Spain should withdraw from hosting the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Morocco if the country is not awarded the final, said the leader of the opposition Popular Party, which is leading in opinion polls ahead of a snap election.
"The final of the World Cup must be held where it is fair, where it is appropriate, where it is beyond question: in Spain," said Alberto Nunez Feijoo in an interview with Spanish television programme El Chiringuito late on Thursday.
Asked whether he would advocate Spain, whose national team won this year's World Cup, withdrawing from the joint tournament if Morocco was awarded the final, he replied: "Yes. The answer is yes."
In a post on X on Friday, Feijoo said: "You do not humiliate international football's leading power."
The three host nations of the 2030 tournament are competing to stage the final, with Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium and a planned 115 000-seat venue in Benslimane, near Casablanca, seen as the leading contenders.
FINAL DISPUTE
Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa, who is one of Fifa president Gianni Infantino's most steadfast supporters, said in September the showpiece match would be held in Morocco "whether some people like it or not".
Fifa has said no decision has yet been made on the venue.
The dispute comes amid strained relations between Spain and Morocco following a mass migrant crossing into the Spanish North African territory of Ceuta in July, when tens of thousands of people entered from neighbouring Morocco.
Feijoo accused Morocco of being behind what he called an "invasion" and has pledged to take a tougher stance towards the country if he becomes prime minister.
The main conservative Popular Party is ahead of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialists in opinion polls ahead of an early general election on 29 November, but could need the support of far-right party Vox to form a government.
Vox has called for a tougher stance towards Morocco, accusing it of threatening Spanish sovereignty and using migration as a tool of political pressure.
Asked about Feijoo's position, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente reiterated on Friday that he believed the 2030 World Cup final should be held in Spain,
But he stressed his focus was on preparing a competitive team capable of winning another World Cup.
"Everything else, let everyone take care of what they have to take care of," he told a news conference after announcing his squad for the upcoming Nations League matches.