The race to host the 2030 World Cup final has escalated. Rafael Louzan, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, has renewed his insistence on staging the final in Spain, arguing that his country holds the strongest case for the tournament's showpiece match as Morocco pushes to claim it.
Speaking on Friday during a visit to Ceuta, Louzan called Spain "the best footballing nation today", pointing to the record of its national teams and clubs. He acknowledged at the same time that the final call on the venue rests with FIFA.
Spain deserves the final, the federation president argued, given its footballing history and organisational muscle. Then came a pointed message about the Moroccan challenge. "Where would it be held if not in Spain?" he asked.
Uncertainty still hangs over which stadium will stage the 2030 final. FIFA has issued no official decision, leaving Spain and Morocco to fight it out for the honour of hosting the closing match.
Spain is holding firm on two options, the Santiago Bernabéu and the Spotify Camp Nou. Morocco's leading candidate is the Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca.
A huge redevelopment has boosted the Bernabéu's organisational and commercial clout, while the Camp Nou now qualifies to host tournament matches after completing its own rebuild.
The Spanish campaign leans on hosting the largest share of the tournament's matches, backed by long experience in staging major sporting events. Morocco is banking on its sporting project and the modern infrastructure it is building for the World Cup.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco share the hosting of the 2030 World Cup, but the fight over the final has become a two-way scrap between Spain and Morocco. Both now await FIFA's verdict on which stadium will crown the champion of the World Cup's centenary edition.