FIFA President Gianni Infantino promised to award the 2030 World Cup final to Rabat during a summit with 54 African football federations in Morocco. Infantino organized the gathering to seek backing for a third term in office as he faces a weak position to remain at the head of FIFA until 2027.
Infantino attended Morocco's National Day on July 30, which marked the 27th anniversary of King Mohammed VI's accession to the Alawite throne. Morocco is actively seeking to host the final match, and a large stadium is already under construction in Rabat.
Spain currently holds the world championship title and maintains a strong bid to host the final match. Spain is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Morocco, but FIFA holds the authority to select the venue for the final.
Calls in Spain to drop World Cup bid
The decision has sparked a major dispute, prompting Spanish political party Sumar and others to demand that Spain abandon the joint organization of the tournament with Morocco. The calls for Spain to withdraw also follow the invasion of Ceuta.
Infantino faces growing pressure after a series of controversial decisions during his tenure. At the previous World Cup, Infantino lifted a red card suspension issued to United States player Balogun following a match against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Infantino revoked the punishment at the request of Donald Trump so Balogun could play in the quarter-finals against Belgium. The intervention failed to help the United States team, which suffered a 4-1 defeat against Belgium and was eliminated from the tournament.
Opposition to FIFA privatization plan
Following that incident, Infantino attempted to privatize the upcoming World Cup by transferring organization to an economic fund. Donald Trump's son-in-law holds a prominent role in the financial fund involved in the proposal.
UEFA led a major wave of opposition across the football community against the privatization attempt. The resistance forced Infantino to abandon the plan and left him facing widespread calls to resign from the FIFA presidency.
