Could the 2030 World Cup final ultimately be played in Casablanca? Madrid’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, now believes that Casablanca has a better chance than Madrid of staging the match. His comments have reignited the battle over the showpiece game of the tournament.
World Cup 2030 final: Almeida gives Casablanca the edge
José Luis Martínez-Almeida spoke on Tuesday in Zaragoza during a breakfast event hosted by the daily newspaper Heraldo de Aragón. The mayor of Madrid admitted he is not optimistic about the Spanish capital’s chances.
According to him, Casablanca currently has more opportunities than Madrid to host the 2030 World Cup final. He also criticised the role played by the Spanish government in this race.
The Madrid mayor believes that Morocco is leading a coordinated political and institutional campaign to secure the final. By contrast, he says he has seen no evidence that Pedro Sánchez’s government is making a comparable effort in favour of Madrid.
Ceuta dispute at the heart of criticism
Almeida also linked the battle for the Casablanca 2030 World Cup final to recent tensions surrounding Ceuta.
“If the government is not capable of defending the border of Ceuta, how is it going to defend the World Cup final in Madrid?” the mayor said, according to several Spanish media outlets.
His statement comes against a backdrop of political disagreements between the mayor of Madrid and Spain’s central government. Almeida in particular accuses the executive of failing to defend strongly enough the candidacy of the Santiago Bernabéu.
Madrid, Casablanca and Barcelona still in contention
The decision, however, has not yet been made. FIFA has recently reiterated that the choice of the stadium that will host the 2030 World Cup final is still pending.
Three venues are currently at the centre of attention: the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Camp Nou in Barcelona and the future Grand Stade Hassan II near Casablanca. The latter is expected to reach a capacity of around 115,000 seats.
Rafael Louzán, president of the Spanish Football Federation, is pushing for the final to be held in Spain. He has mentioned Madrid, Barcelona and Casablanca among the candidate venues, while stressing that the final decision rests with FIFA.
A battle that goes beyond football
The race to host the final has now taken on a political and diplomatic dimension. The successive statements from Moroccan and Spanish officials underline how important this match has become.
For now, though, no official decision has designated Casablanca, Madrid or Barcelona. FIFA still has to decide.
In Almeida’s view, however, the balance of power has shifted. The mayor of Madrid now believes that Casablanca is more likely than Madrid to secure the 2030 World Cup final.
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