Morocco insists on hosting the 2030 World Cup final: “Africa has the right to be host”
Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa has again expressed his wish for Morocco to host the 2030 World Cup final, which the country is co-organising with Spain and Portugal. He argues that Africa has the right to stage a World Cup final for the second time in history.
In an interview with Jeune Afrique, Lekjaa returned to the topic just weeks after his comments forced FIFA to deny reports that the venue for the final had already been chosen.
Lekjaa, who is also a government minister, made the remarks during the campaign ahead of Morocco’s parliamentary elections on 23 September. He had previously said that the province of Benslimane “will have the honour of hosting the 2030 World Cup final” and that anyone hoping to be part of the next government would have no choice but to develop the region.
“We have never talked about a final. We follow the processes and respect the procedures and regulations,” the 56-year-old said. He stressed that Morocco represents Africa alongside its European partners, Spain and Portugal, and that the three countries work in a spirit of complementarity rather than rivalry. “But we will always defend the rights of Africa and the Kingdom of Morocco, which I believe have the right to host a World Cup final for the second time in a century,” he added.
A strong supporter of Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election as FIFA president in March 2027, Lekjaa intends to continue his lobbying. Rabat will also host the next FIFA Congress in March 2027, and some observers believe that Infantino, if re-elected, could use the occasion to announce a second World Cup final on African soil, after the 2010 final in South Africa.
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