FIFA inspects Barcelona stadium during 2030 World Cup tour

March 10, 2026 Aksel Kryhlmand

FIFA has begun evaluating potential venues for the 2030 World Cup, starting with a visit to FC Barcelona’s newly redeveloped stadium. According to Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo and journalist Ramón Fuentes, a FIFA delegation toured the Spotify Camp Nou on Monday to assess the progress of the club’s massive renovation project.

The inspection in Barcelona marked the first stop of a wider two week tour across the three nations set to host the tournament, Spain, Morocco and Portugal.

Officials from world football’s governing body were able to observe the latest construction developments at the stadium, which remains one of the largest infrastructure projects linked to Spain’s preparations for the 2030 competition.

Stadium expansion moving forward

The visit comes shortly after the stadium reached an important attendance milestone. During the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal against Atlético Madrid, the venue welcomed 45,399 spectators, the highest attendance recorded there this season.

Barcelona are now awaiting approval from the Barcelona City Council for the so called “1C” license, which would allow additional parts of the stadium to reopen.

If the authorization is granted, the first and second tiers of the arena could be used for the upcoming match against Sevilla FC. This would increase the available capacity from roughly 45,401 seats to around 62,000 spectators.

The expansion would represent another step toward the venue’s projected final capacity of about 105,000 seats once the renovation project is fully completed.

According to Mundo Deportivo, FIFA representatives left the visit with a positive assessment of the progress made at the stadium.

Camp Nou in contention for key World Cup matches

The modernized Camp Nou is considered a strong candidate to host one of the semifinals during the 2030 World Cup.

It could also enter the discussion as a possible venue for the final. However, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid and the Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca are currently viewed as the leading contenders for hosting the tournament’s showcase match.

Following the inspection in Barcelona, the FIFA delegation was scheduled to continue its tour with a visit to the RCDE Stadium.

FIFA inspection tour across Spanish host cities

The delegation is expected to travel to Zaragoza on Tuesday before heading to Madrid on Wednesday to inspect both the Santiago Bernabéu and the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

During their stay in the Spanish capital, FIFA officials are also set to meet representatives from the Spanish Government, regional authorities in Madrid and local institutions involved in organizing the future tournament.

Later in the week, the group will continue its inspection tour in Portugal before returning to Spain to assess additional candidate host cities.

According to reporting from Mundo Deportivo, those cities include Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Seville, Bilbao, San Sebastián and A Coruña.

Málaga is no longer part of the candidate list after withdrawing from hosting duties earlier in the process.

Timeline for final venue decisions

No final decisions regarding the host stadiums are expected during this initial inspection trip.

FIFA is expected to continue evaluating venues as planning for the 2030 tournament progresses. The governing body will likely return for further visits after the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, when preparations for the next edition of the tournament intensify.

Sources: Mundo Deportivo