RFEF president Rafael Louzán used the round of inspections carried out by FIFA delegates at the Spanish host cities of the 2030 World Cup to once again express his support for Valencia. He assured that Nou Mestalla will be one of the most modern and largest stadiums in the country.

Nou Mestalla could appear on the map of the 2030 World Cup

The president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rafael Louzán, has no doubts that the future stadium of Valencia CF could play an important role during the 2030 FIFA World Cup. In a radio interview with Cadena SER, he emphasized that the stadium currently being built in the city will be one of the most modern venues in the country and will accommodate more than 70,000 spectators.

Although Nou Mestalla is currently not among the eleven Spanish stadiums initially selected to host World Cup matches, there are strong indications that the list of host venues could still change. With Málaga’s withdrawal, one spot has become free, and other venues, such as Riazor, may still be ruled out, giving Valencia reason to believe it could become one of the host cities.

According to Louzán, the reason for Valencia’s omission was not related to sporting or infrastructural issues, but rather to previous tensions between the city authorities and the owners of Valencia CF. Disputes over financing and the future of the stadium had long delayed the resumption of construction works at Nou Mestalla.

As the federation president stressed, the situation has now been resolved and the investment project has resumed. As a result, Valencia can once again realistically consider joining the competition to host matches of the World Cup.

© Valencia CF

Time is running out – a final decision on Nou Mestalla coming soon

Representatives of FIFA have already begun a series of visits to European cities bidding to host matches of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Inspectors are visiting both the stadiums already selected in the first stage of the process and other infrastructure projects that could still be added to the list of tournament venues. In the last few days, FIFA delegations have visited stadiums in Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid. In the near future, visits are planned to cities such as Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, San Sebastián and Bilbao.

According to federation officials, the current stage of preparations is particularly dynamic. Some cities may ultimately drop off the list of hosts, while others—such as Valencia—still have a chance to be added.

The decision regarding the final number of stadiums and host cities is expected to be made only at the end of 2026. At that time, FIFA plans to determine the final structure of the tournament, which will be jointly organised by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.