Spain and Portugal Launch Joint 2030 World Cup Bid, Excluding Morocco

Yesterday, the Spanish and Portuguese football federations announced that they are studying a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup and have "launched an in-depth analysis process". Curiously, there is no longer any mention of Morocco, a country to which the Head of Government had proposed a joint bid including Spain and Portugal.

"After various meetings in recent weeks, the football federations of Spain and Portugal confirm that they are beginning an in-depth analysis process on the possibility of submitting a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup," reads the joint statement issued by the two federations, adding that "The governments of the two countries have been duly informed of this process, of which they will be stakeholders."

Yet, last November, during his visit to Morocco, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had proposed to King Mohammed VI and Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani a joint bid with Morocco. This proposal had been very favorably received by the Moroccan authorities, who saw it as an opportunity to present the first bid from two continents.