A FIFA spokesman said the venue would be decided “in due course”, and Spain would continue to push for the final to be held there. RFEF president Rafael Louzán has publicly argued that Spain should get the title, while Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu remains an obvious rival.
However, Morocco has been a key ally of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who, when the InfantinoGate scandal broke over the sale of FIFA rights, rushed to the country and summoned its senior management (at least those who supported him) to a meeting, rather than meeting with them at FIFA headquarters.
Last month, FIFA was forced to deny reports that Infantino had promised Morocco the final in exchange for support ahead of his increasingly difficult 2027 re-election campaign and his influence over African and Arab voters. FIFA called the suggestion “false and misleading”.
Morocco has officially nominated Infantino for another term and said it would “exclusively” support his candidacy. The elections themselves will be held in Rabat next March.
The $1 billion Hassan II Stadium is currently under construction. Located about 60 km from Casablanca, it will hold 115,000 spectators when completed, making it the largest football-specific stadium in the world.
Rabat has become an important base for FIFA with preparations for 2030 underway. Its new Africa office opened there last year at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, and when Infantino was fighting for his position after the collapse of the FIFA Forward Enterprise project.
None of this proves that Morocco was awarded the final as a political favour, and FIFA has explicitly denied doing so, despite what is legally called “the appearance of partiality”.
However, Lekjaa’s certainty that Morocco will host the 2030 final is uncomfortable for the governing body. FIFA says the biggest match of the 2030 World Cup is still up for grabs; one of Infantino’s staunchest supporters speaks as if the matter had already been settled.
The Spanish world champion is still fighting for a final at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
Contact the writer of the story, Harry Ewing, a (email protected)
