Portugal fully committed to 2030 World Cup bid with Spain and Morocco

Portugal's government is "fully committed" to co-organizing the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Morocco, aiming to deliver "the best in history" and foster a "meeting between peoples and cultures." Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, emphasized this commitment during the Volta de Portugal cycling competition.

Balseiro Lopes highlighted the unique aspect of the bid, which will bring together "two continents" for the first time in a World Cup. She stressed the goal of making the tournament "an event of excellence" both athletically and competitively, while also serving as a significant cultural exchange.

However, the joint bid faces opposition from some political factions. In Portugal, the ecologist party Livre has urged the government and the Portuguese Football Federation to exclude Morocco, citing "decades of systematic violations of human rights by the Moroccan regime." Similar calls have emerged in Spain from parties like Vox and Izquierda Unida, partly motivated by the recent migrant crisis in Ceuta.