2030 World Cup Bid: Morocco Seeks Gulf Countries Support

Rabat – Morocco is reportedly seeking to secure Gulf countries’ support at different levels to boost its chances of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.

Israeli news outlet i24News quoted high-ranking sources as saying that King Mohammed VI’s recent written messages to Gulf countries’ leaders sought support for the World Cup bid from the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Morocco will also make similar moves with other Gulf countries, including Kuwait, Bahrain, and Sultanat Oman, the sources said, stressing that Morocco is seeking to gather political, financial, and logistical support for its 2030 World Cup bid.

The remarks from the sources quoted by i24News came in line with a similar statement made by foreign policy analyst Samir Bennis, who emphasized that King Mohammed VI’s written messages were an attempt to secure Gulf countries’ support.

“Morocco is also seeking to encourage countries to invest more and support Moroccan [infrastructure] projects that Morocco intends to launch in preparation for the 2030 World Cup,” Bennis told local news outlet Achkayen on Monday, stressing that countries in the Gulf region possess “sovereign funds exceedings hundred of billion of dollars.”

In addition to seeking financial support, Morocco also aims to clinch votes from both Gulf and Asian countries for its World Cup bid, Bennis said.

Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita reportedly delivered King Mohammed VI written messages to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar in the past few days, reiterating Moroccan determination to boost bilateral ties with the Gulf countries as well as to discuss regional issues.

Morocco’s news agency’s reporting on the messages’ content did not mention the inclusion of a potential request for Gulf support over its World Cup bid.

The North African kingdom announced its decision to join the bid on March 14, with both Spain and Portugal hailing the move as a good and positive message to the world.

Bidders for hosting the World Cup in 2030 also initially included Saudi Arabia, but the Gulf kingdom recently announced its withdrawal from the race along with Greece and Egypt.

According to a report this past June by the website Greek City Times,the Saudi decision to withdraw from the World Cup hosting race was due to the economic crisis that both Greece and Egypt are facing despite Saudi pledges to help finance the development of the two countries’ infrastructure.

On July 29, King Mohammed VI stressed the importance of the “historic” joint bid, stressing that a joint bid comprising Morocco, Portugal, and Spain unites “the two shores of the Mediterranean” to reflect the ambitions and aspirations of the region towards cooperation, interaction, and mutual understanding to foster regional stability and prosperity.

Applauding the sense of seriousness and patriotism of Morocco’s national team during the 2022 World Cup, the monarch stressed that “the same spirit” guided his decision to announce a joint bid with Morocco’s allies Spain and Portugal to host world football’s most prestigious competition.