After the complaints from fans about the “disastrous organisation” of the Copa del Rey final, the 2030 World Cup at La Cartuja is in jeopardy. The authorities maintain that it was “a one-off situation” but are already planning a refurbishment. FIFA has already warned about the problems.

A “disastrous” Copa del Rey final

Disastrous organisation, appalling conditions and unimaginable chaos: these are just some of the complaints from fans following the Copa del Rey final between Atletico de Madrid and Real Sociedad held at Estadio La Cartuja in Seville.

The problem was not, however, inside the modern, recently refurbished stadium. It lay in the access points: gridlocked, with endless queues and a very long distance to cover on foot, given the lack of shade or places to buy water. Nor were the shuttle buses used for Real Betis matches made available to fans this time.

Seville’s 2030 World Cup, in jeopardy

According to AS, during inspections carried out at the Spanish venues, FIFA warned that access points need to be improved significantly. If this is not done, Seville could lose the World Cup.

As reported by El Confidencial, the Spanish Federation is aware of these problems. In fact, it has already called a meeting to analyse the situation and find a solution.

© Sweet Fredo | La Cartuja has a capacity of 68,887 spectators.

“Seville is ready to host the World Cup”

However, Seville City Council insists that the Copa del Rey final was a one-off situation. The mayor, José Luis Sanz, has stated that the organisation of the match was reasonably good.

He was backed by Councillor Álvaro Pimentel, who explained that public transport could not be allowed access to the area around the stadium because there were 20,000 fans escorted by the police. According to him, the transport arrangements in the area work very well.

Seville is ready to host a World Cup, he asserts. Nevertheless, he has indicated that the body primarily responsible for the stadium, the Regional Government of Andalusia, has already planned the necessary works to improve access.

© Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos | La Cartuja is 40% owned by the Regional Government of Andalusia, 25% by the Spanish Government, 19% by the City Council, 13% by the Provincial Council and 3% shared between Betis and Sevilla FC.