Spanish campaign calls for 2030 World Cup withdrawal if Morocco hosts final

Spanish campaign calls for 2030 World Cup withdrawal if Morocco hosts final
Monday 13 July 2026 - 14:00
An online campaign in Spain is calling on the country to withdraw as a co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup if FIFA chooses Morocco’s planned 115,000-seat Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca over Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu to host the final.
The hashtag #OLaFinalONada (FinalOrNothing) has been circulating since last week amid growing fears that Spain could lose the final to Morocco, following claims that U.S. President Donald Trump allegedly exerted pressure in the kingdom’s favor.
“If the final isn’t in Spain, we don’t want the World Cup. If the final is in Morocco, let them host it themselves,” said one user on X.
Another echoed the same sentiment, saying, “it would be humiliating for a country that wasn’t originally part of the bid to host the biggest match. They can host the entire tournament themselves.”
One Spanish journalist, Paco Gonzalez, among the campaign’s most prominent supporters, argued that Spain should not co-host the World Cup unless it secures the final, the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), most of the tournament’s matches, and a semi-final, according to local media.
“Let Portugal and Morocco organize it themselves. It’s either the final or nothing,” he added.
The debate intensified last week after Juanma Castano, director of the Spanish sports radio program El Partidazo de COPE, claimed that Trump was allegedly pushing for Morocco to host the final because of the kingdom’s close ties with Washington.
The claims came after FIFA lifted the suspension of U.S. forward Folarin Balogun following his red card in the Round of 32, reportedly after Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the ban.
Spanish media reported growing concerns even within the Spanish football federation that political pressure could influence FIFA’s decision.
While FIFA has yet to announce the venue for the 2030 World Cup final, Morocco has strengthened its bid with the Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca, a 115,000-seat stadium currently under construction and expected to be completed by the end of 2027, making it more than 30,000 seats larger than Spain’s Santiago Bernabeu.
Project officials said construction is progressing, with around 40% of the stadium’s seating structure completed and the overall project about 30% finished.

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