Among the Spanish venues aspiring to become hosts of the World Cup held on 3 continents, things are starting to get crowded. Each candidate is trying to improve its position on the final straight, and San Sebastián doesn't want to be left behind.

Previous renovation proves insufficient

Reale Arena, also known as Anoeta, has been Real Sociedad's stadium since the facility's opening in 1993. It underwent only one renovation, between 2017 and 2020, when architect Izaskun Larzabal upgraded the stands, which allowed the arena's capacity to be raised from 32,000 to 39,500 seats. You can compare the new Anoeta to other LaLiga venues thanks to a video on our channel:

Meanwhile, the Spanish federation in July 2022 presented a preliminary list of 15 stadiums, 10 of which are to be selected to host the 2030 World Cup. One of the venues was Reale Arena, but it quickly became clear that the 39 500 seats were not enough to meet the requirements of FIFA, which expects a solid surplus above 40 000 to provide seats for press and special guests.

San Sebastian does not intend to fall out of the game

However, the city and the club do not want to lose such a lucrative opportunity to raise their own prestige and strengthen the local economy as the World Cup just because of a few thousand seats. Jokin Aperribay, Real Sociedad's president, has therefore already contacted the city council of San Sebastián, which owns the stadium, on its expansion.

Real Sociedad plans to increase the capacity to more than 41,000 seats, a number that would bring it closer to FIFA's requirements. Back in 2020, Izaskun Larzabal, summing up the first renovation, pointed out that increasing the capacity even to 44,000 seats should not pose difficulties, as small changes to the east stand and adjusting the corners where there are currently no stands would be sufficient.

If San Sebastián authorities give the go-ahead for another reform of Reale Arena, and it would be political and economic suicide for them to let the World Cup go without a fight, the Real Sociedad stadium candidacy would become one of the more certain ones. However, proximity to another potential host, San Mamés, as well as similar plans by rivals already announced for Balaidos and Malaga, could be obstacles.

© Real Sociedad SAD