FIFA has clarified that no decision has been made on the venue for the 2030 World Cup final, contradicting a claim by Morocco’s football federation president, Fouzi Lekjaa, that the tournament’s showpiece match would be held in Morocco.
Morocco, Spain and Portugal will jointly host the 2030 World Cup, and competition has already emerged between the co-hosting nations over which venue will stage the final.
The Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid and a proposed 115,000-capacity stadium in Benslimane, near Casablanca, are considered the leading contenders for the match.
Lekjaa had said on Wednesday that Morocco would host the final, making the declaration during a public meeting in Benslimane province.
“Benslimane province will host the World Cup final. Whether some people like it or not,” Lekjaa said, according to video published by local media.
FIFA, however, said the venue had not been settled.
“As communicated on 5 August 2026, a decision will be made by FIFA in due course,” a FIFA spokesperson told AFP on Friday.
The clarification has kept the race open between Morocco and Spain as both countries seek to secure the prestigious final.
Mourinho Backs Bernabeu
The dispute also attracted attention in Spain, where Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho expressed support for the Santiago Bernabeu as the location for the final.
Mourinho said he would personally have preferred Lisbon, but argued that the Bernabeu would be an appropriate venue because of its history and connection with some of football’s greatest players.
“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.
“If I were Benfica’s coach, I would tell you exactly the same thing.”
Source: AFP
