"Spaniards' racism" boosts Morocco's chances of hosting the 2030 World Cup final

The incident of racist chants that took place at Cornellà Stadium in Spain cast a shadow over the race to host the final match of the 2030 World Cup, at a sensitive time when several countries are competing for the honor of hosting the most prominent football event in the world. While Spain was betting on the readiness of its infrastructure, this incident revived the discussion about FIFA’s standards related to combating discrimination, which may give Morocco an advanced advantage in this race.

During a friendly match between the Spanish national team and its Egyptian counterpart, chants of an “Islamophobic” nature rose from the stadium’s stands, which required immediate intervention from the stadium management, which was quick to broadcast anti-racism messages on the giant screens.

The incident sparked a widespread wave of condemnation, the most prominent of which was the position of the young star Lamine Yamal, who considered that “the use of religion for ridicule reflects ignorance and racism,” at a time when the Catalan police opened an official investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident.

On the other hand, Morocco appears to be benefiting from these developments to strengthen its position as a strong candidate to host the final, based on increased organizational dynamism and ambitious infrastructure projects, most notably the upcoming large stadium on the outskirts of Casablanca, which is expected to be among the largest in the world.

Adel Rahmouni, a journalist and sports analyst, believes that this incident “may actually affect Spain’s fortunes, given FIFA’s sensitivity towards issues of racism,” adding in a statement to Hespress that the strength of the Moroccan file, whether in terms of organization or readiness, may give it an additional point of superiority.

In his analysis, the speaker highlighted the superiority of the Moroccan file through several field data, including the organizational build-up that hampered Morocco’s success and its readiness to organize major football events such as the African Cup of Nations, not to mention the presence of advanced infrastructure by relying on stadiums with international specifications, such as the Prince Moulay Abdullah complex in Rabat, as well as the existence of giant projects, most notably the project to build the Grand Stadium of Casablanca (in the Benslimane region), which is considered a trump card that surpasses what is currently available.

Rahmouni stressed that “this Spanish misstep will constitute an additional strength for Morocco, especially in light of the presence of sympathy and satisfaction within the corridors of FIFA towards the Kingdom of Morocco’s ability to organize the World Cup final.”