Casablanca – FIFA is reportedly expected to announce its decision on the 2030 World Cup final venue in 2028, leaving Morocco’s bid to stage the showpiece match at the Hassan II Stadium firmly alive.
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, sources familiar with the process say FIFA does not plan to reveal the final venue before 2028. The report points to the previous World Cup cycle, when FIFA waited until February 2024 to confirm New Jersey as the venue for the 2026 final.
The timeline means the competition between Morocco and Spain remains open despite increasingly confident statements from both sides.
Morocco has made little secret of its ambition to bring the final to Benslimane, where the Hassan II Stadium is under construction near Casablanca.
The stadium is expected to hold around 115,000 spectators, which would make it the largest football-specific stadium in the world once completed. The project has become the centerpiece of Morocco’s case for hosting the tournament’s closing match.
Royal Moroccan Football Federation President Fouzi Lekjaa has repeatedly pushed that ambition publicly. In September, he said Benslimane would have “the honor” of hosting the 2030 final and later called for Moroccan institutions and supporters to rally behind the effort to bring the match to the Hassan II Stadium.
FIFA, however, has maintained that it has not yet chosen the venue and previously said the decision would come “in due course.”
Spain continues to make its own case
Rafael Louzan, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, said that he remained confident Spain would host the final, pointing to either Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu or Barcelona’s Camp Nou.
Mundo Deportivo described those two venues and Morocco’s Hassan II Stadium as the main contenders for the match.
The Spanish outlet also reported that FIFA has yet to schedule its next inspection visit to Morocco, Spain and Portugal. That visit is expected to play an important role in determining the final list of host cities and stadiums across the three countries.
Morocco, Spain and Portugal will stage 101 matches during the 2030 tournament, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each host one centenary celebration fixture marking 100 years since the first World Cup. FIFA formally appointed the three main hosts in December 2024.
For Morocco, the reported 2028 timeline gives the country more time to complete the Hassan II Stadium and strengthen a bid that has become one of the most closely watched parts of preparations for 2030.
With no final venue confirmed and FIFA’s inspection process still ongoing, the race for the World Cup’s biggest night remains very much open.
