Morocco's new stadium could rival Barcelona's for the 2030 World Cup final hosting

Will Morocco benefit from the legendary rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona to secure the hosting of the 2030 World Cup Final? «At the moment, Madrid is not a competitor for Barcelona to host the World Cup Final», said the head of Sports at Barcelona City Council in statements to the Catalan press.

«Today, with the objective data in hand, the Bernabéu (Real Madrid's stadium) does not meet FIFA's requirements, unlike the new Spotify Camp Nou (Barcelona's stadium), currently under construction, and the new Casablanca stadium. Our direct competitor is not the Bernabéu, which is too small, but Morocco», explained David Escudé. For the record, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta expressed the same wish in October 2023.

The Moroccan government's announcement in October 2023 of the construction of a major stadium in Casablanca, estimated to cost around 500 million euros led to worries in Spain. «Morocco is scary: a 113,000-capacity stadium to host the 2030 World Cup final», wrote the sports daily Marca at the time. «Morocco presents the mega-project that threatens the Bernabéu to host the 2030 World Cup final», announced Sport 45.

Following Portugal's official withdrawal, the race to host the 2030 World Cup final is now between Morocco and Spain.