The Battle To Host The 2030 World Cup Final Heats Up

Following the news that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be the only bid to host the 2030 World Cup, attentions have turned to who will host the major event in the form of the tournament’s final.

There was also the unexpected news that three of the opening games will be played in South America, across Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, to honor the tournament’s centenary year. While FIFA have clarified that the opening match will be played in one of the three host countries, it has also sparked a battle between the three to hold the final.

Talks are expected to follow later in October, with Moroccan officials confirming a meeter will take place to discuss scheduling on October 18, which could include discussions regarding the host for the final.

The host city for the 2026 World Cup final, hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, is also yet to be confirmed, and the 2030 tournament poses similar questions with the competition again split across three nations.

Morocco have the chance to host a second World Cup final in Africa, while Spain or Portugal could become the first European nation to host the occasion since the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, in 2006.

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain

One of the leading candidates is the jewel in Spanish soccer’s crown, the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Currently undergoing an expansion and modernization project which will take its capacity to over 82,000, the Bernabéu will likely be the only stadium in the 2030 World Cup with a roof and will also benefit from some of the best corporate hospitality options in the game.

The project, led by Real Madrid’s president Florentino Pérez, has cost an estimated €893 million ($947 million), and the World Cup final would be seen as the perfect way to celebrate. Building work remains ongoing at present, but is expected to be completed in 2024, with many of the new features already being used this season.

In the centre of the Spanish capital of Madrid, the Bernabéu is not only respected for its history, including hosting the 1982 World Cup final, but also for its state of the art facilities and transport links. The Metro system serves the stadium with its own station, while local and national train links stop nearby and the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport is only a short journey away.

That’s in addition to Madrid being one of Europe’s leading hospitality capitals, with experience in hosting major events, including the Champions League final in 2019 and a Copa Libertadores final the same year.

Giving his take on the matter, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti made his stance clear, saying, “the World Cup final has to be in Madrid, because it’s the capital of Spain, and in the Bernabéu because it will be the best stadium in the world.”

Gran Stade de Casablanca, Morocco

The other leading candidate is one which doesn’t yet exist. The proposed Gran State de Casablanca will be purpose built to celebrate the 2030 World Cup with an expected capacity of 93,000, making it one of the tournament’s largest stadiums.

The stadium formed part of Morocco’s 2010 World Cup bid and has remained on the table ever since, with the project now expected to be completed and opened in 2025 in time for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Morocco. The building project is expected to cost around $200 million.

Gran Stade de Casablanca is the only one of Morocco’s six arenas put forward for the tournament which is yet to be built, but remains a leading candidate. Casablanca currently hosts the 46,000 capacity Stade Mohammed V, which is home to Raja Casablanca and Wydad Casablanca, two of the biggest teams in Morocco.

“We look forward to an extraordinary final that will honour the whole continent and the younger generation in a stadium in Casablanca that will be extraordinary and wonderful,” Faouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan Football Federation, said, as he continued to push for the African city to host the spectacle.

Other options

Beyond these two, there is, of course, the possibility of holding the climax tournament in the other host country, Portugal. Portuguese officials have been quiet to date in terms of the final, but their stadiums have frequently been chosen as one of the preferred destinations for major finals of UEFA
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In 2020, Lisbon and the Estádio da Luz hosted the Champions League final, while a year later it traveled a few hours nothing to the Estádio do Dragão in Porto. Their capacities, of 66,000 and 50,000 respectively, make them smaller options than their rivals in Spain and Morocco, and may give the other nations an advantage.

Even within Spain, there could be competition. While the Bernabéu is seen as the favourite given its ongoing building work at present and its presence in the capital, the Spotify Camp Nou could also come into contention.

Barcelona are currently conducting their own renovation project, at a cost of €900 million ($954 million), which will take the capacity to 105,000. That would make it the tournament’s biggest arena by some distance, but it does have the handicap of not having hosted a Spanish national team game since 1987, with the exception of the 1992 Olympic Games.