Barcelona is excited about the 2030 World Cup and is thinking big, considering hosting the final on the tournament's centenary. Many people have openly expressed their opinions on this matter, with the latest being David Escudé, the city councilor for sports in Barcelona.

Madrid vs Barcelona

Following the dispute between UEFA and CONMEBOL over the possibility of hosting the 2030 World Cup, FIFA eventually satisfied all parties by awarding three opening matches to South America and the rest to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Thus, a bidding war has begun among various clubs and cities in Spain vying for the honor of hosting this tournament.

The discussion particularly revolves around Madrid and Barcelona regarding who will host the final. Both cities, through their flagship football clubs' stadiums, want to showcase the biggest and most modern facilities they have to offer.

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"They won't be able to defeat us"

In this context, Barcelona has once again emphasized its candidacy to the RFEF for hosting this crucial match. We have fought and worked for two very clear things. Firstly, for both stadiums (Camp Nou and Stade Front Stadium) to be World Cup hosts, and secondly, for Barcelona to host the final. We must take a step forward, let's be brave. We must assume that Barcelona has the capabilities to host the final, said David Escudé, the highest authority in the Barcelona City Council's sports department.

Regarding the political complexity associated with hosting the final, David Escudé prefers to focus on the advantages that the new FC Barcelona stadium can offer compared to Real Madrid's stadium. If there is any idea of centralism from any community, we are very clearly committed to our city. We will have a larger and newer stadium, and in this regard, they won't be able to surpass us, he emphasized. The new Camp Nou, currently undergoing renovations, is expected to accommodate 105,000 spectators, giving it an advantage of approximately 15,000 seats over the new Santiago Bernabéu.

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A debt to repay?

Barcelona has previously hosted the World Cup. It was in 1982 when Camp Nou hosted the opening match between Argentina and Belgium, as well as the semifinal between Italy and Poland. Additionally, Espanyol's old stadium, the now defunct Estadio de Sarrià, witnessed three Group C matches.

Furthermore, Camp Nou hosted the UEFA European Championship in 1964 and two UEFA Champions League finals in the 1988/89 and 1998/99 seasons. Nevertheless, Catalonia still feels a historical debt in terms of organizing major football events. When comparing the Blaugrana temple to the Bernabéu stadium, it is said that the latter loaned its grass for everything that ever happened. Therefore, Barcelona is hopeful that 2030 will be a breakthrough year, finally overtaking Madrid in the race for the most important sporting events.

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