Morocco has dismissed a threat by Spain’s opposition leader to withdraw from hosting the 2030 World Cup if Morocco is awarded the final, insisting it has the capacity to stage the tournament without either Spain or Portugal.
Morocco, Spain and Portugal are joint hosts of the 2030 World Cup, but the three countries remain involved in a dispute over which venue should stage the final.
The issue has become increasingly political in Spain ahead of the general election scheduled for 29 November. Disagreements between political parties and prominent figures have intensified over Spain’s claim to host the showpiece match.
Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of Spain’s Partido Popular, said he was prepared to push for Spain to withdraw from hosting the tournament if Fifa decided to award the final to Morocco.
Feijoo also said it was self-evident that Spain should stage the match.
However, Ilham Belfahili, secretary-general of the Moroccan Union for Democracy Party, said the decision should be based solely on sporting criteria established by Fifa and its specialist committees.
She told Moroccan newspaper Hespress: “The Spanish right’s positions on issues concerning Morocco are not new. They date back to the events in Ceuta and Melilla in the summer of 2026, as this political current seeks to politicise issues and find any opportunity to harm the Kingdom.”
Belfahili said that if Fifa chose the Grand Stadium of Benslimane to host the final, any decision by Spain to withdraw “would be its own affair and would not change anything about the reality”.
“Morocco has the capabilities and readiness to organise the World Cup successfully even if Portugal and Spain withdraw together,” she added.
The Moroccan politician strongly rejected what she described as the mixing of sport and politics, saying football was “a universal humanitarian message that brings peoples closer together”.
She also argued that the Spanish right’s use of World Cup hosting promises to win votes amounted to “an isolated electoral manoeuvre” that did not concern Morocco.
Belfahili further stressed that Morocco was “a country of institutions that respects the decisions of international bodies, whatever they may be”.
The dispute over the final comes as Spain’s domestic political debate has focused increasingly on the tournament, with the issue being discussed in the run-up to the 29 November election. Morocco’s response makes clear that it would be willing to proceed with hosting arrangements even if both of its European co-hosts chose to leave the project.
