Morocco claims to be a part of a three-way bid with Portugal and Spain to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Ukraine initially joined Spain and Portugal’s bid in October before being invaded by Russia in February 2022.
What will happen to Ukraine’s role in light of Morocco’s announcement at the FIFA Congress on Tuesday is unclear. According to reports, there were issues with the Ukraine Football Association’s governance and the ongoing war.
The first African team to make it to the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup was Morocco, which caught everyone off guard. They were defeated by Croatia in the third-place play-off after losing to France in the last four.
“I would like to announce that the Kingdom of Morocco has decided, together with Spain and Portugal, to present a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup,” Morocco’s King Mohammed VI said in a letter read by the country’s minister of sport Chakib Benmoussa in Kigali, where Fifa is hosting its 73rd congress.
“This joint bid, which is 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 – in effect a combination of genius, creativity, experience and means.”
South Africa defeated Morocco in the bid to host the 2010 World Cup.