We tell you the main cities and stadiums that compete with Gran Canaria to host the World Cup in 2030
Gran Canaria is advancing with firm steps in its dream of hosting the 2030 World Cup. The institutions have thrown themselves into this project that aims for the Gran Canaria Stadium and the island as a whole to attract everyone's attention during the summer of 2030.
However, the path to achieving this will not be easy. Spain will have 11 venues after its alliance with Portugal and Morocco and taking into account that the inaugural matches will be played in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Leaving aside the stadiums that have their place as a practically guaranteed venue (Santiago Bernabéu, Cívitas Metropolitano, Camp Nou, La Cartuja and San Mamés); There would be 6 places left for 10 stadiums. Of those ten stadiums, all have similar characteristics.
The Gran Canaria Stadium currently has 32.400 spectators, although for the World Cup it is expected to have more than 44.400 after its renovation. These figures leave the island stadium in a very good position compared to its competitors.
Starting from the north, Balaídos does not reach the 30.000 barrier and remains at a capacity of 29.000 spectators. For its part, Riazor surpasses the yellow stadium by only 90 spectators, with a total of 32.490.
Continuing through the Principality of Asturias; The legendary Molinón, one of the classics of Spanish football, is also close to 30.000 spectators, with a capacity of 29.281.
In the Basque Country, the presence of San Mamés seems practically assured, something that could pose some complications for the entry of Anoeta, a venue with many similarities to the Gran Canaria Stadium, since both were recently renovated to eliminate the athletics tracks. that surrounded the playing field.
In the case of Anoeta, the reform was comprehensive and other areas such as the exterior infrastructure were modified, allowing the capacity to go from 28.900 spectators to 40.000; an idea similar to that presented by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria for the 7 Palmas stadium.
Something similar happens in Catalonia, the presence of the Camp Nou can leave out the Stage Front Stadium (better known as Cornellá El Prat) despite reaching the barrier of 40.000 spectators capacity, with a total of 40.500.
In Aragon, the La Romareda stadium has characteristics that seem to ensure its place as a World Cup venue. More than 33.000 spectators capacity and a rich football history. Furthermore, the Zaragoza council has already ratified the solvency of his candidacy before the RFEF.
Murcia seems to have it a little more complicated. La Nueva Condomina has a capacity of more than 30.000 spectators; However, the stadium does not seem to be one of the Federation's favorite options and there seems to be some reluctance among the institutions to carry out the improvement works necessary to make this option more attractive.
And finally, La Rosaleda seems to follow the example of La Romareda (beyond the similarity in their names). The Málaga stadium plans to have 45.000 spectators by 2030. To achieve this, some works will be carried out that have already begun in 2024 in the Andalusian city.
If the reforms of all the candidate stadiums are carried out satisfactorily, the Gran Canaria Stadium would be the second stadium with the largest capacity of the remaining 10, only behind La Rosaleda and with just 600 spectators.
It is clear that whether or not to host the World Cup goes beyond the stadium itself and that, above all, it depends on the will and political impetus that the institutions show to host matches in this tournament that, only during its last final held in December 2022, recorded a global audience of 1.500 billion people.
At the moment, there is no obstacle (beyond the classic ravages of insularity) that suggests that Gran Canaria will not opt for one of those 6 remaining places to which the 10 mentioned stadiums aspire.
