Morocco’s Mega-Stadium Challenges Spain for 2030 World Cup Final Hosting Rights

Invited on the Tot Costa program on Catalunya Ràdio, David Escudé, sports advisor to the Barcelona city council, stated that the Santiago Bernabéu would be "small" and would not meet FIFA standards to host the World Cup final, reports El Confidencial. "The rival of the Camp Nou to host the 2030 World Cup final is not the Santiago Bernabéu, but the new stadium under construction in Casablanca, Morocco," he insisted.

According to Escudé, the Hassan II stadium, under construction in Benslimane, near Casablanca, seems to best meet the FIFA requirement that the stadium able to host a World Cup final must have "80,000 net spectators, not counting the press." The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) had proposed to FIFA to select the Santiago Bernabéu to host the 2030 World Cup final. But the Real Madrid stadium has a capacity of 84,744 seats, too tight for a World Cup final.

Failing the Santiago Bernabéu, the Spanish federation proposes the Camp Nou, which should have a capacity of 105,000 seats. But the Barcelona stadium is also no match for Morocco’s Hassan II Stadium, which will have a capacity of 115,000 seats and will be "the largest in the history of football," surpassing the Rungrado-Primero de Mayo in Pyongyang (North Korea), considered the largest in the world with its 114,000 seats.

Moreover, the crisis shaking the RFEF, whose officials are accused of corruption, could lead to its suspension by FIFA. The world governing body of football and UEFA have threatened to suspend the Spanish federation if it does not have a president at the beginning of this October. A measure that could jeopardize its candidacy for the organization of the 2030 World Cup, alongside Morocco and Portugal.