‘Very Wise’: Spain’s Blanco Applauds FIFA’s Choice of Morocco-Spain-Portugal Bid for 2030 World Cup

Morocco, Portugal and Spain have officially been appointed as host countries for the 2030 FIFA World Cup by the FIFA Congress, gathered Wednesday in an extraordinary session by videoconference.

During the same session, chaired by FIFA president Gianni Infantino from Zurich, Congress members also approved awarding the three centenary matches to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, while Saudi Arabia was confirmed as the host country for the 2034 World Cup.

The three bids were approved by acclamation of FIFA’s 211 member federations, who voted separately on the nomination procedure adopted by FIFA and on each of the respective bids.

Speaking on the occasion, Infantino said that “in today’s divided world (…), to be able to agree on something like this is an extraordinary message”.

“We live unity. We live inclusiveness. We live soccer,” he stated solemnly.

For his part, President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) Fouzi Lekjaa expressed his gratitude to FIFA’s member federations for having made possible “this moment of shared happiness, a moment rich in many ways, starting with this universal representation, rarely seen or experienced in other fields”.

“I would like to thank you for having placed your trust in my country, Morocco, and its two partners, Portugal and Spain, to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup together,” he said in a pre-recorded speech broadcast during the Congress.

“This trust placed in my country by retaining its candidacy as part of the tripartite bid is further testimony to the progress made both in the specific preparations for the event and in the country’s overall progress, led by the enlightened vision of HM King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him,”  Lekjaa stressed.

“It will not only contribute to the organization’s success,” he continued, “but also to achieve what we have always defended, namely that sport, in general, and soccer, in particular, is a lever for socio-economic and human development”.

“The tripartite bid will stand out in history. This is the first time that this universal event has been organized simultaneously in Africa, the cradle of Humanity, and on the Old Continent, Europe”, the President of the FRMF concluded.

Furthermore, an official from the independent auditor (BDO), commissioned by FIFA to verify the compliance of the bids for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, concluded that both bidding procedures had been conducted with “objectivity, integrity and transparency”.

Sole candidate in the running for the 2030 World Cup, the Moroccan-Iberian “Yalla Vamos 2030” bid took another decisive step forward at the end of November following the publication by FIFA of the evaluation report, which deemed that the tripartite bid stands out for its “overall quality” and exceeded the “minimum organizational requirements” set out in the technical evaluation, awarding it a score of 4.2 out of 5.

The solidity of the bid is reflected in the technical evaluation, which covers both infrastructure and commercial potential, the reports details.

The Morocco-Spain-Portugal 2030 bid offers 20 varied options for stadiums: six in Morocco, three in Portugal and 11 in Spain. This exceeds the minimum requirements (14 stadiums) outlined for the 2030 World Cup, offering sufficient flexibility to choose diverse and emblematic venues in the three countries, the report points out.

The report further notes that Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, Barcelona’s Camp Nou in Barcelona and Casablanca’s Grand Stade Hassan II have been submitted for the opening and final games.

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, chaired, on Wednesday at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a Council of Ministers, according to a statement from the Spokesperson of the Royal Palace.

Here follows its translation:

“His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, chaired, this Wednesday, December 4, 2024, corresponding to Joumada II 02, 1446 H, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a Council of Ministers.

At the outset of the Council’s session, Mr. Fouzi Lekjaa, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the Budget and Chairman of the 2030 World Cup Committee, delivered a presentation before His Majesty the King, may God preserve Him, on the progress of the Kingdom’s preparations to host this international sporting event.

The Minister provided an overview of the various stages achieved in Morocco’s bid, tracing its progress since His Majesty the King, may God glorify Him, announced on March 14, 2023, in Kigali, the joint candidacy with Spain and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup. The Minister also highlighted the Sovereign’s announcement to the Moroccan people on October 4, 2023, regarding FIFA’s Council’s unanimous decision to select the Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid as the sole candidacy, which sparked an extraordinary mobilization to prepare a bid dossier fully aligned with FIFA’s specifications and requirements.

The Minister added that this tripartite bid submitted to FIFA on July 29, 2024 is the fruit of a strong and unprecedented mobilization by the working groups created for this purpose, in particular at the level of ministerial departments, public institutions, companies and local authorities concerned.

FIFA’s evaluation report on the bid, published on November 29, 2024, awarded an outstanding score, far exceeding the stipulated requirements. This remarkable achievement sets the stage, God willing, for the Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid to be officially awarded the hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup during the upcoming extraordinary FIFA Council Congress.

To rise to the challenge of an organization that lives up to the aspirations of His Majesty the King, may God assist Him, the Minister announced that, in accordance with the High Royal Directives, an expanded committee will be established, which includes representatives from civil society, Moroccan expatriates, and African talents.

The mobilization will be further reinforced through coordinated efforts with all stakeholders to expedite the execution of strategic and structuring projects relating to hosting this global event, in particular:

– Upgrading stadiums;

– Expanding and renovating airports in the six host cities;

– Enhancing road infrastructure and densifying intra-urban networks;

– Launching an integrated territorial upgrading program that extends beyond the host cities of the World Cup games;

– Developing hotel and commercial infrastructure;

– Strengthening and modernizing medical services;

– Developing and modernizing telecommunications networks;

– Launching a comprehensive training program to strengthen the skills of young people.

At the end of his address, the Minister said that the 2030 World Cup will not only be a sporting event, but also a unique opportunity to accelerate the growth momentum of the national economy over the next few years, create more job opportunities, boost the country’s tourist appeal and promote the universal values of peace, unity and sustainable development.

Then, the Council of Ministers approved six international conventions, of which four are bilateral and two are multilateral, aimed at strengthening cooperation and partnership ties between Morocco and several friendly and brotherly countries, as well as reinforcing its continental and international positioning.

The bilateral conventions focus on enhancing cooperation with several friendly European countries and address the mutual recognition of driving licenses, cooperation in criminal justice matters and the improvement of efficiency in combating cross-border crime, as well as military and technical cooperation.

The two multilateral conventions pertain to offences and certain other acts occurring on board aircraft, and the Charter on creating the Digital Cooperation Organization.

In accordance with the provisions of article 49 of the Constitution and on the proposal of the Head of Government and on the initiative of the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, His Majesty the King, may God glorify Him, has kindly appointed Zouhair Chorfi as Chairman of the National Electricity Regulatory Authority.

In this regard, His Majesty the King has given His High Instructions to consider a far-reaching reform of this body in order to transform it into a regulatory authority for the energy sector, by revising its respective law, broadening its scope to include, other than electricity, all the components of the energy sector. These include natural gas, new energies such as hydrogen and its derivatives, as well as production, storage, transport and distribution, in order to keep pace with the maturity that the energy sector has reached in our country, and to be in line with international best practices in this field.

The joint bid submitted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain to host the 2030 World Cup, only bid in contention, presents a “very strong all-round proposition” and exceeds “minimum hosting requirements” in the technical evaluation, The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) stated in its bid evaluation report.

First and foremost, the joint bid for the FIFA World Cup 2030 presents a very strong all-round proposition, the report says, adding that the FIFA administration has determined that this joint bid can be submitted to the FIFA Council and the FIFA Congress for consideration.

This is reflected in the results of the technical evaluation, which assesses the proposed infrastructure (both sporting and general) as well as its commercial potential, the report says.

The bid proposes a wide variety of generally high-quality venues across 17 diverse host cities, with a combination of existing, iconic and well-established facilities used by some of the most high-profile football clubs in the world, coupled with a number of modernisation projects, whether it be new-builds or upgrades, all of which have very strong legacy use cases. 

The joint bid submitted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain “looks to inspire and unite, using the collective passion for football across the three countries to bring people together and transcend boundaries, further tightening the bonds between two neighbouring continents and the world at large,” the report adds.

The report shows that, while the scale of construction projects within a six-year timeframe calls for rigorous monitoring and even, where necessary, support measures, it is worth highlighting the existence of mitigating factors, such as the fact that several projects have already been launched (notably in Morocco, where several stadiums are due to be delivered for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025), the quality and completeness of the proposed plans, and the commitment around these projects, which testifies to a high degree of confidence. 

Based on the results of its technical evaluation, the Morocco/Spain/Portugal 2030 bid received an average score of 4.2/5. With regard to the Centenary Celebration, based on the results of its technical evaluation, the Argentina/Paraguay/Uruguay bid received an average score of 3.6/5.

The Morocco-Spain-Portugal 2030 bid offers varied and interesting stadium options, of which there are 20: six in Morocco, three in Portugal and 11 in Spain. This exceeds the minimum requirements (14 stadiums) decided for the 2030 World Cup, offering sufficient flexibility to choose diverse and emblematic venues in the three countries, the report says.

Of these 20 stadiums, one will be newly built and several will undergo major renovation work, the document states, adding that whatever their status, all have specific assets and are perfectly capable of hosting the World Cup.

Five of the six stadiums proposed by Morocco will also host CAN-2025 matches. All six are subject to to construction or refurbishment but “appear to be compliant with most or all of the requirements,” the report points out, noting that Morocco is presenting the Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca, which is destined to become the world’s largest soccer stadium and on which work is already underway.

The report adds that the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona and the Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca have been proposed for the opening match and the final.

The joint bid by Morocco, Portugal and Spain to host the 2030 World Cup reached a “significant” milestone with the official submission of the complete bid file to the Fédération Internationale de Football (FIFA), at an event held on Monday 29 July at FIFA’s offices in Paris, according to a press release from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).

The official bid file was submitted to FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, by the presidents of the three candidate football Federations: Fouzi Lekjaa, FRMF President, Fernando Gomez, President of the Portuguese Football Federation and Álvaro de Miguel, general secretary of the Royal Spanish Football Federation on behalf of its president, Pedro Rocha, the same source adds.

“Your three countries have already given so much to football, countries with a great passion for the game, great organizational skills and a shared vision of what football and its values should be! It’s fantastic that you’ve united two continents in the dream of hosting the FIFA World Cup! Soccer unites the world, and you’re proving it with this bid,” declared Infantino, upon receiving the bid documents from the candidate Federations.

On this occasion, the officials from the three candidate Federations presented the vision of their tripartite bid. Lekjaa stressed that “we are proud and honored to present a historic bid for our three countries, in line with the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.”

“We are truly convinced that our bid will be a heritage for today’s generations and a legacy for those to come. We are working to ensure that the 2030 FIFA World Cup brings together people from all over the world and makes all Africans proud,” he added.

For his part, Gomes noted that “the bid file we have submitted here today proposes a vision for the future, where the environmental aspect is a structuring pillar of the event. It integrates the needs of the competition with the expectations and future of the cities and populations that will host the World Cup, while promoting inclusion and diversity as a solid foundation for our proposal!”.

“42 years ago, our country hosted a World Cup: Spain 1982. More than 40% of our population hadn’t been born then. The 2030 World Cup shall unite those who witnessed it and those who did not. It will also unite three countries and two continents, thus leaving an intergenerational, international and intercontinental legacy,” said, for his part, de Miguel.

Driven by the ambition to organize a competition “for soccer, for the world, for tomorrow”, the joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup is embodied by the slogan “YallaVamos”.

“This slogan symbolizes a proactive effort to move soccer forward on a global scale,” the statement underlines, noting that considerable efforts have already been made throughout the campaign to promote this vision, with the bid having tens of thousands of followers on social networks.

By bringing together two continents, the press release added, “this bid opens a new page in the centenary history of the FIFA Men’s World Cup. To celebrate this, the bid focuses on building bridges between cultures, providing a welcoming environment for fans and visitors from all backgrounds, and leaving a real legacy in terms of sustainability, innovation, investment and social impact.”

Detailing the bid’s vision and technical planning, including transport, accommodation and proposed infrastructure for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the completion of the bid documents represents “a major milestone for the bid organization efforts,” the same source added, noting that the full bid documents will be published by FIFA in due course.

The joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup is backed by an impressive group of ambassadors, including soccer legends from each nation – Luis Figo, Andres Iniesta and Nourredine Naybet – and legend Emmanuel Adebayor, as well as leading players from current men’s and women’s national teams: Cristiano Ronaldo, Achraf Hakimi, Dolores Silva, Ghizlane Chebbak, Alvaro Morata, Irene Paredes and Yassine Bounou.

The final decision on the host countries for the 2030 FIFA World Cup will be taken by a vote of the FIFA Congress on December 11, 2024.

(MAP: 30 July 2024)

Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit chaired, on Wednesday 17 July in Marrakech, an extended meeting dedicated to examining the state of progress of the city’s preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

This meeting, attended by Royal Moroccan Football Federation’s (FRMF) President, Fouzi Lekjaa, and Wali of the Marrakech-Safi region, governor of the Marrakech prefecture, Farid Chourak, brought together the different stakeholders in the preparation process.

On the occasion, Laftit said that this meeting is part of a broader series of similar meetings in the cities hosting 2030 World Cup games, as part of the intensive preparations for the organization of this global sporting event, alongside Spain and Portugal.

In this regard, the Minister called on all stakeholders to deploy all necessary efforts and to leverage all financial and human resources needed to speed up the pace of preparations, stressing the importance of succeeding in readying the Red City for this global event.

In a statement to the press, Lekjaa stressed that Marrakech, with its infrastructure, its historical heritage and the different development projects launched by HM King Mohammed VI, will be a key city in hosting future world events, including the 2030 World Cup.

He added that Marrakech, throughout the years, has demonstrated its exceptional capacities to host global events, recalling the perfect organization of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Lekjaa also noted that Marrakech’s commitment to host big events in the future should accelerate the city’s development momentum in various fields, asserting that this promotes its “unique” stamp on a global scale.

During the meeting, marked by presentations by the various stakeholders involved in hosting the 2030 World Cup and other sporting events, emphasis was on the development projects and infrastructure that should enable Moroccan cities, including Marrakech, to be well prepared for this global football event, in accordance with FIFA standards, particularly in terms of stadiums and training site infrastructure, transport and mobility, accommodation and sustainable development.

MAP: 18 July 2024

Interior Minister, Abdelouafi Laftit, chaired, here Thursday, an extended meeting dedicated to examining the state of progress of the city’s preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
This meeting, attended by Royal Moroccan Football Federation’s (FRMF) President, Fouzi Lekjaa, and Wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, Mohamed Yacoubi, brought together the different stakeholders in the preparation process.

Speaking on the occasion, Laftit stressed the importance of an all-out mobilization in order to guarantee the successful organization of the 2030 World Cup in Morocco, as well as the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025), which the Kingdom will host prior to this global event.

In this respect, he called on the stakeholders to redouble their efforts and mobilize all the financial and human resources needed to accelerate the pace of preparations, noting the importance of the success of the next stage, namely the 2025 AFCON, with a view to boosting trust in moving forward with the process of preparing to host other sporting events.

Laftit also noted Rabat’s central role as the Kingdom’s capital and host city to several events before the 2030 World Cup, stressing that the city must be ready starting next year.

For his part, Lekjaa stated that the development trajectory initiated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI over the last 25 years throughout the Kingdom will make Morocco a privileged destination for the organization of exceptional continental or world events, notably 2025 AFCON.

In a statement to the press following the meeting, he highlighted Rabat’s centrality for the 2030 World Cup, especially as it will host the 2025 AFCON matches, including those of the national soccer team.

The Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, which will be ready by the end of this year with a capacity of 65,000 spectators, will be one of the stadiums qualified to host the World Cup semi-finals, he added, the aim being for the Kingdom of Morocco to organize an “exceptional World Cup.”

The meeting was marked by presentations by various stakeholders, highlighting development and infrastructure projects designed to enable Moroccan cities, including Rabat, to meet FIFA’s requirements and standards, particularly in terms of stadiums, training sites, transport and mobility, accommodation and sustainable development.

Mechanisms for the integrated management of projects scheduled as part of these preparations were also presented, with a view to reinforcing the monitoring, control and timely implementation of projects.

MAP: 4 July 2024