Has Morocco abandoned the 2030 World Cup final? An official source clarifies the controversy.

A source familiar with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation denied the statements made by Luis Manuel Rubiales Bejar, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, who claimed that "Morocco has agreed to host Spain for the final of the 2030 World Cup."

Rubiales stated, in comments reported by the Spanish network "EDATV," that "Morocco and Portugal agreed, during the initial discussions regarding the 2030 World Cup bid, that Spain would host the final match," noting that this understanding was part of the agreement that allowed for the unified presentation of the tri-nation bid.

The former Spanish official explained that Morocco set a fundamental condition to be a full partner in organizing the tournament, rather than just a host country for a limited number of matches, emphasizing that this condition was accepted by the other parties during the negotiations.

Rubiales added that including Morocco in the joint bid was a crucial factor in enhancing the chances of winning the hosting rights, considering that the Spanish-Portuguese bid would not have achieved the same success without Morocco's involvement, given the balance it provided in terms of international support.

However, a source from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation expressed surprise, in a statement to Hespress, at Rubiales' comments, affirming that they are "unrealistic and incorrect," stressing that Morocco has an institution working on the World Cup organization file, which holds certainty regarding the various data related to this tournament.

The Spanish National Court had ruled, in February 2025, to convict Rubiales of sexual assault and imposed a financial penalty on him, while acquitting him of coercion; he had previously resigned from the presidency of the Spanish Federation, and FIFA suspended him from any football activity for three years.