FIFA is reportedly leaning towards Spain’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid to host the 2030 World Cup final.
Spanish news outlet Marca reported today that despite the political crisis that affected Spanish football in recent years, FIFA maintains “confidence in Spain and in a final at the Bernabeu.”
The report suggested that FIFA is already holding talks with concerned parties about the situation to reach an agreement that would see the 2030 World Cup final played in Real Madrid’s official stadium.
This comes as a disappointment to Morocco, one of the co-hosts of the tournament, which has been looking to renovate and build new stadiums meeting the standards to some of the most prominent games of the competition.
“They are looking for a solution that can accommodate both FIFA’s and Real Madrid’s use of the stadium,” Marca wrote, adding that both parties negotiating the deal are optimistic.
In recent weeks, there have been diverging reports on which country would host which games during the jointly organized 2030 World Cup.
In April, the magazine Jeune Afrique emphasized in a report that the division of the tournament’s matches had become a central point of negotiation, with each of the organizing nations vying for a piece of the spotlight.
The report noted Morocco was favored to host the opening match while Spain would almost certainly host the final.
However, Mundo Deportivo, a leading Spanish sports website, reported in March that the scandal involving the Royal Spanish Football Federation and its former president Luis Rubiales could cost Spain the satisfaction of some of its requests for the joint World Cup.
But judging from the latest reports, it appears FIFA and the Spanish football federations have already put behind the Rubiales scandal to allow Spain to host the final of world football’s most prestigious tournament.
