On World Cup Final, Morocco and Spain Take Different Sides

Morocco and Spain are wrestling over a soccer match that's six years away. After Moroccan football chief Fouzi Lekjaa told a political gathering that Casablanca would host the 2030 World Cup final, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch publicly rebuked him, saying such promises shouldn't be made without agreement from co-hosts Spain and Portugal—and warning against using the issue as campaign fodder. Then Spain weighed in, Reuters reports.

President Rafael Louzan of Spain's football federation dismissed Lekjaa's comments as electioneering and arguing the final "cannot and must not" be held anywhere but Spain, citing the country's status as reigning world champion and its track record with big events. FIFA hasn't announced which of the three co-hosts will stage the final; a 115,000-seat Moroccan stadium was only about 30% built as of May. The decision will be made "in due course," a FIFA spokesperson said, per ESPN.