was the first nomination SpainPortugal and Morocco. Then the African country fell out of the equation. Later, Ukraine was included after the invasion of Russia. And now Morocco is back in the equation and Ukraine will almost certainly be out of the equation. this is everything, With the knowledge and approval of the Government of Pedro Sáncheznow open to host the 2030 World Cup with its neighbor to the south.
Chakib Benmussa, Minister of Education and Sports of the Alevi kingdom, this Tuesday, King 6. Morocco joins Portugal and Spain’s candidacyNot to mention Ukraine, a country that was announced as the third pillar of the project in October 2022.
announcement coming soon
Sources familiar with the negotiations confirm to EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA of the Prensa Ibérica group that the negotiations are “very advanced” and that Morocco will be the third country in the candidacy, but there are still borders to be closed. Official announcement will be made shortly., maybe this Wednesday, if something doesn’t go wrong. Delegations from the three federations are in Rwanda this week for the FIFA convention, with the final agreement expected to be made there.
Although the initiative and impulse corresponded to the federations, the RFEF always emphasized that both federations went hand in hand with their respective governments in the formation of the candidacy. That’s what happened in this case. Government of Pedro Sánchez aware of negotiations with Moroccan football and finally the approval of Morocco’s inclusion in the candidacy.
“If they were sending 10,000 migrants to the border, the Government would not have allowed it,” said sources familiar with the process outside the RFEF, emphasizing that the improvement in bilateral relations between the two rulers since 2021 facilitated the deal. Participation from Morocco.
And Ukraine?
Is Morocco replacing Ukraine? Not necessarily. They stress from the RFEF that Ukraine is not excluded from the candidacy, although its continuity is in the air due to the Zelensky government’s political interference in the federation and the judicial problems surrounding it. Regardless of the war situation, of course. The same sources, in any case, the current idea is to keep one or two offices on the territory of Ukraine.
The presence of Morocco in this candidacy is not new. Actually, on November 19, 2018, Pedro Sánchez publicly offered Morocco to participate in a project With Portugal to organize the World Cup while the union of forces has not yet been formalized, but this was already on the table.
However, this idea was waning, and diplomatic tensions between Spain and Morocco escalated. The Spanish and Portuguese federations, with the support of their respective governments as well as UEFA, focused on shaping an Iberian candidacy that was officially announced in October 2020.
UEFA support
The UK and Ireland’s choice to stop presenting their own candidacies and hold the 2028 Euro Cup strengthened the Iberian candidacy as UEFA had the unanimous support of European football against other possible nominations.
The biggest threat right now is South America’s World Cup in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and UruguayThe location of the first edition, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2030. Despite being considered favorites in the RFEF environment, no vote can be overlooked and the inclusion of Morocco could help add votes, especially from the African confederation. From the Maghreb region.
Likewise, sources familiar with these processes Morocco’s active entry could help circumvent the so-called joint candidacy of Egypt and Saudi ArabiaIt sounds a lot in football gossip (with Greece as the hypothetical third leg), but so far no official record.