FIFA will inspect 15 candidate cities in Morocco, Spain and Portugal in November and December as it moves closer to selecting the venues for the 2030 World Cup. The visits will assess stadiums, construction progress, transport links and other facilities needed to host teams, officials and supporters, FIFA said in a statement.
Six Moroccan cities are on the inspection list: Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech, Agadir and Fez. Seven Spanish cities will also be assessed: Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Zaragoza and Las Palmas. In Portugal, the visits will cover Lisbon and Porto.
FIFA officials will meet local and national authorities, stadium managers, transport operators and accommodation providers to assess whether the proposed venues meet the tournament’s requirements.
The inspections will help FIFA decide which cities and stadiums will host matches. The governing body said it could also visit additional sites during the evaluation process.
Morocco is seeking to strengthen its bid with the planned Grand Stade Hassan II in Benslimane province, about 40km north-east of central Casablanca.
The stadium is designed to hold 115,000 spectators, which would make it one of the world’s largest football stadiums. Its main construction contract, awarded to Moroccan companies TGCC and SGTM, is worth about $320m, while the project’s stated budget is 5.1bn dirhams ($500m).
Construction is targeted for completion by late 2027 or early 2028, allowing time for testing and preparations before the tournament.
Transport will also be a major consideration. Morocco has announced a railway investment programme worth $11.22bn, including plans to extend its high-speed rail network by 430km from Kenitra to Marrakech.
The new stadium is also expected to benefit from improved rail connections, although the final assessment will depend on the progress and readiness of the infrastructure.
Morocco hopes the new stadium will strengthen its case to host the 2030 World Cup final, competing with Spain’s Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid and Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona.
FIFA has not confirmed which stadium will host the final. The inspection findings will help inform its decisions on the tournament’s venues.
The 2030 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with three centenary matches also scheduled in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to mark 100 years since the first World Cup in 1930.
