From the Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat to the Copa del Rey final in Seville, only three months separated the two events.

Those three months perfectly highlighted the gap in organizational capability between the two 2030 World Cup co-hosts — Spain and Morocco. Coincidentally, these two countries are also competing to host the World Cup final, the most coveted match of all.

The AFCON final held in Morocco this January, between Morocco and Senegal, ultimately turned into an embarrassing farce on the global stage, and the matter has now escalated to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In contrast, the Copa del Rey final in Seville between Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad attracted 72,000 fans, with supporters evenly split between both sides. There were no incidents from start to finish, the atmosphere was exceptional, and it was nothing short of a pure football spectacle — completely free of controversy.

With this level of confidence and organizational experience, it is no surprise that FIFA would be more inclined to award the 2030 World Cup final to Madrid rather than Casablanca.

Moreover, just two days before the Copa del Rey final, also in Seville, Real Betis hosted Braga in a Europa League match. Around 3,000 Portuguese fans were spread across the city, yet there were no issues whatsoever.

Looking further back, when the Copa Libertadores final between Boca Juniors and River Plate in Buenos Aires had to be suspended due to chaos, it was urgently relocated to Madrid — where it proceeded without any problems.

Additionally, the Spanish Football Federation and UEFA once proposed hosting a fast-track edition of the Finalissima at the Santiago Bernabéu. Had it gone ahead, it would almost certainly have been executed flawlessly.

In the coming days, Morocco is set to unveil the first renderings of its newly built luxury stadium in Casablanca. There will undoubtedly be a major promotional push — because they truly need it. This is part of their effort to outshine Spain, though it appears to be a difficult task.

On Spain’s side, the Spanish FA has already secured the hosting rights for next year’s UEFA Champions League final at Atlético Madrid’s home stadium. They are also planning to bid with Barcelona’s new stadium for the 2029 final, while Bilbao’s San Mamés is competing to host the Women’s Champions League final. Beyond that, Spain is capable of hosting even more major tournaments: the European Championship, the Women’s World Cup, youth competitions, as well as UEFA and FIFA congresses.

In short, Spain today is exactly what Morocco aspires to become — the center of world football.