2030 World Cup: Morocco Partners With Portugal & Spain In Ukraine’s Absence

Morocco has officially applied for the organisation of the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Portugal and Spain, sportglitz learned on Tuesday, March 14.

In a letter written by King Mohammed VI and read ahead of the 73rd FIFA Congress in Rwanda on Tuesday, Morocco joined Spain and Portugal in bidding to host the 2030 World Cup.

While Ukraine finally withdrew from the project, it is therefore the Morocco, who reached the semi-finals of the last World Cup in Qatar, that covered the void.

“By honoring Africa during the last World Cup in Qatar, Moroccan football also honored these values of perseverance, self-sacrifice and self-transcendence.

“I am announcing before your assembly that the Kingdom of Morocco has decided, with Spain and Portugal, to present a joint candidacy to host the 2030 World Cup. (…) It will be a united candidacy, and the demonstration of an alliance of genius, creativity, experience and means (between the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds),” king Mohamed VIs letter ended.

This isn’t Morocco’s first bid for the FIFA World Cup. In the past, Morocco applied in 1998, 2006 and 2010 without success.

The three nations are only separated by about fifteen kilometers by the Strait of Gibraltar. Only the South American quartet of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile have equally applied for the 2030 World Cup.

Saudi Arabia has indicated that it is interested in a bid with Greece and Egypt.