Morocco’s 2030 World Cup candidate cities to undergo FIFA inspections

FIFA will send an inspection delegation to Morocco, Spain and Portugal in November and December 2026 as preparations gather pace for the 2030 World Cup.

The visits will assess the infrastructure of cities bidding to host matches and will help determine which stadiums are ultimately selected for the tournament.

Morocco, co-hosts of the competition alongside its two European neighbours, has nominated six cities for inspection: Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech, Agadir and Fes. Each is a candidate to stage World Cup matches.

The programme was announced in a FIFA statement published on Tuesday. It will examine progress on the projects and whether they meet the governing body’s requirements.

FIFA’s delegation will assess more than the stadiums themselves. Its review will include transport infrastructure, accommodation capacity and the operational plans in place for teams, supporters and official delegations.

Representatives are also expected to meet local and national authorities, stadium operators and other organisations involved in delivering the event.

The purpose of the inspections is to compare the commitments made in the bidding documents with conditions on the ground, while identifying any changes that may still be required.

Nine further candidate cities in Spain and Portugal will also receive visits. They include Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon and Porto.

Although Morocco has confirmed the six cities it wants to involve, the final distribution of matches has not yet been decided. FIFA may also inspect additional sites if it considers that necessary.

The number of matches assigned to each stadium, and the significance of those fixtures within the competition, will be settled at a later stage when the official tournament schedule is drawn up.

The venue for the final also remains undecided. Morocco and Spain both have significant ambitions for hosting the showpiece match, but no decision has yet been made.

FIFA has not released the precise dates for the inspections or a timetable for its final decisions.

The visits will provide a major test of Morocco’s preparations as it approaches a World Cup that it will host for the first time in its history.