Spain’s chances of hosting the 2030 World Cup final would be “minimal or nonexistent” if Gianni Infantino remains FIFA president and Morocco is awarded the match, LaLiga president Javier Tebas said Tuesday.
Speaking at the World Football Summit in Madrid, Tebas said Spain should reconsider its position in the 2030 World Cup project, which it is set to co-host with Morocco and Portugal.
“At the very least, we have to rethink our situation with the World Cup,” Tebas said, according to Spanish news agency EFE. “I don’t know whether we should withdraw or not, but we definitely need to rethink everything we’re doing regarding the World Cup.”
Tebas also criticized Infantino’s leadership, saying he did not consider the FIFA president credible and arguing that it would be a “disgrace for football” if he remained in charge after FIFA’s next presidential election.
He linked his concerns to the competition between Morocco and Spain to host the 2030 tournament’s final, although FIFA has not yet selected the venue for the match.
“If Infantino remains, Spain’s chances of hosting the final are minimal or nonexistent,” Tebas said, according to Spanish media reports.
Balogun case cited
Tebas referred to FIFA’s decision during the 2026 World Cup to suspend the implementation of a one-match ban imposed on U.S. forward Folarin Balogun following his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The decision came after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly confirmed that he had spoken with Infantino and requested a review of the case.
FIFA said at the time that its disciplinary bodies operate autonomously and that the decision was made under the applicable disciplinary regulations. It also said the FIFA Disciplinary Committee had discretion under Article 27 of its disciplinary code to suspend the implementation of disciplinary measures in certain circumstances.
Tebas nevertheless questioned whether the sequence of events could affect perceptions of FIFA’s credibility.
“Is it credible that someone can call to have a red card overturned and then see it overturned in a World Cup, with so much at stake for national teams?” he said.
The episode triggered criticism from some football officials and media outlets, with critics questioning the circumstances surrounding the decision, while FIFA maintained that its judicial bodies acted independently.
Final venue still undecided
The comments come as Morocco and Spain continue to promote their respective cases for hosting the 2030 World Cup final.
Morocco is proposing the Hassan II Stadium in Benslimane, near Casablanca, which is expected to have a capacity of about 115,000 spectators. Spain, meanwhile, has put forward Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu among its leading options.
FIFA has repeatedly said that no final decision has been made on the venue and that the choice will be announced at a later stage.
The dispute has intensified in recent weeks following public statements by Moroccan and Spanish football officials about their respective ambitions to host the tournament’s showpiece match.
For now, however, the final remains one of the major unresolved questions surrounding the joint 2030 World Cup project involving Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
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