This Friday, FIFA released the evaluation report of the World Cup 2030. In it he makes it clear that The joint candidacy of Spain, Portugal and Morocco has “the capacity to organize satisfactorily” the tournament and has been awarded a score of 4.2 out of five. Of course, we will have to wait until the Congress on December 11 to know if she is finally chosen.
If the candidacy is chosen, the report states, “FIFA will collaborate from the outset with the designated host countries in order to organize an unforgettable edition of the World Cup that brings long-lasting and far-reaching benefits to football and its global community.
Among its main observations, the report highlights that the candidacy “tries to inspire and unite, taking advantage of the collective passion that exists for football in the three countries to bring people together, transcend borders and strengthen ties between two neighboring continents and the entire world. This ambition is closely related to FIFA’s motto: ‘Football unites the world.'”
In the opinion of FIFA, the candidacy of the three countries “presents a complete and solid proposalas reflected in the results of the technical evaluation of the proposed infrastructures (both sports and general) and their commercial potential.”
Considers that “the candidature broadly proposes a wide variety of high-quality stadiums, spread across 17 diverse host cities. “The proposal combines iconic and established facilities used by some of the most famous football clubs on the planet, and several modernization projects, both new-build and refurbished venues, all of which present good legacy prospects.”
“Although the magnitude of the construction projects in the context of a six-year period requires close monitoring and support where necessary,” the FIFA report warns, There are several mitigating factors, such as the fact that work on many of the stadiums has already begun. (e.g. in Morocco, where most are expected to be completed in time for the 2025 African Cup of Nations).”
17 cities can host
The candidacy of Spain, Morocco and Portugal has proposed up to 17 cities that can be hosts. Nine are from Spain, six from Morocco and two from Portugal.
To carry out this proposal, the candidacy has established a plan in which FIFA observes “the overall quality and thoroughness of the plans designed and presented, and the evident commitment to said projects, which offers a high degree of confidence.
“The candidacy also manages to maintain a relatively compact geographical area despite the large number of proposed venuesthanks to the reduced distance between them. All of these 10 aspects would have a positive reception from the tournament’s interest groups,” he says.
Three possible venues for the opening and final
The joint candidacy of Spain, Morocco and Portugal proposes three stadiums as a possible venue to host the opening match and the final. One of them is the Santiago Bernabéurecently renovated and with exclusive advances such as the retractable cover or the playing field that can be stored underground.
The Camp Nou could also host one of these two matches and is another of the proposals. Currently being renewed, Its capacity will be 103,447 spectatorsso it exceeds the 80,000 seats necessary to host these meetings.
The third option is the Hassan II Grand Stadium, stadium to be built between Casablanca and Rabat for the 2030 World Cup. Expected to be completed in 2028, the venue will have a capacity of 115,000 spectators.