The case of Real Zaragoza's new home has been reminiscent of a soap opera for quite a long time. Earlier this year, the city council was debating where the new arena should be situated. Eventually, they decided to build a new facility on the site of Estadio La Romareda.

Real Zaragoza is one of the most recognizable football brands in Spain. Six-time winners of Copa del Rey and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1995 are unsuccessfully trying to return to La Liga for several years. Despite the setbacks, interest in football in the capital of Aragon is not decreasing. This is also evidenced by the fact that a group of American investors, with Jorge Mas Santos at the head, desperately wants to restore the glory of the popular “Los Maños”.

2011 © Migueltrzn (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The new owners of the team have announced from the very beginning that one of their most important goals is the construction of a new stadium. The topic is not fresh, because for almost two decades everyone associated with the club has been saying that La Romareda should be replaced with an arena that will become not only the showcase of the team, but of the whole city. There is a very good chance that 2022 will be a turning point in this regard. This is a great credit to RFEF. The authorities of the Spanish Football Association have announced a joint bid with Portugal and Ukraine for the rights to organize the FIFA World Cup in 2030. Zaragoza sees a chance of being included in the final list of host cities if FIFA chooses this candidate.

Until now, there was no agreement on location of the new home of Real Zaragoza. Three locations were identified: Actur, Valdespartera and La Romareda, the existing stadium. The ruling coalition of the People's Party and Vox voted in favor of the new facility replacing the existing arena. Left-wing Podemos activists, on the other hand, pushed for the future stadium in Zaragoza to become part of a sports town built in a completely different place. The first three attempts to vote on the project determining its location were unsuccessful.

03.06.2019 © Campeones 2008 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In the end, the plan to build an arena on the site of the existing one was approved. However, it is not known yet what its financing will look like. The most frequently mentioned proposal is a public-private partnership between the club, the city and the Football Association of Aragon, which would share the costs. Víctor Serrano, President of Zaragoza, said that negotiations with the RFEF are still ongoing. All this to ensure that the new stadium will be on the final list of venues that would host the 2030 World Cup. If Spain, Portugal and Ukraine were elected, a venue with a capacity of at least 40,000 people would have to be built in Zaragoza. This is a requirement of FIFA for arenas hosting the most important football event in the world.