FIFA has moved to clarify the situation surrounding the venue for the 2030 World Cup final, insisting that no decision has yet been made despite a senior Moroccan football official claiming that the showpiece match will be played in Casablanca.
The uncertainty follows comments from Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, who said Morocco’s Benslimane province would have the honour of hosting the final.
Lekjaa made the statement at a political event in Morocco, appearing to confirm that the country had secured the biggest match of the tournament. However, FIFA quickly pushed back against the claim, maintaining that the decision over the final venue remains outstanding.
According to FIFA, the venue will be selected “in due course”, meaning neither Morocco nor Spain can currently claim the right to host the final.
The dispute has placed Morocco and Spain at the centre of an increasingly interesting battle over the tournament’s most prestigious fixture.
Morocco, Spain and Portugal were confirmed as the joint hosts of the 2030 World Cup in December 2024, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will stage special opening matches as part of celebrations marking the centenary of the first World Cup.
Morocco’s proposed venue is the Hassan II Stadium in Benslimane, approximately 60 kilometres from Casablanca. The ambitious project is expected to have a capacity of around 115,000 spectators, potentially making it the largest football-specific stadium in the world.
The stadium is being developed as one of the centrepieces of Morocco’s preparations for the tournament. Its enormous proposed capacity has also made it a natural candidate for the World Cup final.
However, Spain also has strong contenders.
The Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid and Barcelona’s Camp Nou are among the high-profile stadiums being discussed as possible venues for major matches. Spain has therefore remained firmly in the conversation for the final, creating a fascinating contest between two countries that are both eager to stage the tournament’s climax.
The latest controversy began after Lekjaa confidently announced that Benslimane would host the final. FIFA had already rejected earlier reports suggesting that President Gianni Infantino had privately promised Morocco the final, describing those reports as false and misleading.
The latest clarification therefore means Morocco’s announcement should not be treated as an official FIFA decision.
The disagreement also comes against the background of political and diplomatic sensitivities between Morocco and Spain. The two countries are co-hosting the 2030 tournament alongside Portugal, making cooperation essential if the event is to proceed smoothly.
Morocco’s Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch has also criticized Lekjaa’s premature declaration, stressing the importance of coordination between the World Cup co-hosts. Reuters reported that Akhannouch viewed the statement as inappropriate given that FIFA had not yet announced the final venue.
For FIFA, the issue is particularly significant because the World Cup final is more than just another fixture. It is the closing ceremony of football’s biggest tournament and attracts worldwide attention, millions of viewers and enormous commercial interest.
The decision will therefore be closely watched by supporters in all three host countries.
Morocco has already demonstrated its growing ambition in world football, with the national team reaching the 2022 World Cup semi-finals in Qatar. Hosting the final in the new Hassan II Stadium would represent another major milestone for the country and African football.
Spain, meanwhile, has a strong footballing history and possesses several world-class stadiums capable of hosting the final. The country also won the 2026 World Cup, further strengthening its argument for staging the tournament’s decisive match.
Portugal, although not currently at the centre of the final-venue dispute, will also play an important role as one of the three principal hosts.
For now, however, FIFA is refusing to choose sides.
The governing body has made it clear that the 2030 World Cup final venue remains undecided. Until an official announcement is made, claims that Casablanca, Madrid or any other city has secured the final should be treated as proposals rather than confirmed plans.
The race is therefore still open, with Morocco’s Hassan II Stadium and Spain’s leading venues expected to remain at the heart of the debate.
What began as a confident announcement from Morocco has consequently become another reminder that, when it comes to the biggest match of the 2030 World Cup, the final decision belongs to FIFA.
