Испани дэлхийн аварга болж, 2030 оны тэмцээний талбайн төлөөх өрсөлдөөн эхэллээ

Sunday’s World Cup final ended with Spain winning the trophy for a second time, beating Argentina 1-0 thanks to Ferran Torres’ extra-time goal.

Even before the presentation ceremony’s fireworks had faded into the evening sky over MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, thoughts were moving forward four years.

The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with its first three matches due to be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as part of the centenary celebrations of the first World Cup, held in 1930.

A joint bid for the tournament, which envisioned the other games to be played across 11 Spanish stadiums, six in Morocco, and three in Portugal, was formally accepted by FIFA in December 2024.

But many of the details about the 2030 tournament are undecided, including the burning question among the host nations: which stadium gets the honour of staging the final, the biggest showpiece in world sport?

Who looks to be ahead in the race?

While Barcelona’s Camp Nou (still under renovation) meets FIFA’s requirements to host a World Cup final, Real Madrid’s Bernabeu has always been the preferred choice of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

The Bernabeu is among world football’s most famous and iconic stadiums — the only ground to have hosted the finals of football’s World Cup (when Spain were sole hosts in 1982), the European Championship, the Champions League and the Copa Libertadores (South America’s Champions League equivalent).

In recent years, the stadium has undergone a stunning €1.5billion (£1.3bn, $1.7bn) redevelopment that has added extra VIP, hospitality and media facilities, a futuristic ‘silver skin’ and 360-degree digital screens, all shown off when it hosted Spain’s first NFL game last November.

Federation sources — speaking on condition of anonymity, like others in this article, as they were not authorised to speak publicly — told The Athletic last week that there are “many reasons” it make sense for the Bernabeu to host the 2030 final; Spain is the biggest of the organising nations, it will host more games through the tournament, the country has vast experience staging big events, and they are also the biggest footballing power — as seen by Luis de la Fuente’s team’s performance at the 2026 tournament.

Another Spanish industry source familiar with the federation’s thinking added that sponsors and industry leaders would also be attracted by playing at such a historic stadium in the middle of one of Europe’s most visited capital cities.

But the same person said that differences in how the Spanish and Moroccan federations and governments have been working since they officially became host countries has turned the situation around significantly.

“Eighteen months ago, it was impossible for Bernabeu to lose the 2030 final, but today I wouldn’t be surprised, as the RFEF’s position is very weak, compared to everything Morocco have done,” the source said.

What are Morocco doing about it?

Even before FIFA had officially rubber-stamped Morocco’s World Cup co-host status, the country’s authorities began planning a new 115,000-seat stadium near Casablanca, Stade Hassan II.

“We want the final,” Soussi Yassir, director general of Morocco’s Agence Nationale des Equipements Publics (ANEP), told Spanish paper AS in May. “We know that for many the Bernabeu is football’s cathedral, but it’s in the middle of a city and already built. Stade Hassan II is completely new. It’s easier to adapt to FIFA’s needs. Everything they ask for, they can have.”

Government funding of about €1billion was provided for the new stadium. Public investment is also forthcoming to build infrastructure to meet all of FIFA’s requirements, including new train and motorway connections linking the stadium with Casablanca centre and the capital, Rabat.

The huge investment fits within a government policy led by King Mohammed VI of making Morocco a football superpower. Central to the strategy has been the ambition and personality of Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) since 2014.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, right, counts Moroccan federation president Fouzi Lekjaa as an ally (Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP via Getty Images)

The 55-year-old is among international football’s biggest power brokers, with positions including first vice-president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and membership of FIFA’s main decision-making council.

Lekjaa has been a firm supporter of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was in Rabat in July 2025 for the opening of a new FIFA Africa office in the Moroccan capital — similar to the office in Miami where much of the planning for the 2026 tournament was overseen.

Sources familiar with the thinking at the highest levels of Morocco’s planning for the tournament told The Athletic they believe it would be “fairer” for Casablanca to hold the final, given the principle of sharing between all FIFA confederations and Africa having hosted only one final in World Cup history (in 2010 in South Africa).

What are Spain doing about it?

In recent years there has been lots of turmoil and change at the RFEF, especially around the departure of former president Luis Rubiales after he was found guilty of sexual assault for kissing Jenni Hermoso following Spain’s victory at the Women’s World Cup in August 2023.

Federation president Rafael Louzan has been battling institutional issues at home, and multiple industry sources say he has not (yet, at least) built international relationships as strong as those of his Moroccan counterpart.

‘Losing’ the 2030 final to Morocco was a big concern among the delegates at the RFEF’s annual assembly in Madrid on June 30, says another industry source who attended that event.

On July 7, Spain’s minister for education, professional training and sports, Milagros Tolon, was asked about increasing fears in her country over the issue.

“There’s nothing,” Tolon told Spanish reporters. “These stories come out, they are not official, and I can assure that this government will work so that the final is (played) in Spain.”

RFEF chief Louzan also addressed the rumours on DAZN before Spain’s quarter-final against Belgium on July 10.

“Spain has the most weight in this World Cup, we’re already on it, in September the countdown begins,” Louzan said. “Spain can organise great events, as you could see from Pope Leo XIV’s visit (to the Bernabeu in early June).”

Spain’s impressive performances in winning the 2026 tournament, including completely outplaying Argentina in Sunday’s final, were a reminder of their on-pitch power.

The following day, La Liga president Javier Tebas told Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport that FIFA is destroying football and called for Infantino’s exit. Tebas is also an RFEF vice-president, and his comments will have been a blow for Madrid’s chances for 2030, multiple sources told The Athletic.

“The day after winning the World Cup, why do you need to get into a row with FIFA?” said a source familiar with FIFA’s thinking. “It does not help at all.”

La Liga was approached for comment.

How is it decided?

FIFA retains extremely tight control over all the most important decisions related to World Cups.

The unprecedented six-country hosting arrangement was carefully organised from the very top. At the time the decision was made, sources high up at the RFEF admitted surprise at the three South American countries joining at the last minute.

The venue for the 2026 final was not decided until February 2024. The process behind that decision was also shrouded in secrecy, with the final calls made by Infantino and a very small circle of FIFA’s most senior executives, The Athletic reported at the time.

Those behind the New York/New Jersey bid put in a huge effort to win the battle for the final, with Dallas a fierce challenger, and a host of political, sporting and celebrity voices advocating on behalf of MetLife Stadium. A similar two-horse race for 2030 potentially benefits FIFA as the organisation may be able to negotiate a better deal with the successful bidder.

Multiple sources have also pointed to FIFA’s preference for a stadium where they can have as much control as possible. That could be an advantage for Morocco, as Lekjaa holds the status of a government minister and has a direct line to King Mohammed VI.

The decision-making process is not so streamlined within Spanish democracy — and there have been strains in the relationship between its socialist government and federation chief Louzan, who was previously a politician with the main conservative opposition party.

The RFEF declined to comment officially on its relationship with the Spanish government, or how the battle over hosting the final was affecting relations with the FRMF.

“We know Gianni (Infantino) likes to be courted — Morocco is doing everything it possibly can, and then some,” a Spanish federation source told The Athletic. “But we still don’t see any scenario in which the final isn’t played in Spain.”

A factor widely believed to be in the Bernabeu’s favour is Madrid president Florentino Perez’s past alliances with Infantino. They have both had a common enemy in UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin, albeit in different power battles.

Perez also backed Infantino’s revamped Club World Cup project, and the Madrid boss received official support from the FIFA president during his successful campaign for re-election earlier this summer.

“Florentino calling on his friend Gianni, that is the Bernabeu’s best chance now,” said a source who has worked with both Madrid and FIFA in the past.

FIFA was contacted for comment for this piece.

Is there a Trump angle on this?

There’s always a Trump angle.

The United States president has, for some time, been angry at Spain for (in his view) not contributing enough to NATO’s funding. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has also upset Trump in various ways, including regularly accusing Israel of genocidal actions in Gaza, criticising the U.S. military raid to capture Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in January, and in March refusing to let U.S. planes involved in the war with Iran use Spanish bases.

“Spain is a wasted cause, Spain is a terrible partner in NATO,” Trump said during a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8. “We don’t want anything to do with Spain. They’re hopeless, bad people.”

Spanish PM Sanchez claimed to have chatted “informally” and “amicably” with Trump in Ankara about football, and said: “Relations between the U.S. and Spain are very positive relations in social, cultural, economic and also political terms.”

That did not stop Spanish radio station Copefrom claiming that Trump was pressuring FIFA to have Morocco host the 2030 final, as they are a better “partner” for America.

The U.S. has been strengthening military ties with Morocco in recent years. Trump is alongtime supporter ofMoroccan control of Western Sahara (a former Spanish colony thought to containuntapped offshore oil deposits).

The atmosphere appeared to be cordial in the VIP seats on Sunday, with Sanchez and Trump both in the front row at MetLife Stadium as Spain captain Rodri lifted the Jules Rimet trophy. Photos showed the pair shaking hands before kick-off.

(Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

Sources at the RFEF said it does not comment on non-football affairs.

Other industry sources pointed out that while Trump and his administration have had a big influence on the 2026 tournament, in four years the U.S. will have a different president and FIFA’s concerns will be elsewhere.

What happens next?

During the 2026 tournament, representatives of the 2030 host cities (including Madrid and Casablanca) were invited by FIFA to Miami and Dallas to attend games and observe the organisational structures used in the tournament. Locations for the tournament’s ‘International Broadcasting Centre’ (IBC) and FIFA’s main base were also discussed.

“The (Spanish) capital has the best infrastructure, and is best prepared to host big events,” Madrid town hall’s sports delegate Sonia Cea told Spanish paper El Mundo from the U.S. “It would be unthinkable for the final not to be in Madrid.”

Multiple sources consulted throughout the process, from before the 2030 host countries were decided, have been clear that what really counts are the views and interests of FIFA’s hierarchy.

Potential changes to the tournament’s format could also have an effect. The 2030 World Cup is slated to have 48 participating teams — the same as this year’s expanded edition. However, Infantino recently told Swiss media outlet Bluewin that “a 64-team tournament is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup”.

No full confirmation on that is likely to come before the next FIFA Congress, which is being held next March in Rabat, another sign of Morocco’s high status among football’s power brokers.

At that Congress, Infantino is widely expected to run for his fourth term as FIFA president, and will almost certainly be unopposed.

The African and South American confederations have already announced their unanimous support for another Infantino term. It is less clear how most European federations will vote, with many having been upset by various incidents during this World Cup, especially Trump openly claiming he intervened in the Folarin Balogun affair, with the U.S. striker subsequently cleared to play after FIFA suspended his ban.