The "unprecedented" World Cup announcement omitted Ukraine.

Morocco has joined Spain and Portugal's bid to stage the 2030 FIFA World Cup, replacing Ukraine in the trio of potential hosts. Morocco's Sports Minister Chakib Benmoussa read out a message from Moroccan King Mohammed VI in Rwanda's capital Kigali, where FIFA is hosting its 73rd congress. The message read that Morocco has decided to present a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, which will bring together Africa and Europe, the northern and southern Mediterranean, and the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds. The royal message did not mention Ukraine, so it remains unclear whether Kiev has been excused from the bid altogether, or if the application will be expanded to four nations. Spain is only separated from Morocco by the Strait of Gibraltar, while the distance between Ukraine and the Iberian Peninsula is several thousand kilometers. The Moroccan football squad made huge waves at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, knocking out Spain and Portugal in the playoffs to become the first African country to reach the semifinals.