Lekjaa demands 2030 World Cup final for Morocco against Spain

Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), is standing firm: Morocco wants to host the 2030 World Cup final. In an interview with Jeune Afrique on Monday, the 56-year-old official revisited statements that had prompted a FIFA clarification, without abandoning his ambitions.

Days earlier, Lekjaa had stated that “the Benslimane province will have the honour of hosting the 2030 World Cup final”. FIFA quickly corrected these remarks, recalling that no decision had been made. The official, also deputy minister for the budget and campaigning ahead of Morocco’s legislative elections on 23 September, attempted to nuance his position while maintaining his course.

“We never spoke of a final, we follow the process, we respect procedures and regulations,” he declared, before adding: “Morocco represents Africa, so we are a continent alongside our European colleagues, represented by Spain and Portugal. We are not three countries in a logic of rivalry. We work for complementarity. But we will always be there for the rights of Africa and the Kingdom of Morocco, which have the right to organize a World Cup final for the second time in history in a century.”

The context is a three-way competition: the 24th edition of the World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, with three matches played in Latin America to celebrate the competition’s centenary. Behind the scenes, Madrid and Rabat are already competing for the most prestigious match.

Lekjaa’s lobbying is part of a broader strategy. A strong supporter of Gianni Infantino’s re-election as FIFA president in March 2027, the Moroccan official maintains close ties with the international body’s president, whose controversial World Cup commercialization project was ultimately abandoned. The allocation of the final could thus depend, at least in part, on Infantino’s fate, whose authority is increasingly contested.