FIFA: World Cup 2030 stadium evaluation. Camp Nou in the lead
source: StadiumDB.com; author: Miguel Ciołczyk Garcia
Of the 23 stadiums to host the 2030 World Cup matches, as many as 14 either exist only on paper or will undergo deep redevelopment before the tournament. Nevertheless, FIFA has evaluated each of them before the Extraordinary Congress, which will already make its final decision on December 11. Also the one about the final arena.
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Four winners, three finalists
Santiago Bernabéu, Estadio Metropolitano (Madrid), Spotify Camp Nou (Barcelona) and Grand Stade Hassan II (Casablanca) scored most favourably in the report. All four arenas received 4.3 points each. Of these, only Atletico's home is not bidding to host the final, so the tie gives room for further speculation and tightens the race, which will be decided on December 11.
The report cites modern technological solutions as an advantage of the Bernabéu. Also in the stadium's favour is the fact that it is the only one of the three “finalists” that is nearing completion. However, the capacity, which will be 78,297 seats during the tournament, could prove to be a problem. While this is a sufficient number to host group or knockout stage matches up to the semi-finals, the final arena must accommodate at least 80,000 fans in the stands.
Camp Nou stands out for its ecology and capacity of up to 105,000 seats. The Grand Stade Hassan II, on the other hand, owes its chances to its planned capacity of 115 000 seats, surpassing the world's current largest stadium, North Korea's Rungrado May Day Stadium. Also, the location outside the built-up area favours the Moroccan venue, as it will allow any infrastructure or fan zones to be prepared.
© Oualalou + Choi, Populous | Design of Grand Stade Hassan II
The sure nine stadiums
As many as nine stadiums ranked just behind the four giants with a score above 4. These are San Mamés (Bilbao), Estádio da Luz (Lisbon), Stade Moulay Abdellah (Rabat), La Cartuja (Seville) and Estádio do Dragão (Porto) - all with 4.1 point - and Grand Stade d'Agadir (Agadir), Grand Stade de Tanger (Tangier), Grand Stade de Marrakech (Marrakech) and Stade de Fès (Fez), which each received 4 points.
Of these, only the stadiums of Athletic Bilbao, FC Porto and Benfica will stay the same as they are today for the 2030 World Cup. All the rest will either undergo redevelopment, such as La Cartuja or the Grand Stade de Tanger, or be built from scratch, such as the venue in Rabat.
Uncertainty on the Iberian Peninsula
Among the arenas that received the worst ratings, we find as many as six Spanish venues and one Portuguese venue: Lisbon's Estádio José Alvalade, which received a score of 3.9. All the stadiums met FIFA's minimum requirements, but the poor scores of RCDE Stadium (3.6) and Estadio de Riazor (3.4) are fuel for Valencia and Vigo, who are still hoping that a last-minute swap will take place and they will host the World Cup. I would like the Federation to indicate which stadium is in better shape than the one in Vigo to be the host of the World Cup,
threatened Mayor Abel Caballero after announcing on Monday that the City Council had given the green light for the final phase of Balaídos’ redevelopment.
© Woody Wade | Estádio José Alvalade
The other venues can be rather confident about their place on the list to be published next Wednesday, with the exception of La Rosaleda (3.7), whose project does not have the support of the club and is still shrouded in uncertainty. Estadio Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands received 3.9 points, while Reale Arena (San Sebastián) and Nueva Romareda (Zaragoza) each received 3.8.
All four stadiums submitted as part of the World Cup 100th anniversary celebrations also received poor scores: Argentina's Mâs Monumental 3.9; Uruguay's Estadio Centenario 3.6; and Paraguay's Nuevo Estadio Nacional de Paraguay and Estadio Defensores del Chaco 3.5 and 3.2, respectively.
Transport and accommodation under inspection
FIFA also assessed the accommodation, both for the FIFA committee and the fans. Tangier (2.2), Bilbao (3.2) and San Sebastián (2.0) fared particularly poorly in this comparison. In terms of transport, San Sebastián once again stands out negatively (1.4), as well as A Coruña (1.7), Agadir (2.0), Fez (2.3), Zaragoza (2.3) and Las Palmas (2.4).
Interestingly, Barcelona and Madrid collect the best marks in both lists, which, with the Kings' arena struggling to hit 80,000 seats, seems to tip the scales in the battle for the final in favour of Camp Nou. Until now, it seemed that the home of the Blaugrana team was on the losing end due to the modernity of the Bernabeu and the larger capacity of the Grand Stade Hassan II.
While the battle for the final is still open, the chances of something unforeseen happening, such as swapping either of the Spanish candidate stadiums for Balaídos or Nou Mestalla, are slim. However, as is widely known, anything is possible in football.
© Miguel Ciołczyk Garcia | Estadio Abanca Balaídos
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