NOU HOPE
Inside three-horse race to host World Cup final with world’s largest stadium aiming to beat Bernabeu and Camp Nou
Real Madrid and Barcelona's incredible homes may miss out on a very unlikely candidate
REAL MADRID'S Santiago Bernabeu and Barcelona's Camp Nou could be snubbed as hosts of the 2030 World Cup final.
Spain will be co-hosting the competition along with Portugal and Morocco in five years' time.
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It has long been assumed that the tournament's showpiece game would be played at either the Bernabeu or the Camp Nou.
However, Real and Barca's stunning homes could incredibly MISS OUT on the final to a very unlikely competitor.
The 78,000-seater Bernabeu was fully renovated before reopening last season, at the staggering cost of £1.5billion.
While Barca hope to return their iconic stadium before the end of the season after it's own incredible £1bn-plus facelift, with an increased capacity of 105,000.
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However, even that will be dwarfed in size by the stunning Stade Hassan II in Morocco - which could beat both to the final.
The 115,000-capacity ground is projected to be the largest football stadium in the world.
The stadium has been designed by Populous in collaboration with Paris-based architects Oualalou + Choi.
The ground, which has a provisional budget of 5billion dirhams (£381million), will serve as the home of Morocco's national football team and two local clubs.
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Each end of the stadium will hold 29,500 general admission spectators.
Five levels of hospitality along each of the main stands at the side of the pitch will welcome 12,000 VVIP, VIP, Hospitality and Box users, in addition to the Royal box.
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Construction is expected to be completed in 2028 and the stadium will be built on a surface of 100 hectares in the province of Benslimane, which is some 38km north of Casablanca.
Design Principal and founding partner at Oualalou + Choi Tarik Oualalou insists the "state-of-the art" stadium "has occupied space and is giving up space around it", unlike other candidates like the Bernabeu, which is located within the city.
Oualalou, who is also the lead architect, told EFE: "Morocco's proposal is to build the largest stadium in the world for the World Cup final in Morocco.
"So it is not only calibrated, but it is designed for this, it is imagined for this."
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