FIFA World Cup 2030: The road ahead for host nation Spain revealed

FOOTBALL fans have plenty of time to plan their trip to Spain for the 2030 FIFA men's World Cup, and almost any destination in the country should be within easy travelling distance of a stadium – a shortlist of 15 venues has been put forward, with up to 11 likely to be chosen to host a key match.

The successful Spanish bid comes after what has turned out to be a golden year for the sport, with the women's national team winning their first FIFA World Cup in Australia in August following an exceptionally gruelling final against defending UEFA Euros champions, England.

Both the Lionesses and La Roja made each other work extremely hard in a thrilling, fast-moving and suspense-filled match that thrust women's football in both countries into its rightful place: The world's front-page headlines and mainstream TV channels.

And in seven years' time, Spain will share the honour of being the focal point of the planet's most-watched sporting tournament with two of its neighbouring countries – mirroring the format already set for the 2026 men's World Cup where Canada and México will act as back-up for the main host nation, the USA.

Portugal and Morocco join forces with their neighbour

A minimum of 14 venues are required by FIFA for the competition, and Portugal has put forward three – Estádio Alvalade and Estádio da Luz, both in the capital, Lisbon, and Dragão, in Oporto, where Spain's 2010 national team captain Iker Casillas lived and played for five years until summer 2020. Given that all three Portuguese stadia have been used in the recent past to host major international matches, and that they are of very high quality, they will probably all make the final cut.

Morocco has offered venues in Rabat, Casablanca, Tangiers, Agadir, Marrakech and Fez, although it is not clear how many will be used in the end; if the minimum of 14 across the three countries are picked, Spain's final 11 will reduce in line with however many are approved in its northern African neighbour.

Minimum requirements for a World Cup host country

Conditions are strict, however: At least seven stadia are required to have been already fully built at the moment the host country makes its successful bid to hold the tournament, and the opening game and the finals must be held at a stadium with capacity for a minimum of 80,000 spectators.

The stadium used for the semi-finals needs to have seating for at least 60,000, and all other venues, a minimum of 40,000.

These requisites mean Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium, which has recently undergone a radical renovation, is a strong candidate to host the finals.

It will not be used for the opening matches, though: The inaugural games will take place simultaneously in Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay, to mark the 100^th anniversary of the latter's capital, Montevideo, hosting the competition in 1930.

Countries bidding to act as venue for any FIFA World Cup competition are required to have at least 72 possible locations suitable as training grounds and base camps for teams, including a minimum of four training pitches per match stadium, with sufficiently high-standard accommodation on site.

Also, two training grounds per stadium for the referees, plus good-quality living quarters, are needed.

Where could the Cup matches be held in Spain?

Spain's two largest cities are the only venues to offer two stadia apiece, and it is almost certain that at least one from each will be used. In addition to Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium, the national capital has offered Atlético de Madrid's Estadio Metropolitano – known at present as the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano – which, with room for 70,460 spectators, could be a firm choice for a semi-final match.

FC Barcelona has offered up its Camp Nou stadium, which is another probable candidate, and RCD Espanyol's venue, the Estadio Cornellà-El Prat – currently known by its sponsors' name of Stage Front Stadium – is just about big enough, with space for 40,000 fans to watch.

Northern Spain in general could see a sizeable chunk of the action. Celta de Vigo's Balaídos stadium, and RCD A Coruña's Riazor stadium, if chosen, mean the far north-western region of Galicia would host a minimum of two matches. El Molinón, the home ground for Real Sporting de Gijón, in Asturias, and in the region's eastern neighbour, the Basque Country, San Mamés, headquarters for Bilbao's Athletic Club and Estadio Reale Anoeta in the town of the same name where Real Sociedad are based, are among the 15 sites so far presented.

And one of Spain's most rural regions, Aragón, wants in on the action: Home to the nation's fifth-largest city, Zaragoza, Romareda stadium, the base for Real Zaragoza, might be among the final selection if extension works are carried out in time. At present, La Romareda only has seating for 33,608 spectators, so it will need to find room for another 6,392 before summer 2030.

Down south, one of the less-likely candidates is the Nueva Condomina in Churra, Murcia Region, home to the Second-Division team Real Murcia CF. Fairly recently built – it opened in October 2006 – significant investment would be needed in the next seven years to increase its current capacity of just 31,179 spectator seats.

Even farther south, Sevilla's La Cartuja stadium could be another semi-final venue, with space for 60,000 fans to watch. Located in the town of the same name and shared with its neighbour, Santiponce – famous for its huge and beautifully-preserved Itálica Roman settlement – La Cartuja is not the home base for any one club; instead, it is a multi-purpose site and the main arena used by the national squad for training, friendlies and key matches on home turf. If the name of La Cartuja sounds familiar already, that's because this spacious and chic venue has made Sevilla something of a global household name in football, and is an obligatory stop-off on the tourist trail for anyone visiting Spain's fourth-largest city.

In the next province, holidaymakers on the Costa del Sol may get the chance to see a World Cup match at the turn of the next decade, but depending upon how many stadia are eventually needed, this is not set in stone. Indeed, it is one of the least likely candidates to be successful: La Rosaleda stadium is one of the oldest proposals, having opened for use a whole 82 years ago – in September 1941 – and still with seating for only 30,044 fans. Although it has been the venue for the annual Trofeo Costa del Sol ('Costa del Sol Trophy') tournament since 1961, the size and age of the home ground for Second-Division team Málaga CF are two of its weaker points.

Estadio de Gran Canaria in the island region's largest city, Las Palmas – open to visitors for a guided tour costing between €5 and €15 – will need expansion if it is to host World Cup matches, as seating is currently limited to 32,392, but the home ground for First-Division club UD Las Palmas has hosted two national team matches, the most recent being a friendly between Spain and Bosnia in November 2018, and it boasts Olympic-standard facilities. Built at the dawn of the new Millennium, the Canary Islands' biggest football ground underwent major renovations in 2014, showing the club has capacity for doing so again if necessary for it to become the only Spanish World Cup venue off the mainland. 

Wild card: Valencia's candidate stadium does not yet exist

As for premier league team Valencia CF's stadium, the Nuevo Mestalla, despite being proposed as a World Cup venue, it has not even been built yet. The 'old' Mestalla is still in use, over 16 years after the club was promised a state-of-the-art new headquarters. Work started on the arena, which was to have space for 61,500 to 72,000 spectators, in August 2007, but stopped abruptly 18 months later – at the height of Spain's recession and construction crisis, and with the club in debt to the tune of over half a billion euros. Given that the original idea was to part-fund the 'New Mestalla' by selling off building plots after demolishing the century-old existing stadium, and the housing market crash had seen land and property values drop through the floor, this scheme was no longer viable.

The saga, involving plan and design redrafts, changes in ownership and major shareholders, delays not covered by development laws, difficulties in obtaining financing, political decisions, public attitudes, and the pandemic mean the works have not yet restarted, and deadlines have moved yet again.

At present, timescales cited for a project which was expected to take exactly three years to complete could see the outer structure in place some time in 2024 and the Nuevo Mestalla ready for use in 2026 – if everything goes according to plan.

Valencia CF may be cutting it fine for 2030, but now Spain's hosting of the World Cup has been confirmed, this may trigger the necessary investment and commitment to finish off what will be the newest sporting facility in Spain's third-largest city.