AFP: King Mohammed VI of Morocco announced yesterday that his country had joined the bid by Spain and Portugal to host the centenary World Cup in 2030. The announcement means that war-torn Ukraine is likely to be dropped from the bid. King Mohammed made the announcement in a message delivered as he was named the winner of the African Football Confederation 2022 Award of Excellence in Kigali, where world governing body FIFA is holding its annual congress.
A spokesman for the Spanish football federation said it would meet with its Portuguese and Moroccan counterparts in Kigali yesterday, but made no mention of Ukraine. “The presidents will announce any news regarding the candidacy for the 2030 World Cup in Kigali,” the spokesman added. Spain and Portugal declared their joint candidacy in 2021, before adding Ukraine to their bid last October. In contrast to the distance between Ukraine, and Spain and Portugal, Morocco is separated from Spain only by the Strait of Gibraltar. A South American bid including Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile is set to challenge the Iberian bid, and Saudi Arabia hopes to lead a joint ticket with Egypt and Greece.