New York will enjoy the footballing world's full attention on Sunday when the World Cup final is played, but the venue for the showpiece match at the 2030 tournament could become the subject of an intense diplomatic and political tussle.

Morocco, Portugal, and Spain are hosting the 2030 World Cup, but FIFA has yet to announce where the final will be played.

Spain has insisted it will host the game, but Morocco is building a new $12-billion, 115,000-seater stadium outside Casablanca that it hopes will be where the 2030 title is decided, and a tussle for the honour is underway in the sport's corridors of power.

The Hassan II stadium is projected to be the largest stadium in world football, with construction set to be completed by the end of next year and is pitted against two possible final venues in Spain.

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, with a seating capacity of 83,000 following extensive renovations completed in late 2024, or Barcelona’s Camp Nou, partially reopened as it undergoes renovation that will see the seating capacity increased to 105,000 but is behind schedule, are the two Spanish options.

Intense lobbying

The first shots in what is expected to be an intense lobbying effort were fired in January by Spanish Football Federation President Rafael Louzan, who insisted Spain would host the final, and used the chaos around the Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco to seek to score points.

“Spain has a proven organisational capacity over many years, and therefore Spain is going to be the one to lead that World Cup 2030 and where the final of the tournament will be played," he told reporters.

“Morocco is really undergoing a transformation, it is true, but some scenes at some matches at the Africa Cup of Nations not only harm the Cup of Nations, but also harm the image of world football,” Louzan added.

There was crowd violence, petulance from the ball boys and a brief walk-off in January when Senegal beat Morocco in the Cup of Nations in Rabat at the newly completed Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium, which has a 69,500-seat capacity.

‘No decision taken’

Morocco’s powerful football federation president, Fouzi Lekjaa, has not reacted, telling state television recently: "No decision has been taken to date regarding the allocation of the matches. These choices are made exclusively through consultations between the three host countries and FIFA."

But sources within African football’s hierarchy confirm Morocco is making a major push behind the scenes to have the final in Casablanca and it expects matters to heat up between the jostling parties.

If Casablanca is chosen it would be only the second time an African city has hosted the World Cup final after Johannesburg in 2010, where Spain won their only World Cup title to date.

When Spain hosted the 1982 World Cup, the final was played at the Santiago Bernabeu with Italy beating West Germany 3-1.