Morocco has officially joined Spain and Portugal’s bid to host the 2030 World Cup, replacing Ukraine, which was initially part of the bid before its football federation became embroiled in a corruption scandal. This marks Morocco’s sixth attempt to host the competition, having entered the bid every time it was eligible since 1994.Speaking during the opening ceremony of the FIFA Congress in Kigali, President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, expressed hope that the country’s recent success at the 2022 World Cup would help secure the bid: “Morocco, through this bid, will undoubtedly be among the favourites, given the performance of the national team and its technical staff.”Walid Regragui believes Morocco 🇲🇦 can organize the best FIFA World Cup in 2030 alongside Spain and Portugal.@Izemanass @PoojaMedia pic.twitter.com/yDdNw6PgFK— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) March 14, 2023 The joint bid between Spain, Portugal, and Morocco aims to bring together “Africa and Europe, the northern and southern Mediterranean, and the African, Arab, and Euro-Mediterranean worlds,” said Morocco’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Ahmed Benmoussa, at the ceremony. The bid intends to address concerns over logistics and hosting capabilities that come with an 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.CAF President Patrice Motsepe welcomes Morocco’s decision to join the Spain-Portugal 2030 FIFA World Cup bid but with Egypt (Greece-Saudi Arabia) also interested Motsepe says the CAF ExCo will sit and come up with a decision soon…@Izemanass @PoojaMedia pic.twitter.com/7tUxTJ3sXO— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) March 14, 2023 However, the Spain-Portugal-Morocco bid faces stiff competition, with Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay also submitting a joint bid to mark the tournament’s 100th anniversary, and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Greece reportedly preparing their own bids. Uruguay hosted the first-ever World Cup in 1930. Harambee Stars brace for friendly against highly ranked IranMorocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, acknowledged the competition but emphasized the joint bid’s unique characteristics: “This is a bid that carries with it a great message of unity and togetherness that is unprecedented in the history of football. It is a bid that is bigger than football, it is a bid that is based on friendship, on values, and on bringing people together.”
