What happened
The question of where the 2030 World Cup final will be played has become a political issue in Spain. In early November 2026, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative Partido Popular (PP), the main opposition party, said Spain should withdraw from the joint organisation of the tournament if the final were awarded to Morocco. His remarks were widely covered in the Moroccan press, by Hespress, L'ODJ, Yabiladi and Médias24.
What Feijóo said
According to L'ODJ, the PP leader was speaking on the Spanish radio station COPE; Hespress also cites his appearance on the football programme El Chiringuito. In both cases, the message was the same: if the final does not take place in Spain, the country should reconsider its participation. He later repeated on the social network X that, in his view, the final belongs to Spain and that the country should not let itself be pushed aside, Yabiladi reported.
Hespress notes that the remarks came in a pre-electoral context in Spain, where football and national pride are sensitive campaign themes.
The federation and the government push back
The reaction in Spanish football was immediate. The president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rafael Louzán, ruled out any withdrawal, recalling that Spain had signed binding agreements with its partners and with FIFA, according to L'ODJ. The government of Pedro Sánchez had already criticised earlier comments by Feijóo on the subject.
Who decides, and the candidates
The choice of the final venue belongs to FIFA, not to the host countries. Three stadiums are most often mentioned in the press:
– the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid;
– the Camp Nou in Barcelona;
– the Grand Stade Hassan II, under construction near Benslimane, between Casablanca and Rabat, which Morocco presents as one of the largest stadiums in the world.
The 2030 World Cup will be the first co-organised by three countries on two continents: Morocco, Spain and Portugal. To mark the competition's centenary, three opening matches will also be played in South America, in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. FIFA inspection visits to the planned venues are under way.
Why it matters for Morocco
For Morocco, hosting the final would crown more than a decade of investment in stadiums, transport and hotels, and three earlier unsuccessful bids. For Spain, which hosted the 1982 World Cup final in Madrid, the issue touches on prestige and on the economic spin-offs of the most-watched match on the planet.
What remains to be confirmed
- FIFA's timetable. No official date for the decision on the final venue had been announced in the sources we consulted.
- The final capacity of the Grand Stade Hassan II. Figures above 100,000 seats circulate in the press but must be confirmed when the stadium is delivered.
- The PP's actual position. Feijóo's remarks are those of an opposition leader; they do not commit the Spanish state, which signed the joint bid.
Sources
- Médias24 — Mondial 2030 : Feijóo menace de retirer l'Espagne si la finale revient au Maroc
- Yabiladi — Mondial 2030 : Feijóo menace d'un retrait
- L'ODJ — Mondial 2030 : le PP espagnol brandit la menace d'un retrait
- Hespress FR — Mondial 2030 : Feijóo menace de retirer l'Espagne de l'organisation si la finale est attribuée au Maroc
