Almeida warns Casablanca outshines Madrid for 2030 Mundial final

Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida of Madrid told reporters at a ceremony with the Heraldo de Aragón that Casablanca has more options than Madrid to host the 2030 Mundial de Fútbol final, and he stressed that he is not optimistic about the capital’s chances.

Almeida's pessimism on Madrid's bid

During a breakfast briefing in Zaragoza, Martínez-Almeida linked the weakening of Madrid’s bid to the central government’s handling of the recent border crisis at Ceuta. He asked, “If it cannot defend the border of Ceuta, how will it defend the Mundial final in Madrid?” He also warned, “Que la final no sea en Madrid supondrá replantear si el Mundial se tiene que celebrar o no.” The mayor reiterated his lack of optimism.

Critique of central government and border issue

EUROPA PRESS noted that the mayor has dramatically hardened his tone on the venue choice. Almeida accused the executive in Madrid of seeking primarily to avoid upsetting Morocco, saying the government has said nothing about the neighbour’s responsibility for what he called “the invasion of Ceuta”. He argued that the state’s priority is “not to inconvenience Morocco” rather than protecting the bid.

He added that solving the border problem is “more a question of will than of capacity”. Para Martínez-Almeida, the absence of any proof that the government is moving to support Madrid’s candidature is striking.

Contrasting the Spanish response, the mayor highlighted King Mohamed VI’s legitimate ambition to host the event, noting that the Moroccan monarch is acting at a political‑institutional level to achieve it.

Almeida lamented the lack of institutional communication, claiming he has received “no contact” from the executive and describing the silence as “incredible”. He said there is “no evidence” of any action being taken by the central authorities.

Wider tournament picture

The 2030 tournament was originally pitched as a joint Spain‑Portugal project, but Morocco later joined, and three additional matches have been allocated to Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. Almeida criticised the dispersion, asking why three games should be played in South America if the final is not in Madrid.

The venues still in contention are the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Barcelona’s Camp Nou and the Hassan II stadium in Casablanca. All three arenas are vying to host the decisive match.

President Pedro Sánchez of España recently affirmed that the country possesses “all the conditions” to host the final and pledged that the government will work to make it happen, despite the mayor’s doubts.

Almeida’s remarks underscore the political friction surrounding the bid and suggest that any decision against Madrid could carry “consequences”, a warning he said should be taken seriously.