By July 31, Spain will present to FIFA the stadiums that, along with venues in Morocco and Portugal, will be part of the 2030 World Cup. The idea of proposing as many as 13 arenas was rejected, and ultimately, only eleven will be presented.

No place for Vigo and Valencia

Conclusions from a meeting held in Agadir a few days ago indicated the selection of Estadio Santiago Bernabéu as the venue for the final of the tournament. Initially, there was reluctance to increase the number of candidates, but the Higher Sports Council (CSD) requested that Estadio Abanca Balaídos be submitted as the twelfth venue, and the federation continued to fight for a thirteenth venue, Nou Mestalla. However, guarantees that the stadiums would meet FIFA's requirements were not obtained.

The decision has already been made. Neither FIFA, Portugal, nor Morocco agreed to have more than eleven venues in Spain. Ultimately, there will be two in Madrid, two in Barcelona, and one each in Bilbao, San Sebastián, La Coruña, Zaragoza, Seville, Malaga, and Gran Canaria.

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Preparations are underway

Bernabéu, Metropolitano, Stage Front, San Mamés, and Reale Arena are stadiums already prepared for hosting the World Cup, without the need for modifications, while the new Camp Nou is under construction, and renovations have just begun at La Romareda. Other venues also need to be adapted, but FIFA representatives are confident that these changes will be completed on time.

Official candidacies in the form of a project called Bid Book must be submitted by July 31. This document must then be approved by FIFA.