Morocco has announced Casablanca as the venue for the 2030 FIFA World Cup final, despite the governing body, FIFA, yet to officially confirm where the tournament’s showpiece match will be played.
According to Reuters, the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, disclosed the plan on Thursday at a political party event in Bouznika, Morocco.
Lekjaa was quoted by Spanish news agency EFE as saying the Benslimane province, near Casablanca, would host the final.
“The province of Benslimane will have the honour of hosting the 2030 World Cup final,” Lekjaa said.
Benslimane is about 60 kilometres from Casablanca and is the planned location of the Hassan II Stadium, which is being constructed for the tournament.
The proposed stadium is expected to have a capacity of 115,000, which would make it the largest football-specific stadium in the world. The project is estimated to cost $12bn.
However, FIFA has not announced the final venue, with Morocco and Spain both seeking to stage the match.
The Spanish football federation’s president, Rafael Louzán, said earlier this month that Spain should host the final.
FIFA also said in August that reports claiming its President, Gianni Infantino, had promised Morocco the final were “false and misleading”.
The dispute over the final comes as preparations continue for the 2030 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
FIFA confirmed the three countries as hosts in December 2024, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each stage one centenary celebration match.
The tournament will therefore span six countries across three continents, marking 100 years since the first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930.
The opening three matches are scheduled for Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay before the tournament moves primarily to Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
FIFA has yet to finalise all the cities that will host matches at the tournament, while the contest over the final has emerged as a major point of disagreement between the two European and African co-hosts.
Reuters reports that it contacted FIFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation for comment.
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