FIFA will inspect candidate host cities and stadiums in Spain, Portugal and Morocco in November and December as it moves closer to deciding where matches will be played at the 2030 World Cup.
The governing body said Tuesday that a delegation will visit proposed venues across the three countries as part of the selection process. The inspections will help FIFA assess the suitability of the stadiums and the infrastructure needed to host the tournament.
The initial itinerary includes six Moroccan cities, two in Portugal and seven in Spain. FIFA has not ruled out visiting additional venues before finalizing the list of host cities.
In Morocco, the delegation is expected to visit Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Rabat and Tangier. Lisbon and Porto are on the schedule in Portugal, while the Spanish stops include Barcelona, Bilbao, Las Palmas, Madrid, San Sebastian, Seville and Zaragoza.
FIFA has yet to confirm the final list of host cities and stadiums, leaving the location of the tournament's final undecided. Spain and Morocco are competing to stage the championship match, one of the most prestigious fixtures in world football.
Potential venues include Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu, Barcelona's Camp Nou and Morocco's planned Grand Stade Hassan II near Casablanca. However, FIFA has not announced a preferred stadium for the final.
The inspections will also help determine whether the proposed venues and surrounding infrastructure can meet the demands of a World Cup. FIFA representatives are expected to engage with relevant authorities and local stakeholders as part of the assessment process.
The allocation of matches to individual cities and stadiums will come later, once FIFA confirms the final host-city list and advances its work on the tournament schedule. The venues will eventually be assigned fixtures across the group stage and knockout rounds.
The 2030 World Cup will mark 100 years since the inaugural tournament, which Uruguay hosted in 1930. To commemorate the anniversary, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will each stage one of the competition's first three matches before the tournament moves to its main hosts, Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
The expanded hosting arrangement brings together six countries across South America, Europe and Africa for the centenary edition. The three South American nations will host the opening fixtures, while the bulk of the tournament will take place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
