Due to a restructured schedule, the 2030 World Cup could potentially be held at a stadium once dubbed the “best in the world.” This comes after several cities that were prepared to host the games after four years withdrew from consideration. Morocco, Spain and Portugal will jointly host the tournament.
Earlier this month, La Coruña became the latest city to pull out of the effort, deciding it wasn’t worth the cost of hosting the games. It comes after Málaga was also dropped from the claim, citing logistical concerns regarding the renovation of La Rosaleda. The situation has left Spanish football authorities scrambling to massively expand the list of venues, after initially having 11 stadiums in nine cities ready for use. And Valencia’s Nou Mestalla could take over.
The stadium, which has a potential capacity of 70,000 people, has been under construction since 2007, but operations were halted in 2009 due to major financial concerns. However, construction work resumed in January 2025, and the project was saved.
Nou Mestalla was proposed by the Spanish Football Federation as one of the venues initially selected to host matches for the 2030 World Cup. However, this venue (along with Vigo’s Balaidos) was rejected for violating FIFA law, which stipulates a maximum of 20 venues for the World Cup.
It is therefore natural that Nou Mestalla would be one of the main candidates after the withdrawal. And AS reported that Valencia is one of the regions that could benefit greatly from the investment that comes with hosting the World Cup.
Nuria Montes, secretary general of Hosbec, Valencia’s hotel and tourism association, said: “Valencia is already one of Europe’s top destinations and its tourism future depends on this World Cup.”
“However, this is an opportunity to reach far-flung markets such as Asia, the Middle East and North America, and could accelerate long-delayed airport expansion plans.”
There are fears that San Sebastian could join the growing list of venues being pulled out in the future. Real Sociedad’s 42,300-seat Anoeta Stadium (or Reale Arena) is currently being renovated for use, but local residents have written to FIFA asking it to be removed from the schedule due to concerns about overtourism.
Real’s Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and Atlético’s Riad Air Metropolitano are both the largest in the country, and Madrid is likely to be the center stage of the tournament. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou is the largest in the country and will be able to accommodate just over 100,000 fans by the time the renovation is complete.
Still, it falls short of Casablanca’s Hassan II Stadium, which can hold a total of 115,000 fans. Morocco will become the first North African country to host the World Cup, and Portugal will also be the first to host the tournament within its borders.
