Morocco joining Spain, Portugal in football’s 2030 World Cup bid
Last October, Spain and Portugal were joined in their protracted European candidacy by Ukraine, which is unlikely to stay in the bid.
Morocco will join Spain and Portugal in an attempt to host the 2030 World Cup.
The announcement on Tuesday, which casts further doubt on Ukraine’s participation in the bid, was made through a statement signed by King Mohammed VI and read at a meeting of the Confederation of African Football.
“The Kingdom of Morocco, together with Spain and Portugal, has decided to launch a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup,” the statement said.
“This joint bid, which is unprecedented in football history, will bring together Africa and Europe, the Northern and Southern Mediterranean and the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds. It will also bring out the best in all of us – in fact a combination of genius, creativity, experience and resources.”
Morocco pledged to participate in the 2030 bid more than four years ago, immediately after losing the vote for the 2026 tournament. It had been in talks with the Iberian nations for some time, but was never officially included in the bid.
Last October, Spain and Portugal were joined in their protracted European candidacy by Ukraine, which is unlikely to stay in the bid.
A spokesman for the Spanish Football Federation told AFP news agency it would meet its Portuguese and Moroccan counterparts in Kigali on Wednesday, but did not mention Ukraine.
“The presidents will announce any news regarding the 2030 World Cup candidacy in Kigali,” the spokesperson added.
Morocco stunned the world at last year’s tournament in Qatar when it became the first Arab and African side to reach the semi-finals where they lost to France. Morocco eventually finished fourth behind Croatia.
In February of this year, Morocco hosted the FIFA Club World Cup.
The hosts for the 2030 World Cup are expected to be chosen in September 2024. The co-hosting bids from South America and Europe were the expected favourites.
The inaugural 1930 World Cup host, Uruguay, is part of a centennial bid that includes Argentina, Chile and Paraguay.
The World Cup has had joint hosts before.
In 2002, Japan and South Korea shared the contest. In 2026, the tournament will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The 2026 World Cup will be expanded from 32 to 48 teams and, according to the format announced by FIFA on Tuesday, will be expanded to 104 matches, compared to 64 in Qatar last year.