Akhannouch warns Lekjaa over Casablanca’s 2030 World Cup final claims
Morocco’s government has moved to curb public claims over the 2030 World Cup final, with Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch telling Royal Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa not to present Casablanca as the confirmed host before discussions with Spain and Portugal.
The three countries will stage the centenary edition of the tournament, while opening matches are also planned in South America in recognition of the competition’s origins. FIFA has not yet selected the venue for the final.
Lekjaa had told a political gathering that Casablanca’s new stadium would be given the distinction of staging the tournament’s concluding match. Akhannouch responded by stressing that Morocco could not make such commitments unilaterally while arrangements remained subject to agreement among the co-hosts.
The prime minister said Lekjaa should not promise the final to Morocco before the issue had been discussed with Spain and Portugal. He called for respect between the partners and warned against turning a decision of that scale into an electoral pledge.
FIFA decision still pending
FIFA has indicated only that the final-host decision will be taken in due course. The process leaves Morocco, Spain and Portugal competing for the most prestigious fixture of the expanded co-hosting project.
Morocco is seeking to bring a World Cup final to Africa for the first time since South Africa hosted the 2010 tournament. Its principal bid asset is a proposed 115,000-capacity stadium in Casablanca, a venue which would become the world’s largest football-specific ground if completed as planned.
The project is intended to place Morocco’s facilities alongside Spain’s established major venues, including the renovated Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid and Barcelona’s expanding Spotify Camp Nou.
Spain maintains its own final claim
Spanish Football Federation president Rafael Louzan has made clear that Spain expects to stage the final despite the absence of a formal FIFA ruling. He argued that Spain’s status as world champions and its record of organising major events make it the logical choice.
Louzan said Spain was the natural location for the showpiece and maintained that the final should not be played elsewhere. Spain’s men were described as having beaten Argentina to win a second World Cup title during the summer, further strengthening the federation’s confidence in its case.
There remains no fixed timetable for FIFA’s announcement. The 2026 World Cup final venue in New Jersey was not confirmed until early 2024, underlining how long the selection process can run. Morocco’s intervention appears aimed at avoiding an unnecessary dispute with its Iberian co-hosts while the negotiations continue.
