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Rabat – Morocco will officially join Spain and Portugal’s bid to host the FIFA 2030 World Cup, Morocco’s Sports Minister Chakib Benmoussa announced at the CAF President Outstanding Achievement Awards Ceremony in Kigali, Rwanda.
“With that in mind, I would like to announce, before this assembly, that the Kingdom of Morocco has decided, together with Spain and Portugal, to present a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup,” a message from King Mohammed VI, read by Benmoussa, 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,” the monarch added. “It will also bring out the best in all of us – in effect, a combination of genius, creativity, experience, and means.”
This marks Morocco’s sixth attempt to host the competition. The North African country has entered the bid every time that it was eligible since 1994.
Morocco is replacing Ukraine, which was set to join Spain and Portugal’s bid before its football federation became involved in an alleged corruption scandal.
News emerged over the past few days that the Iberian countries were in talks to include Morocco following the revelation around Ukraine’s federation.
Morocco remains hopeful that the national team’s triumphs at the 2022 World Cup will help the country win the bid.
Last year, the country’s team reached the semi-finals of the tournament, becoming the first African team to do so and establishing itself as a strong player in world football.
The joint-bid should also alleviate some of the concerns around logistics and hosting capabilities that will come with the increased team count. FIFA announced that the number of teams competing for the trophy will increase from 32 to 48 starting from the 2026 World Cup.
The bid will be facing heavy competition, especially as Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay have prepared a joint bid of their own, capitalizing on the edition marking the tournament’s 100th anniversary.
Uruguay hosted the first-ever World Cup in 1930.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Greece are also reportedly preparing a bid of their own.
