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WORLD CUP 2030

World Cup 2030 meeting set for Rabat on 18 October as Morocco push to stage final

The leaders of the Spanish, Portuguese and Moroccan football federations will meet in the Moroccan capital to outline important details of the 2030 tournament ahead of an official FIFA presentation.

2026 puede ser un Mundial histórico para la Concacaf
FIFA/Handout via REUTERS

Following the news that the 2030 World Cup will be staged principally in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, the heads of the respective football federations will hold their first meeting since the confirmation that FIFA will stage the 2030 competition across three continents.

Argentina's captain and forward #10 Lionel Messi,
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Argentina's captain and forward #10 Lionel Messi,ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULATAFP

The Rabat meeting, scheduled for 18 October between Pedro Rocha, Fernando Gomes and Fouzi Lekjaa will serve to continue to further the candidacy dossier that must be presented to FIFA in July 2024. This meeting will also serve to continue outlining the total number of venues in which the will play the World Cup and how many will correspond to each organizing country, but also to clarify where the final and the opening match will be played. The staging of the final already seems to be a thorny issue with Moroccan FA president Fouzi Lekjaa already pushing for Casablanca.

People walk past a 'Casablanca' sign in Casablanca, Morocco
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People walk past a 'Casablanca' sign in Casablanca, Morocco ABDELHAK BALHAKIREUTERS

The head of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) publicly announced his desire for the final of the competition to be held in the North African country: “We hope to experience an extraordinary final that honors the entire continent and the young generations in a new stadium in Casablanca that will be extraordinary and wonderful.” This statement by Lekjaa on Moroccan radio station Radio Mars have caused great surprise in both Spain and Portugal with the Rabat meeting key in resolving this important detail.

The Rabat meeting in October will be the second time that the three presidents will meet after the inaugural session in Madrid last month which served to open the round of tripartite meetings. The objective for the three federations is to present a joint candidacy next July with a project that fully satisfies FIFA.