The promise: the joint Spain-Portugal-Morocco candidacy for the 2030 World Cup was presented on a dossier that included between 14 and 18 stadiums in total, with 11 Spanish, 3 Portuguese and 6 Moroccan venues. On paperthe tournament would be a lever for infrastructure modernization. Regarding the coffers and the laws, there are complications.
There are just over three years left until the World Cup and it seems to be receding like a phantasmagoria. Let’s count. Last March, FIFA took a tour visiting stadiums in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Zaragoza and Seville. There were gaps, too many. So the organization invited the respective organizing committees to put their notebooks in their suitcase and write down the good work of Miami and Dallas. The “Observer” program is, literally, an intensive master’s degree for the logic of an event like the 2030 World Cup: beyond infrastructure, airport management, visas, requirements in the commercial exploitation section, etc.
In April, the president of the RFEF, Rafael Louzán, proposed creating a dedicated commission (and approving a State Events Law that covers the reforms). In May, some of these ideas fell apart. Because? The selection of the Ibero-Moroccan candidacy by FIFA is done, but in practice Spain has been losing weight: Málaga and A Coruña resigned, Valencia has been left off the official list of 11 locations and several key projects remain in the works or on plans. The condition was clear: many stadiums had to undergo renovations to meet FIFA requirements for capacity, access, decks and VIP areas.
The moneys. Right now, these are the reform proposals and estimated cost. Although these are downward figures, this is the general map, starting with Morocco:
- Tangier Grand Stadium: €350 million (construction + expansions up to 75,000 spectators)
- Mohamed V Complex (in Casablanca): more than €95 million (major remodeling)
- Prince Moulay Abdellah (in Rabat): €480-500 million (practically complete reconstruction)
- Agadir Grand Stadium: €230 M (construction + modernization for World Cup)
- Marrakech Grand Stadium: €240 M (construction + upgrade)
- Fez Stadium: €250 million (construction + remodeling)
- Hassan II Grand Stadium (Casablanca/Benslimane): €1 billion (complete complex, including stadium and related infrastructure, with seating for 115,000 spectators)
In comparison, Spain:
- Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid): €1,347 M (complete transformation project)
- Riyadh Air Metropolitano (Madrid): €310 M (original construction)
- Spotify Camp Nou (Barcelona): €1,450 M (Complete Espai Barça)
- RCDE Stadium (from Cornellà-El Prat): €60 M
- San Mamés (Bilbao): €211 million
- Reale Arena (San Sebastián): €80 M (comprehensive renovation 2017-2020)
- La Cartuja Stadium (Seville): €100 M (last remodeling for the 2030 World Cup)
- La Rosaleda (Málaga): €270 M (remodeling project)
- Gran Canaria Stadium: €174.7 M (project currently being put out to tender, El Cabildo is still negotiating to “lower some of its claims” because going all-in is already branded as “absolute suicide“)
- Riazor (A Coruña): €125 M (remodeling project)
- La Romareda (Zaragoza): €220 M
The problem? What was suspected: the Federation itself has warned that many Spanish stadiums still do not meet the requirements and that we must go “from projects and good intentions to getting wet and guaranteeing works and investments”, while Morocco has already put specific figures and a schedule for the reform of its six fields. Let’s look at it case by case.
180 million for a team in third place. The New Romareda It has been justified from day one by the opportunity to host the World Cup: a stadium with around 43,000 net seats, designed to meet the FIFA minimum and bid for matches up to the round of 16. The initial cost was estimated at around 148.5 million plus VAT (close to 180). The Chamber of Accounts of Aragon raised the figure: it adds external developments, surveillance, certificates, ICIO and other concepts until it reaches at least 173.2 million. It is already suspected that will exceed 180 million if all the costs of the environment and modular stadium are included.
Now comes the paradox: he builds a FIFA standard stadium for a city whose club, Real Zaragoza, currently plays in the First Federation, a place where it is better not to look. Using the World Cup as a political anchor for an investment that mixes municipal, regional and private funds It’s not sitting well with everyone.. The Accounts Chamber requested a “complete and traceable view of the costs” when detecting items assumed directly by the Government of Aragon. That is, they were not in society’s budget, precisely to prevent the World 2030 label from masking the real cost for the taxpayer. Saying “we did it for the World Cup” is not enough.
Tic-tac and tiki-tac. Another work that race against the clock It is Nou Mestalla. The Valencian stadium is a recast on the skeleton built more than a decade ago. About 70,000 spectators capacity, light cover with tensioned cables and some 3,450 parking spaces They fall within your proposal. Beyond the World Cup, the City Council has signed an agreement that allows it to use the stadium for Cup, Euro Cup, and Champions League finals.
The current calendar sets July 11, 2027 as the deadline to issue the Final Work Certificate (CFO). It is known that approximately 76% of the structure has been completed and that the total investment, including tertiary and surrounding areas, will far exceed 500 million euros, becoming the largest project in the club’s history. Then came the bickering: the RFEF left Valencia out due to the accumulated delays and the difficulty in guaranteeing deadlines. With the building permit already approved and aspiring to a UEFA category 4 stadium, the club reacted with a statement. Two years passed. FIFA did not get off its ass and indicated that in its bid book everything was clear. And Valencia pushed forward.
The “World Cup renewal” mode does not work. In Seville, the La Cartuja Stadium aspires to be the third stadium in the country by capacity, with 70,000 gross spectators, lowering the level of the playing field, expanding the lower stands and changing facades and skin to comply with FIFA regulations. The first phase cost about 12 million and the second round 100 millionwith a horizon of 2028. The Andalusian Government sold La Cartuja and La Rosaleda as a “World Cup dream”, although with the idea of using the stadium also as the eventual home of Betis and venue for other finals, which mitigates the risk.
In parallel, the Santiago Bernabéu cushions more than 1,000 million in investment (it will have a 360-degree interactive video scoreboard, an enveloping façade, a retractable grass and it already enjoys the award for the best stadium in the world according to the World Football Summit); Spotify Camp Nou estimates another project at around 1.5 billion and both justify the investments to generate new income for their clubs. Venues such as Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium, with its photovoltaic roof, the Reale Arena or San Mamés already started with an advantage, with UEFA/FIFA requirements in mind, so more than macro reforms they only require small adjustments.
Morocco, a 1.3 billion plan. Without so much agreement, Morocco put 14.5 billion dirhams on the table and the objective of renovate six stadiums and build a new one in the Casablanca region, with capacity for 93,000 spectators, aspiring to host the final. According to calculations by the Moroccan federation itself, its six venues will host 32 of the 104 matches of the tournament (31%).
If the World Cup moves away, Zaragoza has the asset of a large renovated complex. Valencia is racing to close a 15-year urban planning debt and La Cartuja is not going to stop. The problem is that there are many renders, mortar and sand, few final photos. Whether this justification will withstand scrutiny beyond sports, that is another story. Everyone loves to sit in a comfortable chair, but not if it has hurt your pocket so much that it prevents you from sitting there.
Images | Club officials
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