During his visit to the "Kings of the World" exhibition at the city hall, Almeida renewed his demand to hold the final in Spain, according to the Catalan newspaper "Mundo Deportivo". He argued that his country has done more than enough to earn the right to stage the tournament's showpiece, pointing to its national teams, its stadiums, its infrastructure and its experience in running major events.
Spain and Portugal, he noted, launched the bid before Morocco came on board, even as other countries joined in to host celebratory matches marking one hundred years since the World Cup began.
The mayor of Madrid refused to accept that Spain could be shut out of the final, given what its national teams have achieved. "After what the Spanish national team offers to football, will they deprive us of the final? And after what the men's, women's and Olympic teams offer, and what was achieved at the European Championship, will anyone dare to snatch the final match away from a country that possesses the best stadiums, infrastructure and experience in organising major events?" he said.
Almeida went further still. If Spain is not chosen to host the final, he suggested, its role in the organisation should be up for review.
"It is stingy to deprive Spanish football of this right," he said. "I believe Spain deserves to host the World Cup final, and if we do not host it, we must reconsider our role, for everything has limits".
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He built his case on FIFA's own verdict, noting that Spain scored highest in the infrastructure assessment. The Santiago Bernabéu and the Metropolitano stand out among the facilities backing its candidacy.
On the question of which city, the mayor insisted he wants the final in the capital, but he would not stand in the way of another Spanish city if Madrid misses out.
"I feel sorry for Morocco, and I see that everything has limits," he said. "Personally, I would be happy to hold the match in Madrid, and I will defend its candidacy to host the final, but if it is not held in the capital, it must remain inside Spain, and in that case it would be Barcelona".
Almeida's stance lands in the middle of a tug of war with Morocco, which wants to stage the final at a new stadium in Casablanca.
The Spanish official made no secret of his opposition to the final heading to Morocco. His country's bid, he argued, hands it a powerful case, though he stopped short of abandoning his push for Madrid as the venue he most wants.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco are set to jointly host the 2030 World Cup finals, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay staging three celebratory matches to mark a century since the tournament began, its first edition held in Uruguay in 1930.
All six countries are now waiting on the distribution of matches and organisational roles. The venue of the final remains one of the most closely watched questions before the World Cup gets under way.
