Morocco’s World Cup Bid with Spain and Portugal Threatens Spanish Venues

Spain and Portugal’s initial idea was to integrate Ukraine into their bid to help the country after the Russian invasion. But the football federation of this country has been sanctioned by FIFA, which has rejected its participation in the bid, giving Morocco the opportunity to position itself.

Morocco already wanted to present a solo bid. Moroccan football has gained in popularity, especially after the exploits of the Atlas Lions at the World Cup in Qatar. But the kingdom has ended up joining the bid of Spain and Portugal. "This will be a bid that will bring together the best of both parties and the demonstration of an alliance of genius, creativity, experience and resources," said the Moroccan Minister of Sports, Chakib Benmoussa.

But Morocco’s entry into this bid can be detrimental to Spain’s interests, worries a certain Spanish press. Of the 11 stadiums proposed for the competition, only three Spanish stadiums comply with FIFA regulations. These are Santiago Bernabéu, Civitas Metropolitano and San Mames. On the Portuguese side, three stadiums have also been selected, namely Porto, Benfica and Sporting.

But Morocco, for its part, has several stadiums that meet international standards, such as the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium (45,800 spectators), the Mohammed V stadium (67,000 spectators) or the Agadir stadium (45,480 spectators). But FIFA still has a lot of time to make a decision, as the final sites have not yet been confirmed.