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Preparations for the historic FIFA World Cup 2030 have entered a decisive phase as football’s global governing body launches extensive technical site evaluations. Marking the centenary edition of football’s flagship tournament, the 2030 showcase features an ambitious cross-continental hosting partnership between Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, alongside three special centenary opening matches held in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. FIFA has officially announced that an expert technical delegation will conduct comprehensive inspection visits across 15 proposed candidate cities in late 2026. These evaluations will establish whether the candidate venues, local transport networks, and hospitality infrastructures satisfy FIFA’s rigorous operational standards to host matches during this expanded 48-team tournament.
Throughout November and December 2026, the FIFA inspection delegation will travel across North Africa and Southwestern Europe to examine candidate stadiums, training sites, hotel capacity, and local transit networks. The technical group will engage directly with local, regional, and national authorities, venue managers, and transport directors across all 15 candidate cities.
The evaluation process covers six proposed Moroccan cities: Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech, Agadir, and Fez. In Portugal, the delegation will assess two major hubs: Lisbon and Porto. Meanwhile, Spain features seven candidate host cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Zaragoza, and Las Palmas.
A central point of evaluation focuses on identifying the venue for the FIFA World Cup 2030 Final. Spain and Morocco remain locked in a friendly competition for the honor, with Madrid’s renovated Santiago Bernabéu and Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou competing against Morocco’s flagship project, the mega-capacity Grand Stade de Casablanca (Hassan II Stadium). FIFA clarified that final match assignments, knock-out bracket allocations, and confirmed venue selections will be finalized only after these inspection reports are fully synthesized.
| Host Nation | Candidate Host Cities | Notable Candidate Stadiums | Infrastructure & Focus Areas |
| Morocco | Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech, Agadir, Fez | Grand Stade de Casablanca, Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium | World Cup Final candidacy, high-speed rail connections, modern stadium developments |
| Portugal | Lisbon, Porto | Estádio da Luz, Estádio José Alvalade, Estádio do Dragão | European transport accessibility, UEFA Category 4 venue integration |
| Spain | Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Zaragoza, Las Palmas | Santiago Bernabéu, Spotify Camp Nou, Metropolitano, La Cartuja | World Cup Final candidacy, high-capacity metro links, established international venues |
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The main tournament will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. To mark the tournament’s 100th anniversary, the opening three matches will take place in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.
FIFA delegates are inspecting 15 candidate host cities across the three main host nations: 6 in Morocco, 2 in Portugal, and 7 in Spain.
The primary stadium contenders for the World Cup Final include the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona, and the upcoming Grand Stade de Casablanca in Morocco.
Following the completion of site visits in November and December 2026, FIFA will evaluate the technical findings before officially confirming the selected host cities, stadium counts, and fixture allocations.
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