Move over Ukraine: Spain and Portugal have a new Moroccan favorite in their bid to host the 2030 World Cup

Morocco has announced that it will join forces with Spain and Portugal to launch a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

The move would see an unprecedented football union that would bring together the disparate football cultures of Africa, Arabia and Iberia, as well as smooth over the tense diplomatic relations between the countries.

King Mohammed VI confirmed the decision in a statement read at a meeting of the African Football Confederation on Tuesday.

“The Kingdom of Morocco has decided, together with Spain and Portugal, to present a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup,” the statement said.

“This joint bid, unprecedented in football history, will bring together Africa and Europe, the northern and southern Mediterranean, and the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds. It will also bring out the best in all of us – indeed, a combination of genius, creativity, experience and means.”

But the news will likely see Ukraine, which was scheduled to be part of the Iberian bid last October, out of the picture.

An alleged corruption scandal reportedly involving Ukraine’s soccer federation could have played a role in kyiv’s decision to withdraw.

But it was the political reconciliation between Spain and Morocco last year that allegedly played an important role in the deal.

The United States negotiated an agreement between the two countries to resolve differences on the issue of Western Sahara, which normalized relations and reopened the borders.

Irregular immigration and drug trafficking have also been a source of tension between the two countries, as well as the continued presence of the enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta.

Most recently, Morocco’s fantastic run at the World Cup last year saw the Atlas Lions, as they are known, knock out heavy favorites Spain in the second round, to the delirious delight of Spain’s Moroccan population and its citizens of Moroccan descent.

The presidents of the Spanish, Portuguese and Moroccan soccer federations are expected to meet in Kigali on Wednesday to discuss the joint bid.

Hosts for the 2030 World Cup will be selected in September 2024, with bids from co-sponsors from South America and Europe expected to be the favourites.

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay have also prepared a joint bid, taking advantage of the fact that 2030 will mark the 100th anniversary of the tournament, which was held in Uruguay.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece are also reportedly preparing their own rival bid, the Western Mediterranean.

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