2030 FIFA World Cup hosts: Spain and dates

On 11 December 2024, the FIFA Extraordinary Congress ratified Spain, Portugal and Morocco as hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup and awarded three centenary matches to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, marking 100 years since the first World Cup (Uruguay 1930): the first World Cup across three continents at once, and the second time Spain hosts it, 48 years after Spain 1982.

The bid took four years: Spain and Portugal announced their joint intention in October 2020, Morocco joined later, and the three-way bid (UEFA, CAF and CONMEBOL involved) was the only one left after the rival South American bid withdrew. Settled today: the three main hosts, the centenary matches and the calendar window; open: venues, format and the final's host, with date and source in each section.

The RFEF unveiled a shortlist of 15 stadiums on 14 July 2022, when the bid was still Spain-Portugal only. With Morocco on board, it submitted the definitive bid book on 31 July 2024 with 11 stadiums in 9 cities; FIFA finalised the list 12 days later, within 20 total stadiums (6 in Morocco, 3 in Portugal) out of 23 candidates, and ratified it on 11 December. Since then the Spanish list has changed twice.

Málaga withdrew on 12 July 2025 (La Rosaleda renovation) and A Coruña on 16 March 2026 (cost, despite its plans for Riazor). In late March 2026 the RFEF proposed Nou Mestalla (Valencia) and Balaídos (Vigo) as replacements, still unconfirmed by FIFA.

The rest is not settled either: in May 2026, the Basque Country proposed merging San Mamés and Anoeta, and in August Gran Canaria's first tender came back empty. The Cabildo relaunched it at EUR 234.8 million (against 174.7) and three joint ventures (Ferrovial-San José-Iniciativas Canarias, OHL-Sando and Sacyr-Construplan-Bitumex) are bidding; the contracting board began evaluating them on 14 September, with formalisation expected in late November and works in January 2027. The venue is back in play. In August, the RFEF admitted Spain could lose 2-3 of its nine venues, with RCDE Stadium the most vulnerable: until FIFA's closed list, only the six venues unchallenged since December 2024 are final.

In Zaragoza, the new La Romareda is moving along: as of 27 September 2026 the Gol Sur stand is fully structured and its support beams are going up, while the other stands progress in parallel. The city council awarded the redevelopment of the surroundings for EUR 3.9 million (18,000 m², with a stairway, an accessible ramp and a pedestrian square designed for crowds and evacuations), with works starting before year-end and lasting 10 months. The 43,110-seat stadium is targeted to be operational on 31 August 2027, according to the La Nueva Romareda company.

Portugal contributes 3 stadiums in 2 cities: Estádio da Luz and Estádio José Alvalade (Lisbon) and Estádio do Dragão (Porto). Morocco contributes 6 stadiums in 6 cities: the new Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca (a final candidate), Príncipe Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, Ibn Batouta in Tangier, Grand Stade de Marrakech, Adrar in Agadir and the Fez stadium (all 9 remain unchallenged since December 2024); the first World Cup in North Africa and on the continent since South Africa 2010.

The Grand Stade Hassan II, in Benslimane province, was 40% complete in May 2026, with delivery scheduled for December 2027 and 114,414 seats. On 23 September the bids for the seating lot (MAD 277.5 million) were opened and the tender failed: the only two bidders, both foreign, were rejected and the contract will have to be relaunched or adapted. The structural work continues, though the failed tender means keeping an eye on the schedule less than four years before the tournament.

The three centenary matches are played on 8 and 9 June 2030 in South America: Uruguay opens at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo (host of the 1930 final, won at home); Argentina, runners-up in 1930, plays at the renovated Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires; and Paraguay, home of CONMEBOL, unveils the new Estadio Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb in Asunción.

FIFA's plan since December 2024 keeps the 2026 World Cup format: 48 teams, 12 groups and 104 matches. The tournament runs from 8 June to 21 July 2030 (44 days, the longest ever), with the centenary matches in South America (8-9 June) and the main phase starting in Morocco, Portugal and Spain on 13-14 June.

That format is no longer settled, though. In March 2025 CONMEBOL proposed expanding it to 64 teams for the centennial, and on 20 July 2026 its president, Alejandro Domínguez, stated on social media it would be played with 64 teams; on 31 July FIFA opened a formal process to examine the strategic implications of moving to 64: an independent agency (selection expected on 14 August) was to deliver a report within four weeks, before 11 September, after which the FIFA Council would assess whether the proposal goes ahead. FIFA has not published the report and has neither confirmed nor ruled out the change. Several voices warn it would dilute the group stage. Still to be announced: the detailed calendar, the match distribution per city and the group draw, unlikely before 2029.

The six hosts (Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) automatically qualify and skip their confederations' qualifiers: the largest share of direct berths in the tournament's history, 6 of the 48 teams (or of the 64, should the expansion be approved).

For Spain it is unprecedented: it will be the first reigning world champion to host the next edition, after winning the 2026 World Cup in the final against Argentina; no previous champion defended it at home. Automatic qualification also frees up the cycle: with no qualifiers between 2027 and 2029, the coaching staff will have more FIFA windows for tailored friendlies and Nations League continuity, aiming to reach 2030 with a settled squad.

The final's host stadium is the biggest open question, though the field is narrow: FIFA requires a minimum of 80,000 seats for the final (60,000 for semifinals), a threshold no Portuguese stadium clears (not even Estádio da Luz, the largest of the three at 68,100) so in practice it comes down to Spain (Bernabéu or Camp Nou) and Morocco (Hassan II). The then-FPF president, Fernando Gomes, said in April 2024 that Portugal would get a semifinal "alongside whichever country does not host the final"; FIFA has not formalised that assignment. On 10 September, Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan federation, said at an election event that Benslimane province "will have the honour of hosting the final"; a FIFA spokesperson told EFE that, as the body stated on 5 August, "the decision will be made in due time". Days earlier, on 4 September, Rafael Louzán (RFEF) had said in Ceuta that Spain should host the final as "the best football country today", while leaving the decision to FIFA. Meanwhile, Camp Nou now has an official timeline, compatible with 2030: at the 19 September general assembly, Barça treasurer Ferran Olivé set the current capacity at 62,000 and about 75,000 by the end of 2026-27. The team will move to Montjuïc between June 2027 and January 2028 so the roof can be installed (it could finish in November), return with about 95,000, and the completed stadium, at 105,000, arrives in 2028-29 (it hosts the Champions League final on 2 June 2029).

The final venue list is not settled either, nor the format (48 or 64 teams): FIFA has set no date for either decision, and past cycles suggest 2027-2028. There is also no date for ticket sales or the detailed calendar, which FIFA usually publishes one to two years ahead.