"Stop using electoral promises to pull the rug out from under us." That's Morocco's own prime minister telling his country's football federation president to pipe down — and it's a damning line to have on the record.
Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, told a political party event that the province of Benslimane would have the "honour" of hosting the 2030 World Cup final. One problem: FIFA hasn't decided that. Nobody has. Spain, Portugal, and Morocco are co-hosts, and which country gets the final is still an open question — one that will presumably involve all three parties having a say.
A promise that wasn't his to make
Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch didn't hold back at a campaign rally ahead of upcoming elections. "Do not offer to host the big final game in Morocco while we still have not discussed the matter with our allies, Spain and Portugal. There should be some respect, brothers."
The subtext here is hard to miss. Lekjaa made a unilateral boast at a political event, apparently to generate goodwill with voters — and the PM had to clean it up publicly, putting Morocco in the awkward position of looking like it's already quarrelling with co-hosts before a ball has been kicked. FIFA, for its part, issued the diplomatic non-answer that a decision "will be made in due course."
For context, FIFA didn't confirm New Jersey as the host of the 2026 final until February 2024, despite the tournament taking place that summer. The 2030 version is six years away. Lekjaa's declaration wasn't just premature — it was borderline reckless.
The stadium isn't even built yet
Morocco's proposed 115,000-seat venue — which would need to be ready to host a final of that scale — was only around 30 percent complete as of May. Officials are targeting the end of 2027 for completion. That's a tight window, and any punter pricing Morocco's chances of landing the marquee fixture should weigh the construction timeline against the political noise.
The RMFF declined to comment on Lekjaa's remarks. Which, given the circumstances, might be the smartest thing they've done all week.
