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Morocco, Spain, Portugal to host 2030 WC — but opening games in South America
However, neither Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez nor former Spanish Football Association (RFEF) president Pedro Rocha mentioned the final or the Bernabeu in their statements when hosting rights were settled in October 2023.
Spain won the men’s World Cup in South Africa in 2010 (Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
Morocco, meanwhile, has the ambition to host the final in Casablanca, in a stadium that is not yet built but plans to become the world’s largest, with a capacity of 115,000.
However, the Moroccan Football Association knows there are other cities and other candidate stadiums. They see it as far from certain that their new stadium in Casablanca would be chosen, but they do consider it reasonable to think it could host one of the semi-finals.
As for Portugal, three venues will feature at the tournament: Porto’s Estadio do Dragao, Sporting Lisbon’s Estadio Jose Alvalade and Benfica’s Estadio da Luz. None of these has a capacity of over 80,000; Benfica’s is the highest at around 65,000.
What is the official FIFA procedure? Do they decide?
FIFA’s decision to move ahead with the six-country idea for 2030 came as a surprise to many — including within Spain.
According to RFEF sources, who were not authorised to speak on the record, there is still a long process to go through before it is decided how many games are played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco and how many host stadiums each country gets.
The bid has put forward a total of 20 stadia, exceeding the minimum of 14 required which FIFA says allows “for ample flexibility in selecting a diverse and truly memorable range of stadiums”.
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The evidence so far is that FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino are taking a clear leading role and that the Spanish government is more significantly involved than its FA, which remains in turmoil following the departure of former president Luis Rubiales last summer.
The feeling in Spain is that the Moroccan FA has been emboldened by Spain’s weakness and is making an attempt to secure as many important games as possible — hence its president Fouzi Lekjaa stating a new stadium would be built in Casablanca that could host the final.
So where is the final most likely to end up?
The Bernabeu remains the favourite.
Sources with knowledge of institutional relations at the highest level, who declined to be named to protect relationships, acknowledged to The Athletic at the time of the announcement last year that Madrid president Florentino Perez’s closeness with Infantino would be a big factor.
So it still remains unthinkable — in Spain, at least — that the final could be held anywhere other than at Madrid’s home.
However, with so much still to be decided about the tournament, the RFEF may still have to cede more than they would like. That could include reducing its number of host cities or sharing out other key games, for instance.
What other Spanish venues will be used?
Spain had initially intended to put forward 13 venues but FIFA regulations state a maximum of 20 stadiums can be presented.
The RFEF has therefore proposed 11 stadiums to host matches at the 2030 tournament with Anoeta (Donostia-San Sebastian), Estadio La Cartuja (Seville) and San Mames (Bilbao) included.
FIFA’s rules state group games must be played in stadiums that hold more than 40,000 spectators and the semi-finals be played in grounds with a capacity of at least 60,000.
Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano can accommodate more than 70,000 fans but will most likely be used for group games or early knockout rounds rather than a semi-final.
Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano holds 70,000 supporters (Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Gran Canaria (Las Palmas), The Rose Garden (Malaga), New Romareda (Zaragoza), RCDE Stadium (Barcelona, Cornella-El Prat) and Riazor (A Coruna) are the other proposed venues.
Some of those stadiums would require redevelopment and some clubs having already put together plans to use money received through the ‘La Liga Boost’ plan funded by CVC Capital Partners to help fund upgrades.
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(Top photo: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
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Publish date : 2024-12-11 02:52:00
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