Three grand venues are in contention to host the draw for the 2030 World Cup after the 2026 World Cup would have taken place.

The contending venues are the Grand Theater in Rabat Morocco, WiZink Center in Madrid Spain and the MEO Arena in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

This came out from FIFA’s report that indicates that each of the three joint hosts put forward a unique venue.

Morocco nominated the Grand Theater in Rabat. FIFA described the venue as meeting all the norms with a total area of 25,000 square metres and an auditorium which can seat 1,800 guests. 

Spain nominated Madrid’s WiZink Center. This venue boasts a vast 5,800 square meters of space and can host over 16,000 people. 

Portugal, meanwhile, proposed the MEO Arena in Lisbon. It is known as one of Europe’s largest multipurpose arenas and has previously hosted the Euro 2004 draw. The MEO Arena offers 5,200 square meters of space and seating for 20,000.

Meanwhile, Morocco is set to switch the venue of this year’s CAF Awards from Marrakech to Rabat in a bid to showcase the Grand Theater.

It is believed that the change from Marrakech to Rabat is influenced by the French Football Federation.

French President, Emmanuel Macron, saw Rabat’s new theatre — with its cutting-edge facilities and striking design — on his recent visit to Morocco.

This change is a smart move as the CAF Awards will be putting on full display one of Morocco’s world-class venues, while the country hopes to host more major sports events down the line.

Lalla Hasnaa and Brigitte Macron inaugurated the Grand Theater that King Mohammed VI set in motion in 2006 with a whooping budget of MAD 1.677 billion ($170 million). 

The venue is considered a cultural powerhouse. It has a 7,000-seat amphitheatre, and a stunning 7.1-hectare layout. 

FIFA has unveiled its final evaluation report on Morocco’s joint bid with Spain and Portugal to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, praising the proposal for exceeding the minimum requirements for hosting the prestigious tournament.

In a statement released with the report, FIFA confirmed that the bid, as part of a joint venture between the three nations, meets and surpasses the necessary criteria for the 2030 World Cup, following a thorough review of the submitted candidacy files and the points system in place. The report reflects FIFA’s confidence in the bid’s potential, noting the countries’ commitment and the ambitious scope of their plans.

One of the key strengths highlighted in the report is the impressive number of stadiums proposed for the tournament. The joint bid includes a total of 20 stadiums—six in Morocco, three in Portugal, and 11 in Spain—well above the 14-stadium minimum required by FIFA. This wide range of venues offers significant flexibility in organizing matches across a variety of unique locations, each bringing its own distinct atmosphere to the event.

FIFA also drew attention to Morocco’s ambitious plans to build the Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca, which is set to become the largest football stadium in the world. The project is already underway, with plans to deliver a state-of-the-art venue capable of hosting major international events beyond the World Cup.

In addition to this monumental project, the report highlighted that five of the six Moroccan stadiums proposed for the World Cup will also host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

These venues are all currently under construction or undergoing renovation, with the report stating that they meet most, if not all, of FIFA’s stringent requirements.

The FIFA evaluation further emphasized the commitment of Morocco, Spain, and Portugal to ensuring the success of the tournament, with all proposed stadiums being carefully planned to offer high-quality experiences for both players and spectators.

The bid is now one step closer to securing the 2030 World Cup, with FIFA continuing to support the nations’ joint vision for a truly memorable and historic tournament.

-Morocco World News

Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid received a higher technical score from FIFA than the 2026 joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico even though the Middle East nation has yet to construct several stadiums proposed for the tournament.

FIFA released its bid evaluation report and said the 2034 bid received an overall average score of 4.2 out of 5 even though eight stadiums are still to be built.

All venues — including the planned 92,760-seater King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh — will not be completed until 2032 but three new stadiums are expected to be finished for the Asian Cup which kicks off in January 2027.

Meanwhile, the 2026 bid scored 4.0 having initially proposed 23 stadiums — all of which were already built. Eventually, 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup were announced, with many venues being existing NFL stadiums.

“The (Saudi) bid includes some ambitious stadium projects integrated into unique locations, including the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium located within the Qiddiya development and NEOM Stadium located within ‘The Line’ development,” FIFA’s report said.

FIFA added that although Saudi Arabia’s “one-of-a-kind” stadium projects have a lot of potential, the “proposed configuration and location” would “require a reimagining of operations, with some associated unknowns or challenges at this moment in time”.

NEOM, a Red Sea urban and industrial development nearly the size of Belgium due to house nearly nine million people, is central to the prince’s Vision 2030 plan to create new engines of economic growth beyond oil.

But some of the schemes have had to be scaled back due to rising costs, including ‘The Line’, a futuristic city between mirrored walls extending 170 km (106 miles) into the desert within NEOM.

“Consequently, should the bid be successful, it would be imperative to closely monitor and support these projects from initiation to completion,” FIFA added.

Stadiums alone account for 35% of the overall score awarded to bids and FIFA said the level of risk in the 2026 bid was low. However, the Saudi bid had a medium level of risk.

“Due to the overall scale of the stadium projects, as well as the novel designs and configurations proposed in some cases, there is an elevated risk profile,” FIFA said.

However, they added that the risk was mitigated as Saudi Arabia have a strong team in place and ample time to deliver on the projects.

CUP VOTE

Ahead of the World Cup vote next month, Minister of Sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, said FIFA’s score reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to grow the game and their “rapid transformation”.

Votes are due to be held at the FIFA Congress next month to approve the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, though each has only a single bid.

“It is the result of our extensive efforts to present an exceptional bid. It’s a testament to the collaboration between multiple entities across the Kingdom,” Prince Al-Faisal said.

Saudi Arabia is the lone bidder for 2034 while a combined bid from Morocco, Spain and Portugal is the sole one for 2030. The 2030 World Cup bid also received a score of 4.2.

FIFA said the Saudi bid did not stipulate a proposed window for the World Cup but they would collaborate with stakeholders to “determine the optimal timing” for the tournament.

Due to the country’s desert climate, the 2034 World Cup may be pushed to a winter slot — just as FIFA did with the 2022 edition in neighbouring Qatar.

Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) said earlier this month that FIFA must halt the process to pick Saudi Arabia as hosts of the 2034 tournament unless major human rights reforms are announced before the vote.

FIFA’s bid report said Saudi Arabia submitted commitments to “respecting, protecting and fulfilling internationally recognised human rights”.

Those include areas of “safety and security, labour rights of migrant workers, rights of children, gender equality and non-discrimination, as well as freedom of expression (including press freedom).”

-Reuters