Football chief says Morocco will host 2030 World Cup final

Moroccan Football Federation President Fouzi Lekjaa said Thursday that the 2030 FIFA World Cup final will be held at the Hassan II Stadium that is under construction in Ben Slimane province, near Casablanca.

“Ben Slimane province will have the honor of hosting the 2030 World Cup final,” Lekjaa said on the sidelines of an event in Bouznika.

“I hope the final will be between Morocco and France, so we can settle the score,” he added.

Morocco lost 2-0 to France in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, before the two teams again met in the quarterfinals of the 2026 tournament. France also won that match by the same scoreline.

Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. The tournament’s first three matches will be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark 100 years since the first World Cup.

FIFA has not announced which city will host the final, with Morocco and Spain showing interest in staging the match.

Ben Slimane province is around 55 kilometers (34 miles) from Casablanca, and is currently witnessing construction on Hassan II Stadium, which is expected to have a capacity of around 115,000 spectators, making it one of the world’s largest football stadiums once completed.

Spanish Football Federation President Rafael Louzan had earlier expressed his country’s desire to host the final, saying Spain believes it has the capabilities to stage the major event.

Last month, FIFA said media reports claiming that President Gianni Infantino had made any promise in relation to Morocco hosting the final were “false and misleading,” stressing that no decision has been made by the world football governing body.

The 2030 World Cup will be held during the centenary of the tournament, after Uruguay hosted the first edition in 1930.