FIFA has confirmed that no decision has yet been made on the specific venue arrangements for the 2030 World Cup. Morocco, Spain and Portugal are co-hosting the 2030 tournament and have already begun competing for the right to stage the final, with Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu and a planned 115,000-seat stadium in Benslimane, near Casablanca, viewed as the leading contenders.
Recall that Fouzi Lekjaa, the head of Morocco’s soccer federation, reportedly told those who gathered at a political rally Thursday that their nation had already won the right to host the final. “The city of Benslimane will host the World Cup final. Hate it or love it, and if anyone wants to talk on top of that, let them talk,” Lekjaa said, per a translation by The Associated Press.
“The city is Benslimane, the Hassan II stadium is the stadium, and I hope that Morocco will be playing (in) it.” The stadium in question, officially called the King Hassan II Stadium, is in the process of being built not far from the city of Casablanca and will seat 115,000. The comments prompted reaction in Spain, where Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho backed the Santiago Bernabeu as the ideal venue for the final.
“I would like the final to be in Lisbon, but I’m already happy that a country like ours will have at least one match (at the World Cup),” the Portuguese coach told reporters on Friday.
“If you can play in a legendary, historic stadium, where some of the greatest players in history have played, the stadium of the most important club in the history of football, then I think it should be here,” Mourinho said, referring to the Bernabeu.