World Cup 2030 sparks controversy over final match venue between Spain, Portugal, Morocco: “Impossible to explain”

The FIFA World Cup 2030 will be held primarily across Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, but the venue for the final match has yet to be determined.

While the next major event on the calendar is the FIFA World Cup 2026, set to take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada next summer, much of the attention is already shifting toward the 2030 edition — another multi-nation tournament. Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will host the majority of matches, though the location of the final remains unclear.

Reports suggest there are currently three possible scenarios for the championship match. Two of them are in Spain, at the country’s most iconic stadiums: Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and Barcelona’s Camp Nou. However, Morocco has expressed a strong desire to stage the final in Casablanca.

The president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation gave a firm response when asked about the issue. “I think it would be impossible to explain that Spain is not the host of the World Cup final,” said Rafael Louzan during a talk at the Nueva Economia Forum, according to Marca.

“Spain has 55% of the organizational weight. It’s only natural that Spain should host the final,” Louzan continued, outlining his main argument. “There will be a five-billion-euro impact on GDP and 2.5 billion euros invested in stadium renovations… those of us involved in soccer need to stay united.”

A historic World Cup in 2030

Just as the World Cup 2026 will make history as the first tournament featuring 48 teams — and the first hosted by three different nations — the 2030 edition could take things even further. Regarding the format, there are proposals to expand participation to 64 teams, though that idea has sparked heated debate.

One thing is certain: the World Cup 2030 will be the largest in history in terms of geographic reach. To commemorate the centennial of the first-ever World Cup, several matches will take place in South America, with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay selected as host nations.

The majority of games will then move to the three main host countries: Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. This setup brings two unprecedented milestones — it will be the first World Cup hosted by six different countries and the first ever played across three continents: South America, Europe, and Africa.

Potential venues for the World Cup 2030

During his appearance at the Nueva Economia Forum, Royal Spanish Football Federation president Rafael Louzan also discussed the selection process for the 2030 venues, emphasizing that “the final decision will rest with FIFA.”

Still, speculation continues to swirl around the cities and stadiums most likely to host tournament matches. In South America, Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Estadio Centenario in Montevideo (which hosted the entire 1930 World Cup), and Estadio Osvaldo Dominguez Dibb in Asunción appear to be the top candidates.

In Morocco, six cities are in contention to host games — Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakesh, Rabat, and Tangier. In Casablanca, the construction of the Hassan II Stadium, with a projected capacity of 115,000 spectators, positions it as Spain’s main rival for the right to stage the final.

In Portugal, the spotlight will fall on three storied grounds: Estadio da Luz (Benfica) and Estadio Jose Alvalade (Sporting CP) in Lisbon, and Estadio do Dragao in Porto, each representing one of the nation’s soccer powerhouses.

Finally, Spain is expected to feature around eight host cities for the World Cup 2030. Two of them may have multiple venues: Madrid, with Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and Metropolitano Stadium (Atletico Madrid), and Barcelona, with Camp Nou and Estadi Cornella-El Prat (Espanyol). The other cities include La Coruña, Bilbao, Las Palmas, San Sebastian, Seville, and Zaragoza.