Spain's junior coalition partner questions 2030 World Cup co-hosting with Morocco after Ceuta migration crisis

Political fallout from Ceuta crisis

Last week, tens of thousands of people surged across the Moroccan border into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, driven by social media posts. Spanish authorities say 72,000 crossed, and almost all were returned with Moroccan help. About 2,000 remain, including 1,000 minors. More than 80 people died trying to swim around a breakwater and border fence (some reports put the toll at 141). The crisis has strained relations, with Spain's defense minister and opposition voices demanding a fuller explanation from Morocco.

Sumar's motion in Parliament

On Wednesday, Sumar, a left-wing party with 26 seats in the 350-member Congress, registered a non-binding motion calling on the government to formally ask FIFA, the Spanish football federation (RFEF), and Portugal to review the joint hosting model. The motion argues that hosting the World Cup commits public resources and requires respect for human rights, which it says Morocco does not uphold. Nahuel González, one of the motion's authors, told TVE:

The Moroccan state, the Moroccan monarchy, does not respect human rights, it uses migrants to exercise political pressure.

He did not specify whether Sumar wants Morocco removed or Spain to withdraw entirely. The motion is unlikely to pass, as only small left-wing parties are expected to back it.

Infantino's alleged offer to Morocco

The same day, The Times reported that FIFA president Gianni Infantino has offered Morocco the right to host the 2030 World Cup final at the future Hassan II stadium in Casablanca, in exchange for the support of the 55 African football federations (CAF) in the FIFA presidential elections scheduled for March 2027. Spain had expected the final to be held at the renovated Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. The report said Infantino's relationship with the Spanish federation has deteriorated, while his ties to Morocco and King Mohamed VI remain strong.

FIFA denial and Infantino's precarious position

FIFA immediately rejected the report. A spokesperson said:

It is false and misleading to claim that the FIFA president has made any promise regarding the hosting of the 2030 World Cup final. The decision will be taken by FIFA at the appropriate time.

Infantino is facing growing calls to resign after a failed attempt to sell commercial rights to private investors, which drew a boycott threat from UEFA and criticism from confederations worldwide. Several European federations (England, Wales, Serbia, Finland) have withdrawn support for his re-election, and CONCACAF nations are considering doing the same. Prince Ali of Jordan accused Infantino's team of blackmail, saying he was told that supporting Infantino would help his federation.

During the World Cup, I was verbally told that if I supported Infantino, that would go a long way to helping our Football Federation.

Infantino attended a FIFA Congress in Rabat on Wednesday seeking to shore up allies.

Reactions from other Spanish parties

Podemos, another left-wing party, went further. Co-spokesperson Pablo Fernández called Morocco a "dictatorship" and said it should be expelled from the tournament entirely, with Spain and Portugal hosting alone.

Morocco is a dictatorship that does not respect human rights and has orchestrated a political operation against Spain.

Artist Ramón Márquez, known as Ramoncín, said Infantino "is capable of anything" to secure his mandate and called the situation "blackmail." The Spanish government, led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has defended Moroccan cooperation in returning migrants and has not commented on the World Cup hosting question.