Fouzi Lekjaa has renewed Morocco’s campaign to host the 2030 World Cup final, responding to growing claims from Spain that it should stage the tournament’s showpiece match.
The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) spoke during a symbolic visit to Benslimane, the proposed location of Morocco’s future Grand Stade Hassan II. His remarks were presented as an appeal for national unity, but also amounted to a thinly veiled response to Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes, president of Spain’s Higher Sports Council.
Uribes said last week that Spain had “sufficiently strong arguments” to secure the right to host the final of the World Cup, which will be jointly organised by Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
With FIFA yet to announce its decision, Lekjaa has continued to challenge what he regards as increasingly vocal opposition from Spain. A week ago, in an interview with Jeune Afrique, he appeared to suggest that Spain was the only country allowing the issue to become a rivalry because it feared defeat.
He also said that the balance of power was shifting in Morocco’s favour, while insisting that his country remained focused on its own preparations and efforts.
Those comments followed a sharper response to Madrid-based newspaper Marca, which has repeatedly reported that Spain is the favourite to be awarded the final.
At a meeting organised by the Authenticity and Modernity Party in Bouznika, Lekjaa said: “Every day, I hear Marca’s chatter... The final will be in Benslimane, at Hassan II Stadium.”
His latest intervention came during a visit to the town associated with the proposed stadium, underlining the importance Morocco attaches to its bid. The project is central to the country’s ambition to host the final on home soil.
Spain’s alternative is the Santiago Bernabeu, the iconic stadium and home of Real Madrid.
The competing claims have led to a series of public exchanges between the two countries, despite the absence of a final ruling from FIFA. Lekjaa’s comments make clear that Morocco intends to continue pressing its case rather than accept Spain’s assertions that the decision is already leaning in its favour.
The 2030 World Cup will be staged across Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with the final venue still to be confirmed.