2026 World Cup: Has Saudi Arabia Turned its Back to Morocco?

The statements of the head of Saudi Sports federation Turki Al Sheikh show that Saudi Arabia will derail from the Arab Support vowed to Morocco on the 2026 World Cup Bid.

Saudi Arabia may not only vote for the North American joint bid but may also lobby to bring support for Morocco’s rivals, said the New York Times.

“The Saudis can bring along dozens of votes from Asia’s soccer confederation,” the daily said in an analysis ahead of June 13 vote which will decide which bid will win.

The position expressed by Turki Al Sheikh, known for his pro-US tweets, also runs against the decision made by member countries of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to back the Moroccan bid.

Some analysts see that some circles in Saudi Arabia are upset at the neutrality that Morocco maintains in the GCC-Qatar rift.