Lekjaa issues a challenge: we want the World Cup final "whether some like it or not"

The capacity of the Hassan II Stadium will be larger than the Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabeu.

The battle to host the 2030 World Cup final is wide open.

Spain looked the obvious choice at first, with the Santiago Bernabeu leading the way and the Spotify Camp Nou waiting in the wings. Now Morocco's new Grand Stade Hassan II has thrown itself into contention, and the odds of it staging the showpiece look better by the day.

Capacity is Lekjaa's trump card. The Grand Stade Hassan II in Benslimane will pack in 115,000 spectators, dwarfing both the Camp Nou at 105,000 and the Bernabeu, which holds around 78,000.

Speaking at an election event for the Authenticity and Modernity Party, days before Morocco's legislative elections, Lekjaa was defiant: "We will mobilise all institutions and all Moroccans so that Morocco hosts the 2030 World Cup final, whether some like it or not."

He had gone even further around 10 days earlier, confirming that Benslimane would have the honour of organising the 2030 final.

Timing hands Morocco another edge. The stadium will be finished before the Camp Nou, giving it the chance to prove itself by hosting major events beforehand.

Builders expect the Grand Stade Hassan II to be fully complete by 2027, at an estimated cost topping 450 million euros.

FIFA are unlikely to settle the matter until next year, perhaps even 2028, with Spain and Morocco both fighting to land the final.