The key facts

  • Alberto Núñez Feijóo said Spain should withdraw from co-hosting the 2030 World Cup if the final is not held in the country
  • He linked his position to his party's primaries and the general elections on November 29
  • FIFA has not yet determined the venue of the final; the candidates are the Santiago Bernabéu and the Grand Stade Hassan II in Benslimane

Opposition's demand on the eve of the elections

The leader of Spain's conservative People's Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, said the country should withdraw from co-hosting the 2030 World Cup if Morocco hosts the tournament final. He said this in an interview with the football program El Chiringuito, which aired on Thursday, Anadolu reports. 'Spain must host the World Cup final. And if it does not host it, in my opinion, Spain should not take part in organizing the World Cup,' the agency quotes him as saying. Asked directly whether he would advocate Spain's withdrawal if the final were handed to Morocco, Feijóo replied: 'Yes. The answer is yes.' He added that he would maintain this position if he becomes prime minister after the general elections on November 29.

Arguments and political context

Feijóo called hosting the final in Spain 'fair,' 'appropriate' and 'beyond dispute,' citing the country's experience in organizing major sporting events, and recalled that the joint bid for the tournament was originally prepared by Spain and Portugal, with Morocco joining later. On Friday he reiterated his position on the social network X, writing that restoring national pride requires not letting others 'walk all over' the country, and that the final 'belongs to Spain,' since the world's leading football nation should not be 'humiliated.'

The fate of the final remains undecided

Spain, Portugal and Morocco have been officially confirmed as the main co-hosts of the 2030 tournament, while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each host one centenary match in honor of the first World Cup in 1930. Spain's main candidate is the reconstructed Santiago Bernabéu stadium, while Morocco is promoting the Grand Stade Hassan II under construction in Benslimane near Casablanca, which is expected to hold about 115,000 spectators and become one of the largest football stadiums in the world. The debate in Spain was fueled by a September statement by the president of the Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, that the final would take place in Morocco 'whether some like it or not'; FIFA then clarified that no decision had been made and the venue of the final would be chosen in due course. The Spanish government and the Spanish football federation have also previously spoken in favor of hosting the final in the country.