Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa says they have not been consulted about a three-nation bid to host the World Cup.
On Monday, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez claimed they would be joining forces with Portugal and Morocco to rival England’s bid for the 2030 tournament.
Sánchez paid a visit to the north African nation, where he said he had received a “positive response” from his Moroccan counterpart, Saadedin Al Othmani, and the country’s monarch, King Mohamed VI.
But Costa has now caused confusion by denying that an agreement is already in place.
“It’s an uncertain idea that has never been officially put to us,” he said.
“When it is, we will obviously have to study it, but I am not going to talk about things that haven’t been officially communicated to us.”
He then went on to say that the idea “useful” but expensive.
Portugal’s Education Minister, Tiago Brandao Rodrigues, has also expressed doubt about the possibility of a three-nation bid by pointing out that FIFA regulations prevented joint bids involving two different federations.
Spain and Portugal are both members of UEFA, while Moroccan football is governed by CONCACAF.
The last time Spain hosted a World Cup was 1982 and there is a possibility that they could stay make a solo World Cup bid.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has previously offered his support to a potential Spanish bid, whereas UEFA’s Aleksander Čeferin has given his backing to a British Isles bid, involving England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
