Morocco have raised the bar in the race to host the 2030 World Cup final. Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, has confirmed that the Grand Stade Hassan II in Benslimane will stage the tournament’s showpiece, even though FIFA are yet to name the venue for the match.
Lekjaa spoke at an Authenticity and Modernity Party event in the city of Bouznika, where he backed Morocco to settle the battle over the tournament’s biggest game with striking confidence.
As highlighted by the Spanish newspaper “Sport“, the president of the Moroccan federation said: “What you need to know is that the province of Benslimane will have the honour of hosting the 2030 World Cup final.”
He went further still, picturing the two finalists and wishing for Morocco to meet France. “And, God willing, may there be a final bringing together Morocco and France so that we can take our revenge,” he added, to applause from those present.
Why do the remarks matter so much? FIFA are yet to officially name the stadium for the 2030 World Cup final. The tournament is being organised by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, alongside celebratory matches marking 100 years since the World Cup launched in South America.
Hassan II Stadium competes with Santiago Bernabéu and Camp Nou
Those words place the Grand Stade Hassan II at the heart of the fight with Spain, who hold prominent options of their own. Chief among them are the Santiago Bernabéu and Spotify Camp Nou.
The Moroccan bid leans heavily on the Hassan II Stadium project, under construction in the province of Benslimane between Casablanca and Rabat. Its capacity will approach 115,000 spectators.
That would make it one of the largest football stadiums in the world. Its design is distinctive too, inspired by the traditional tents used in Moroccan seasonal festivals.
Builders expect to finish the work in 2027, three years before the World Cup kicks off. That gives Morocco time to test the facility and ready it for the global event.
Morocco see the project as far more than a sports stadium. The Hassan II Stadium stands as one of the most prominent symbols of the country’s urban and sporting transformation, and one of the most important pieces of the bid shared with Spain and Portugal.
FIFA has not yet settled the stadium
Confident as Lekjaa was, the official situation has not changed. FIFA are yet to name the stadium that will stage the 2030 World Cup final.
His words therefore fall short of an official announcement that the final has been awarded to Morocco. They reflect instead the kingdom’s belief that it can win the race, and land as a clear message of pressure aimed at the Spanish bid.
Competition to host the final has intensified over recent months. Morocco insist on their right to stage the tournament’s biggest game, while Spain want the final on their own soil, crowning the 2030 world champions at one of their major stadiums.
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