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What’s gotten into the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)? That’s the question that irked a journalist from El Independiente following the joint Spain-Portugal-Morocco bid for the 2030 World Cup, prompting him to write an article about the different versions of Morocco's map featured in FIFA documents. His criticism is particularly directed at the Spanish Football Federation for allowing Morocco to publish a map that includes Western Sahara in the joint bid dossier.
After digging through FIFA's evaluation reports for the 2026 and 2030 World Cup bids, Francisco Carrion concluded that FIFA thwarted the «maneuver» by the Moroccan Federation, aided by the Spanish Federation.
«The evaluation report for the bid, signed by FIFA, headquartered in Switzerland, avoided reproducing the map of Morocco distributed by the Alaouite monarchy and adhered to the internationally recognized map, with borders defined in the south by Western Sahara».
This newspaper is also known for its frequent attacks and critiques targeting the Spanish Football Federation, adopting an equally harsh tone towards Morocco. For instance, El Independiente previously criticized Morocco’s wish to host the World Cup final, pointing to the «dictatorial nature» of the Kingdom. For Francisco Carrion, FIFA has thus done «cartographic justice» for Western Sahara, just as it did during Morocco’s solo bid for the 2026 World Cup.
Algerian media on the offensive
This critique quickly became a hot topic in Algerian media. The website of the public news channel Al24news published an article claiming that «FIFA rejects the map presented by Morocco, which includes the territory of Western Sahara, frustrating the illegitimate aspirations of the Makhzen». The outlet speculated that FIFA views the map submitted by Morocco as «contradicting international legitimacy and United Nations resolutions». However, this claim is not based on any source within FIFA or any official statement.
With a triumphant tone, Al24 further stated that «the technical report published by FIFA last week completely shattered Rabat's aspirations» because «FIFA refused to adopt the Moroccan map submitted by the Moroccan regime (Makhzen) and adhered to the internationally recognized map, which separates Morocco from Western Sahara».
The same tone was adopted by Algerian newspaper Fennec Football, which titled its article : «FIFA slaps Morocco and puts it in its place!» (sic). Blending football and geopolitics, the news website explained that the bid to host the 2030 World Cup had encountered a «major geopolitical obstacle». It claimed that FIFA «recently altered the map submitted by Morocco, which included Western Sahara as part of its territory, dealing a major blow to the Alaouite regime».
The verdict from Fennec Football was unequivocal: «This decision is a clear reminder of order, consistent with FIFA's position in 2018 during Morocco's solo bid for the 2026 World Cup».
Let the maps speak
Analyzing the various maps in FIFA reports reveals that, in Morocco’s 2026 World Cup bid document, the country is depicted without Western Sahara on page 9. However, this separation disappears on page 16 of the same official FIFA document from... 2018. A draw. Back to the starting point.
What about the latest evaluation report for the 2030 World Cup bid, published just a week ago? The map of Morocco, including Western Sahara, is visible in red on pages 18, 26, and 92. Occasionally, a legend obscures part of Western Sahara, or a zoom-in excludes the southernmost part of the territory. However, it is evident that no map adheres to the 27°40’ north parallel, which marked the border between «Spanish Sahara» and the rest of Morocco. Cities like Laayoune, Mahbes, and Smara can be identified in the red-shaded region.
A peculiar own goal?
Did FIFA attempt to balance the interests of various parties by cleverly manipulating the depiction of Morocco’s map? That’s one possibility. But page 53 of the report offers conclusive evidence of FIFA’s intention to include the entire Moroccan territory: «Located at the northwestern edge of Africa, with two coastal fronts spanning 3,500km along the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean», it reads—spanning from Saïdia to Tangier and down to Lagouira.
It is more plausible to attribute this representation to a graphic designer tasked with framing three countries, focusing on the cities hosting the 2030 World Cup matches, all located in northern Morocco.
This approach isn’t new. During the evaluation of the joint Canada-United States-Mexico bid for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA published a map of the United States that only partially included Alaska—a non-contested but remote region not hosting any matches for the 2026 World Cup. Similarly, the far north of Canada was excluded.
Diplomacy through maps
So, what’s the verdict on the maps? It’s fair to call this a storm in a teacup! Drawing conclusions (positive or negative) about a territorial dispute that has been on the United Nations’ agenda since 1963, based on biased interpretations of a map in a FIFA report, is as trivial as playing marbles to settle the outcome of a war. Whether the map of Morocco in the FIFA report includes or excludes Western Sahara has no bearing on the resolution of the dispute at the UN.
For football fans, there’s only one key takeaway: the outcome of this global football report will be decided on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, during FIFA’s extraordinary conference held via videoconference.
