Louzán stands firm: 2030 World Cup final must be played at the Bernabéu or Camp Nou

Rafael Louzán isn't letting this one go. The president of Spain's soccer federation (RFEF) once again floated the idea of hosting the 2030 World Cup final in Spain, and once again he put the same two names on the table: the Santiago Bernabéu and the Camp Nou.

"We'll try to get it at one of the two big stadiums. I'll say it again: the 2030 World Cup starts in Spain, with Spain and Portugal. It's the centennial year. Right now, we're the most important country in the world when it comes to soccer," Louzán said bluntly after the U20 friendly between Spain and Mexico wrapped up.

That match, played at the Cerro del Espino in Majadahonda, carried weight beyond the final score: it took place against the backdrop of the humanitarian situation unfolding in Ceuta. With that context in the air, Louzán used the moment at the microphone to talk about bigger plans.

His reasoning, as he laid it out, is straightforward: if the tournament kicks off on Spanish and Portuguese soil, with Morocco also part of the hosting setup, it only makes sense for it to wrap up here too. "The only thing left is for this World Cup, which is born in Spain and Portugal, and which Morocco is now also part of, to be capped off in Spain. We're working toward that. What's left now is finishing the 11 stadiums, the nine plus the two already built, and from there, putting on the best World Cup in history," he said.

Tebas's shadow and November 18

Not everything is smooth sailing on the road to that final. Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, had cast doubt on whether Spain could land the final as long as Gianni Infantino remains in charge of FIFA. Asked about those comments, Louzán declined to get into a back and forth, saying only that they'll keep working and that it remains to be seen what happens in the elections on November 18.

While he was at it, the federation president also turned his attention to another possible friendly, this time between the senior men's national teams of Spain and Mexico, floating the idea of taking it to North America: "Why not play in Mexico? We've been given some possibilities, but the calendar only allows so much. In '27 it's very tough; there will probably be more of a chance in '28."

Manchester City, Negreira and the patience to let justice play out

The other question that was bound to come up concerned the confirmed sanction against Manchester City and the comparisons to the Negreira case, which remains unresolved for Barcelona. Louzán asked for calm and respect for the judicial timeline.

"I don't think we should speculate. For now, once there's a ruling on the Manchester City case, we'll talk. That one feels a bit distant to me, I've got plenty on my plate here at home. The other one, yes, that one hits closer to home. We've already said we want justice to act as soon as possible, because I think it's badly needed to put an end to this interpretation that always gets dragged up whenever the Negreira case comes into play"Rafael Louzán

The RFEF president went a step further in addressing the substance of the matter, drawing a line between the institution and individuals.

"I think something like that should never have happened, but well, people are people acting on their own, individually, and they do things. So let justice speak, and from there is when we'll take proper note of whatever happens"Rafael Louzán

Between stadiums still under construction, elections still to come and legal proceedings still pending, Louzán makes clear that Spain's bid for the 2030 final is still very much alive, even if it still raises more questions than certainties.