Feijoo threatens to withdraw Spain from 2030 World Cup if final goes to Morocco

Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the Spanish People’s Party and candidate in the upcoming snap general elections, has threatened to pull his country out of hosting the 2030 World Cup if the final is not awarded to Spain. “Spain must host the World Cup final. And if it doesn’t host it, in my opinion, it should not participate in the organization,” he said on the set of the El Chiringuito show.

His remarks immediately resonated with Isabel Diaz Ayuso. When questioned by Telecinco, the president of the Madrid region called Feijoo’s position “reasonable,” saying he “could not have said it better.” She also accused Morocco of wanting to “steal the World Cup from under Spain’s nose.”

The statements sparked strong reactions in Morocco. The media outlet Le360 Sport responded in a column: “Since when does [the 2030 World Cup] belong to Spain?” FIFA has not yet made its decision on awarding the final, and tensions between the two co-hosting nations show no signs of easing.

At the heart of the dispute are two stadiums competing to host the most-watched match on the planet: the Bernabéu in Madrid and the Grand Stade Hassan II, currently under construction in Benslimane. The latter, with an announced capacity of around 115,000 seats, aims to become the world’s largest stadium.