Morocco hoping to beat Spain to World Cup final by building mega-stadium in Casablanca
Morocco have strong hopes of hosting the World Cup final in 2030, as Spain, Morocco and Portugal share the tournament.
Diario AS confirm that Morocco will choose from Fez, Marrakesh, Rabat, Tangier, Agadir and Fez, alongside Casablanca. Morocco will be awarded either four or five venues.
The stadium in Casablanca is the jewel in the crown though for Morocco. Portugal will have three venues, while Morocco will have four or five, and Spain will have 10 or 11.
FIFA’s largest requirement is that the stadium holds over 80,000 fans. That would mean only the Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou could be hosts for the big game. The noises coming out of Spain are that the Bernabeu would host the final.
Yet Morocco will put €450m into building a new 113,000-seater stadium will be just outside Casablanca, as per Diario AS, and €870m for stadium renovationsv in total, although that must spread across the African Cup of Nations in 2025 and the World Cup in 2030.
It looks as if Morocco are serious about wrestling the World Cup final against Madrid. With the prospective new stadium holding nearly 30,000 more fans than the current Bernabeu, FIFA may look at it as a more logical option. That said, the original bid was between Spain and Portugal, who had both intended on the final being in Madrid.
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