A Spanish journalist has announced that FIFA has already chosen the winner of the race to host the 2030 World Cup. The president of the federation, Gianni Infantino, is also said to have already communicated the decision to the Spanish prime minister.

Marca: FIFA has already made a choice

Marca journalist Roberto Gómez claims that FIFA has already made its decision regarding the stadium that will host the final of the 2030 World Cup. According to his sources, it will be Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

He added that Gianni Infantino, president of the international federation, had already informed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of this fact. No one can change that, not even Morocco, said the journalist. He also added that rumours about Morocco being awarded the final are noise and that the choice of Real Madrid's home ground is also a gesture of recognition for the history and success of Los Blancos.

© Bernabéu | Real Madrid’s home was always tipped as the favourite in the race for the final.

Three candidates for the World Cup final

Portugal withdrew from the fight for the final from the very beginning, securing itself a place in the semi-finals, as it recongised that Estádio da Luz had no chance against its rivals from Spain and Morocco. As a result, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid), Camp Nou (Barcelona) and Grand Stade Hassan II (Casablanca) were the only candidates since the very beginning. The choice is an extremely complicated one because, apart from purely sporting and infrastructural issues, it is also a political decision.

Santiago Bernabéu is the most futuristic of the three, as it is the only one with a 360° screen, a retractable roof and a hypogeum. The problem is that its World Cup capacity – 78,297 seats according to the bid book – is insufficient according to FIFA regulations, which set the bar for the final arena at 80,000 seats. However, it is possible that Real Madrid plans to increase the capacity by the missing 1,700 seats.

The new Camp Nou has no capacity issues – with 105,000 seats, it will be the largest stadium in Europe. However, it is not as technologically advanced as Real Madrid’s temple, and it's still under construction. And although the home of the Catalan pride is undoubtedly an almost legendary venue, a year ago the president of the Spanish federation announced that he wanted the final to be held in Madrid.

Grand Stade Hassan II, with 115,000 seats in the stands, will be the largest stadium in the world, which is its main advantage. The problem is that the Moroccan giant is still in the early stages of construction. It is being built in the distant suburbs of Casablanca, which can be viewed ambiguously – on the one hand, it avoids traffic jams, but on the other, with an inadequate transport network, it may make access difficult, and the location is not as prestigious.

© O+ C, Populous | Grand Stade Hassan II is set to surpass North Korea's Rungrado May Day Stadium in 2028 and become the largest stadium in the world.