(CNN) – Morocco will join Spain and Portugal in bid to host the 2030 FIFA Men’s World Cup and will reportedly replace Ukraine in a three-way alliance with the two European nations.
Ukraine said it would join Spain and Portugal in a joint bid last October, but Morocco’s announcement indicates it will not be part of the process. CNN has contacted all the countries involved.
Moroccan Sports Minister Chakib Benmoussa unveiled details of the North African country’s bid on Tuesday, citing a message from Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
“I would like to announce that the Kingdom of Morocco has decided, together with Spain and Portugal, to submit a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup,” the letter said, according to Reuters.
Speaking at the CAF President’s Distinguished Achievement Awards Ceremony in Kigali, Rwanda, Benmoussa described the display as “unprecedented in the history of football”.
He said that it will bring together Africa and Europe, the North and South Mediterranean region, and the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds. And it will also bring out the best in all of us: indeed, a combination of genius, ingenuity, experience, and means.”
The new alliance adds another intercontinental attempt to the process, along with a tripartite agreement between Greece, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and another joint offer from Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile.
The union of countries to organize the World Cup is not something unprecedented, as Canada, the United States and Mexico will jointly organize the 2026 World Cup. Japan also cooperated with South Korea in organizing the 2002 World Cup.
Morocco’s announcement comes after its historic performance in the 2022 World Cup.
The Atlas Lions, the title holder of the Moroccan national team, defeated Spain and Portugal in the knockout stage by Qatar to become the first African country and the first Arab country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
— Chris Lau contributed to this report.
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