When it comes to the FIFA World Cup, everyone wants to be a part of history. This year’s FIFA World Cup is set to be held in Qatar and France, the defending champions, would like to keep the trophy in their hands when the championship is over. The hosts and venues of the FIFA World Cup are always decided in advance and this helps the hosts to properly prepare for multi-nation tournaments and get their logistics.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are seeking to host stadium matches when the 2030 World Cup takes place in Spain and Portugal, the Spanish football federation said on Thursday. A total of 15 stadiums have offered to be among the 11 Spanish venues expected to host the Games if the Iberian bid is successful. Portugal will host the matches at three venues.
Barcelona’s Camp Nou, Atlético’s Wanda Metropolitano and Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu highlight the preliminary list, which also includes venues from Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad. Both the Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabeu are expected to be completely renovated by the 2030 World Cup.
“This is the most important project that Spain will undertake in the next few years,” Spanish Federation President Luis Rubiales said after a meeting to present a list of locations and discuss the country’s bid. Evaluation of Spanish host cities will take place through November, with no set date for the announcement of the 11 locations to be selected for the final bid submission.
FIFA has yet to officially release the official bidding requirements for the 2030 World Cup, but Spain and Portugal are planning a tournament with 48 nations, similar to the one in 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA is expected to select the 2030 World Cup host nations in 2024.
List of stadiums for Spain:
Balaidos – Vigos
Riazor – Ek Koruna
El Molinen — Gijono
San Memes – Bilbao
Anoeta – San Sebastian
La Romareda – Zaragoza
Camp Nou-Barcelona
RCDE Stadium – Cornella-El Prat (Barcelona)
Santiago Bernabeu – Madrid
Metropolis – Madrid
New Mestalla – Valencia
New Condomina – Murcia
La Cartuja – Seville
Rose Garden – Malaga
Gran Canaria – Las Palmas (Canary Islands)
(Inputs from PTI)