The FIFA Council has found that the candidacy of Spain, Morocco and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup, with three matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, and that of Saudi Arabia for the 2034 World Cup “exceed the minimum requirements” and this Wednesday they will be designated by Congress as hosts.
The FIFA Council has found that the bids of Spain, Morocco and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup, with three matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, and that of Saudi Arabia for the 2034 World Cup “exceed the minimum requirements” and will be designated by Congress on Wednesday as host countries.
FIFA confirmed that its Council held a virtual meeting on Tuesday, 24 hours before the Extraordinary Congress, which will also be held by videoconference, with the final approval of the competition’s organisers as the main point on the agenda.
The Council highlighted “the satisfactory development of the candidacy process” during the last year since this same body approved on 4 October 2023 the candidacy of Spain, Morocco and Portugal as the only one for 2030 and that of Saudi Arabia for the 2034 competition.
“According to the analysis of the two evaluation reports, it has been determined that all the candidacies exceed the minimum requirements to organise the World Cup and automatically go to the consideration of the Extraordinary FIFA Congress,” says FIFA.
The organisation also confirmed that the independent audit reports have concluded that both evaluation processes “were carried out with objectivity, integrity and transparency.”
FIFA published the evaluation reports of the two bids on November 30, which support the capacity of both. Spain, Portugal and Morocco received a score of 4.2 out of 5, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay as the venue for the centenary celebration matches with an average of 3.6 out of 5. Saudi Arabia’s average score was 4.2 out of 5.
The Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, the Camp Nou in Barcelona and the Hassan II in Casablanca are the proposed venues for both the final and the opening match of the 2030 World Cup, which will host the matches of Spain, Morocco and Portugal between June 13 and July 21.
For the commemorative matches of the centenary of the competition, which was first held in Uruguay in 1930, the proposed dates are June 8 and 9, in 4 stadiums: the Monumental in Buenos Aires, the Defensores del Chaco and the Nuevo Estadio Nacional in Asunción, along with the Centenario in Montevideo.
The 2030 World Cup offers 17 host cities (9 in Spain, 6 in Morocco and 2 in Portugal): La Coruña, Barcelona, Bilbao, Las Palmas, Madrid, Málaga, San Sebastián, Seville, Zaragoza, Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Rabat, Tangier, Lisbon and Oporto. There are 20 stadiums, with the uncertain location of the opening and final.
CREDITS:
Director: Alejandro Bernal
Text: Max Hackenbroich
