The 2030 World Cup will be held in six countries – but where will the final take place?

Editor’s note: This is a new version of an article first published in October 2023, updated to reflect FIFA’s confirmation of the 2030 World Cup hosts

FIFA has officially confirmed that the 2030 World Cup will be hosted in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

As part of the three countries’ joint bid, the first three matches of the tournament will also be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as part of a centenary celebration and ceremony “in recognition of Uruguay’s role as host and winner of the 1930 edition”.

The 2030 bid, along with Saudi Arabia’s 2034 bid, was approved by member states at the FIFA Congress on December 11.

However, only one country can host the final and three leading venues are vying for the honor of doing so.

Who are the front runners?

FIFA’s bid assessment confirmed that three venues – Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Camp Nou in Barcelona and Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca – are in play for the opening match and final.

One thing was very clear about Spain’s attempt to host the 2030 tournament: from the initial idea of ​​an “Iberian bid” with only Portugal, to the brief affair with the possibility of Ukraine hosting some games, to joining Morocco and finally , the inclusion of three games in South America.

Everyone in Spain was always sure that the final would take place at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu – just like in 1982, when Italy beat West Germany 3-1.

Since FIFA rules state that the final must be played in a stadium with a capacity of at least 80,000 spectators, Barcelona’s 105,000-capacity Camp Nou could theoretically be an alternative option, but its biggest target would most likely be a semi-final.

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However, neither Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez nor former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Pedro Rocha mentioned the final or the Bernabeu in their statements when hosting rights were clarified in October 2023.

Spain won the 2010 Men’s World Cup in South Africa (Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)

Morocco, meanwhile, has ambitions to host the final in Casablanca, in a stadium that is not yet built but is set to be the largest in the world with a capacity of 115,000 spectators.

However, the Moroccan Football Association knows that there are also other cities and other stadiums that could be considered. They consider it far from certain that their new stadium in Casablanca will be chosen, but they think it is reasonable to assume that one of the semi-finals could take place there.

In Portugal, three venues will be represented in the tournament: Estadio do Dragao in Porto, Sporting Lisbon’s Estadio Jose Alvalade and Benfica’s Estadio da Luz. None of these have a capacity of more than 80,000; Benfica’s value is the highest at around 65,000.

What is the official FIFA procedure? Do they decide?

FIFA’s decision to continue the six-country idea for 2030 came as a surprise to many, including within Spain.

According to RFEF sources who were not authorized to speak on the record, there is still a long process ahead before deciding how many games will be played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco and how many stadia each country will receive.

A total of 20 stadiums were proposed in the bid, exceeding the minimum required number of 14 stadiums, which FIFA said “allows sufficient flexibility in selecting a diverse and truly memorable selection of stadiums.”

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The evidence so far suggests that FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino are taking a clear leadership role and that the Spanish government is more involved than its football association, which remains in turmoil following the departure of former president Luis Rubiales last summer.

The impression in Spain is that the Moroccan Football Association has been emboldened by Spain’s weakness and is trying to secure as many important games as possible – so its president Fouzi Lekjaa announced that a new stadium would be built in Casablanca to host the final could.

So where is the finale most likely to land?

The Bernabeu remains the favorite.

Sources with knowledge of institutional relationships at the highest level, who did not want to be named to protect the relationship, confirmed this The athletic one At the time of the announcement last year that Madrid President Florentino Perez’s proximity to Infantino would be an important factor.

That’s why it is still unthinkable – at least in Spain – that the final could be played anywhere other than Madrid.

However, with so much still to be decided about the tournament, the RFEF may have to give up even more than it would like. This could include, for example, reducing the number of venues or spreading out other important games.

What other Spanish venues are used?

Spain had originally planned to propose 13 venues, but FIFA regulations stipulate that a maximum of 20 stadiums can be proposed.

The RFEF has therefore proposed 11 stadiums to host the matches of the 2030 tournament, including Anoeta (Donostia-San Sebastian), Estadio La Cartuja (Sevilla) and San Mames (Bilbao).

FIFA rules state that group matches must be played in stadiums with a capacity of more than 40,000 spectators and the semi-final matches must be played in stadiums with a capacity of at least 60,000 spectators.

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 fans (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 these stadiums would need to be renovated and some clubs have already drawn up plans to use money received under the La Liga Boost plan funded by CVC Capital Partners to finance upgrades.

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(Top photo: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)