On Tuesday, King Mohammed VI of Morocco declared that his nation had joined Spain and Portugal in their quest to host the World Cup's 100th edition in 2030.
The announcement suggests that war-torn Ukraine will likely not be in the bid.
In Kigali, Rwanda, where FIFA's annual congress is ongoing, King Mohammed announced the news in a statement read as he was named the recipient of the African Football Confederation 2022 Award of Excellence.
Requests by AFP for confirmation of Morocco's inclusion have yet to receive a reply from the Spanish or Portuguese federations.
Did you read this?
Before including Ukraine in their campaign last October, Spain and Portugal jointly declared their candidacy in 2021.
Morocco and Spain are only separated by the Strait of Gibraltar, in contrast to the distances between Ukraine, Spain, Portugal, and Spain and Morocco.
A South American one, including Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, will oppose the Iberian bid. Saudi Arabia also plans to run on a combined ticket with Egypt and Greece.
Co-hosting of the World Cup has happened before.
South Korea and Japan split the competition in 2002. When 11 of the 16 planned venues are in the US in 2026, the finals will happen there, as well as in Mexico and Canada.
At the 2026 World Cup, 48 teams will compete. Instead of 32, it will feature 104 matches overall, up from 64 in Qatar last year, according to the structure FIFA announced on Tuesday.
The other candidate for 2026 was Morocco, who came in a distant second place.
Morocco had attempted to host the finals for the World Cups in 1994, 1998, 2006, and 2010 before submitting a bid for the fifth time.
The 2030 World Cup, which was previously in Africa in 2010 in South Africa, has already been announced as something Morocco intends to bid on to host.
"This election will feature a meeting of the finest on both sides and the exhibition of an alliance of talent, innovation, experience, and means," King Mohammed stated in a message by the Moroccan Minister of Sports, Chakib Benmoussa.
Morocco was the first country from either Africa or the Arab world to go to the semifinals at the most recent World Cup, which took place in December in Qatar.
Uruguay, submitting a joint bid with Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile, was the host and winner of the inaugural World Cup in 1930.
