The designation of Spain, Portugal and Morocco as the host of the next 2030 World Cup has left several unknowns in the air to be resolved within the candidacy itself. Although FIFA announced that Montevideo (Uruguay) will be the venue chosen to host the centenary celebration and three inaugural matches with Argentina and Paraguay, the organization does not reveal other key issues such as where the grand final will be played.
Since Spain and Portugal made their union official last June 2021 to present the candidacy – Morocco joined in March 2023 – there has been speculation about the stadium in charge of hosting the most important match of the tournament. Initially, the level of infrastructure and football tradition placed Spain as the main candidate to host the final, but this Thursday the African country has launched its bid.
Faouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), has announced that Morocco has presented six venues for the World Cup and has expressed its firm desire to hold the final of the competition in a future ‘mega stadium’ to be built in Casablanca. with a capacity for 94,000 spectators.
Speaking to Moroccan radio station Radio Mars, Lekjaa assured that Morocco hopes to host “an extraordinary final that honors the entire continent and the young generations in a stadium in Casablanca that will be extraordinary and wonderful.” In addition, he confirmed that the proposed venues for the Maghreb region are “Agadir, Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier and Fez.”
It should be noted that the 2030 World Cup will be the second edition, after the one that will be held in Canada, the United States and Mexico in 2026, where 48 teams will participate instead of 32, and finally, it will have 101 matches. Among the requirements demanded by FIFA is to have at least 14 stadiums available, of which seven of them must already be built. These venues must have a minimum capacity of 40,000 spectators, which will rise to 60,000 to host the semifinals and 80,000 for the final.
The strongest letter of presentation of the candidacy is that of Spain with a list of fifteen stadiums that meet the conditions set by the organization chaired by Gianni Infantino. Morocco follows with the six venues mentioned and Portugal with three (the Do Dragao stadium in Porto, the La Luz stadium in Benfica and the José Alvalade stadium in Sporting Lisbon).
The list of venues proposed by Spain:
Balaídos (Vigo)Riazor (La Coruña)El Molinón Enrique Castro Quini (Gijón)San Mamés (Bilbao)Anoeta (San Sebastián)La Romareda (Zaragoza)Camp Nou (Barcelona)RCDE Stadium (Cornellá-El Prat)Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid) Metropolitano (Madrid)Nuevo Mestalla (Valencia)Nueva Condomina (Murcia)La Cartuja (Seville-Santiponce)La Rosaleda (Málaga)Gran Canaria (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
The final decision will be made by FIFA, who will carry out an extensive selection process that will culminate in 2026, when the stadium that will be dressed up to host the final will also be known. To make this decision, the organization will be guided by a criterion that gives 70% importance to total infrastructure and 30% to commercial exploitation, and will evaluate the legacy that the championship will leave in the host countries.