FIFA Plans November and December Inspections of 2030 World Cup Cities

FIFA plans to inspect potential 2030 World Cup host cities in November and December, moving the tournament’s venue-selection work into a new stage. The visits cover candidate locations in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, but do not represent final approval of every proposed city or stadium.

Reuters reported Tuesday that 15 cities are included in the planned inspections. FIFA could visit additional venues, and a final list of host stadiums has not yet been confirmed. Match allocations will follow further planning rather than accompany this initial inspection announcement.

The six Moroccan cities are Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Rabat and Tangier. Portugal’s two candidate cities are Lisbon and Porto. Spain’s seven are Barcelona, Bilbao, Las Palmas, Madrid, San Sebastian, Seville and Zaragoza, according to the reported itinerary.

The stadium for the final remains a separate unresolved decision. Spain and Morocco are competing for that assignment. An inspection therefore should not be read as a guarantee that a venue will stage the final, a semifinal or another particular round.

The hosting framework itself was settled earlier. At its extraordinary Congress on December 11, 2024, FIFA appointed Morocco, Portugal and Spain as the principal hosts by acclamation. All 211 member associations convened virtually for that decision.

The centenary arrangement also provides for one celebration match in each of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Those three South American fixtures are part of the established hosting plan, distinct from the current inspections of candidate cities across the three principal host countries.

For supporters planning travel, the next useful milestone is the confirmed city and stadium list. Specific match destinations depend on subsequent allocation and scheduling decisions. Tuesday’s development advances preparations, while leaving those practical details open until FIFA publishes the next decisions. The centenary fixtures commemorate the first World Cup, staged in Uruguay one hundred years earlier.