“It shouldn’t be Casablanca or Madrid; it should be the Spotify Camp Nou.” That’s how FC Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, put it, in an interview with Spanish radio.
He wants the FIFA World Cup final to be played at Barcelona’s refurbished home, urging football’s governing body to pass over Madrid, Spain’s capital, and Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city.
He jokingly dismissed those rival bids, saying “Casablanca and Madrid are the same thing.”
Barcelona’s Camp Nou has undertaken a major refurbishment project that is expected to finish in 2027 with a roof installation. The capacity is expected to reach 105,000.
“I think FIFA will take this into account,” the club’s president said.
Last week, the president of Morocco’s football association, Fouzi Lekjaa, claimed the match would be held at the Hassan II Stadium in El Mansouria, Benslimane Province, just outside Casablanca. It is planned to have capacity for 115,000 spectators, making it the largest football stadium in the world.
Camp Nou is currently second in the world in terms of capacity, with North Korea’s Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in first place — though that is mainly used for massive state propaganda events, rather than football. Even with Camp Nou’s capacity growing, it will still be behind the North Korean stadium and will drop to third once the Hassan II Stadium reaches full planned capacity.
Apart from capacity, Camp Nou has history and prestige. It’s home to one of the biggest football clubs in the world. It’s the place Johan Cruyff, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, and now Lamine Yamal call home.
Similar arguments could be made for the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Real Madrid’s home stadium and another proposed site for the final. But, as Laporta pointed out, the Bernabéu has already hosted a World Cup final in 1982. He said it would only be fair for Camp Nou to get its chance as well.
“It would bring us the international recognition we want,” Laporta said.
“That is how we will propose it, and we will put forward these reasons — and others.”