Madrid mayor says Morocco has gained upper hand in 2030 World Cup final race

Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez Almeida says Morocco is currently better placed than Spain to host the 2030 World Cup final, warning that failing to stage the match in the Spanish capital would be a major setback.

Speaking to Spanish newspaper Heraldo de Aragon, Almeida expressed concern about Morocco’s growing challenge in the contest to host the tournament’s showpiece fixture.

The 2030 World Cup will be staged jointly in Spain, Morocco and Portugal. However, the choice of venue for the final remains a major point of contention, with Spain proposing the renovated Santiago Bernabeu and Morocco putting forward the Grand Stade Hassan II, which is being built in Benslimane, near Casablanca.

“I believe that, at this moment, Casablanca has more chances than us,” Almeida said, according to the report.

His comments came after he criticised the Spanish government’s handling of Ceuta and argued that Morocco was taking the necessary steps to win what has become an “affair of state”.

The mayor said the consequences for Spain would be significant if Madrid failed to secure the final. He described the potential outcome as a serious humiliation, particularly because he believes Morocco has now shifted the balance of power in its favour.

Morocco’s position has been reinforced by the scale of the planned Grand Stade Hassan II. The stadium is expected to hold 115,000 spectators, which would make it one of the largest venues in the world and potentially the biggest. Its inauguration is scheduled for 2027.

Spain’s alternative is the Santiago Bernabeu, the historic home of Real Madrid, which has undergone a complete renovation.

Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Federation royale marocaine de football (FRMF), raised the issue last week and has since made several public interventions aimed at challenging reports in the Spanish media that Spain was the favourite to host the final.

During a symbolic visit to Benslimane this week, Lekjaa called for a nationwide effort to secure the match for Morocco.

“We will mobilise all the institutions and all Moroccans so that Morocco hosts the final of the 2030 World Cup. Whether people like it or not, whether certain people want it or not,” he said.

Almeida’s remarks underline the political importance attached to the venue decision in Madrid, while Morocco continues to promote Benslimane and its planned stadium as the preferred setting for the tournament’s decisive match.