Morocco: The "Threat" to Spain

The atmosphere at the summit in Vancouver, where football leaders from around the world are gathering, confirms the new dimension taken by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF. Its president, Fouzi Lekjaa, ranks among the most influential figures there. According to AS, the Canadian city will be the stage for a strategic announcement: Morocco will host the next annual congress of the organization. This meeting will be of paramount importance as it will host the presidential elections for Gianni Infantino’s final term. This decision illustrates increasingly close bilateral ties, already materialized by the opening of an operational office in Rabat.

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This growing diplomatic weight directly threatens Spanish interests regarding the 2030 World Cup, co-hosted with Portugal. While Madrid initially had the institution’s favor to host the grand final at the Bernabéu, intense Moroccan lobbying in favor of Casablanca has completely rebalanced the scales. Furthermore, the Kingdom is now positioning itself as the strong favorite to host the 2029 Club World Cup alone. For its part, Spain could leave the field open to its neighbor to prioritize hosting the UEFA European Under-21 Championship at the same time.

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This African ambition benefits from absolute political support. King Mohammed VI maintains very good relations with Gianni Infantino and is ready to invest massively to make the country a true epicenter of football. In Spain, the assessment is more mixed. Although Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met with the FIFA boss in New York last year, the organization’s lack of firmness toward Israel and its proximity to Donald Trump highlight ideologies that are very far apart, just four years before the World Cup.