48 years later, Spain once again has a soccer World Cup. On the afternoon of Wednesday, December 11, the FIFA Congress will decide the fate of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups and as there are no rivals in any of the editions and both projects have passed the previous examination, andIt can be said that Spain, Portugal and Morocco, plus the addition of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, will shape the 2030 World Cup and Saudi Arabia will shape the 2034 World Cup.A lot of work and painful decisions remain behind to give shape to a project that has lived surrounded by the tension caused by the one who laid the first stone on the path, who was none other than Luis Rubiales.
The anxiety experienced by the Federation in the last year and a half has taken its toll over time, but a visit by FIFA and UEFA leaders a couple of months ago served to allow the Federation’s electoral process to culminate on Monday 16 December. Ahead, even more work, that of remodeling stadiums and preparing venues and sub-venues, something that FIFA has reminded everyone in the report made public in the last days of November and in which he recognized the work done by the candidacy.
The Metropolitano could host one of the semifinals.
The venues and the 20 stadiums that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will provide, as well as the four proposed by Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, must be conditioned and comply with the minimum requirements. Spain excels in transportation and accommodation, although it has doubts in the numerous reform projects that are underway. Spain, Portugal and Morocco have achieved the highest score of any candidacy presented so far in any World Cupequaled by that of Saudi Arabia.
Fight for the final with white Bernabéu
The Santiago Bernabéu, the Spotify Camp Nou, the Stadium Hassan II de Casablanca and the Metropolitano have reached 4.3 out of five, the first three are the ones fighting to organize the final and the opening match. The red and white stadium cannot because it does not reach the minimum 80,000 seats required by FIFA.
Model of the Hassan II stadium
The Santiago Bernabéu starts as favorite to host the grand finale, as it exceeds the standards required in the rest of the parameters, from lighting and connectivity, to VIP seats, hospitality and location. Furthermore, Madrid stands out in all the weighted categories, but above all because of the taste and desire of FIFA, a decisive factor, since The organization of the World Cup now depends exclusively on FIFAwhich will shape an organizing committee controlled by the highest body in the world of football. In fact, none of the venues can be considered safe at the moment, since they could be cut off by decision of FIFA, which will rely on the work of the candidacy.
Of course, the gross capacity of the Santiago Bernabéu must grow and reach 80,000 and not the current 78,298 spectators. The Spotify Camp Nou plans to reach 103,447 seats when it is completed, expectedly in 2026, while the Grand Stade Hassan II will rise to 115,000 once the works are completed in 2028.
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The Riyadh Air Metropolitano, with 70,650 spectators, must undergo improvements, but could shape a semi-final, as well as La Cartuja, with a planned capacity of 71,000 people. The Seville stadium has obtained a score of 4.1 points. San Mamés will reach the quarterfinals. All stadiums must have a capacity of at least 40,000 spectators. A special section in the report has deserved La Nueva Romareda and Riazor, which with grades of 3.8 and 3.4 pointsrespectively, will not be able to go beyond the round of 16 and are the two venues with the most reforms to be done, with the Galician stadium with more doubts due to the lack of agreement on some aspects between Deportivo and the city council. The outer space plays against Zaragoza, but there is a will to solve ‘the required separation of group flows’.
Hotel capacity
Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas and Málaga have received the maximum accommodation capacity. The two cities of the Basque Country are the worst qualified: Bilbao is left with 3.2 points, while San Sebastián passes with the minimum required, 2 points. The capital of Gipuzkoa also does not fare well when it comes to intercity connections, as it barely obtains 1.4 points, slightly below the 1.7 that A Coruña receives. Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga stand out, with more than four.
Of the eleven Spanish headquarters, five are finished and will require minor adaptation work: the Santiago Bernabéu, the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, San Mamés, the RCDE Stadium and Reale Arena. FIFA speaks of “the quality and comprehensiveness of the plans developed and presented, as well as the great commitment to these projects, mitigate this risk substantially and provide a high degree of confidence.”
It is all part of the investment of 750 million euros for an event that the Spanish Government estimated in 2022 that would have a total organizational cost of 1,433.2 million euros. The Cabildo of Gran Canaria plans to invest 101.2 million euros in the renovation of the Gran Canaria Stadium. The budget of La Romareda amounts to 148.5 million euros, while the expenditure of La Rosaleda ranges between 70 million and 120 million euros.
The sum increases with the money that both Real Madrid and Barcelona will allocate to the renovations of their stadiums: 1,163 million has cost the Santiago Bernabéu (as reflected in the report), for the 1,071 million euros that the Barcelona team It is estimated that Spotify Camp Nou and surrounding areas will cost.
Madrid, capital of 2030
Madrid is the capital of Spain and it could also be the capital of the 2030 World Cup and not only because of the games to play. The WiZink Center will compete against the Grand Theater in Rabat and the MEO Arena in Lisbon to host the draw for the World Cup finals. The Spanish candidate has a capacity of 17,000 spectators, slightly below the 20,000 proposed by Portugal, but almost ten times more than the 1,800 for Morocco. Only two venues will compete to host the FIFA Congress: the Ifema Municipal Palace and the Grand Theater of Casablanca. The first has a capacity of 1,666 people and an area of 30,000 square meters, while the second can accommodate 2,700 attendees in 24,000 square meters.
2024-12-11 20:44:00