Spain's CSD vows to fight for the 2030 World Cup final and backs Vigo and Valencia as host cities

Spain is not settling for simply co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Morocco: it wants the final. José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, president of the Higher Sports Council, made that clear this Wednesday during a talk organized by the Malaga Sports Press Association at the Thyssen Museum. He said the country will fight to stage the decisive match and named Vigo and Valencia as two of the eleven definitive Spanish venues, a list Malaga left after withdrawing.

• The CSD insists the 2030 World Cup final should be played in Spain and presents the country as a guarantee for FIFA.
• Rodríguez Uribes backs Vigo and Valencia to be among the eleven final Spanish venues.
• Malaga is out of the running after its mayor pulled the city from the bid, a decision the CSD president says he understands.
• Spain's top sports official reminds that the state will not spend public money on building or renovating stadiums.
• The final decision belongs exclusively to FIFA, not to the Spanish government or the federation.

Why Spain believes it deserves the 2030 World Cup final

Rodríguez Uribes listed several reasons why the decisive match should be held in Spain. For the CSD president, the country has led the project from the start and has more venues than its partners. He also pointed to the recent world title won by the women's national team in the United States and a proven track record in hosting major events, with security, public order, transport and infrastructure as the main strengths.

Holding the final in Spain is a guarantee for FIFA, and we have to tell them that it will be the best place to do it.

As proof of that organizational ability, he cited the Copa Libertadores final between Boca Juniors and River Plate played at the Santiago Bernabéu in December 2018. That match arrived in Madrid with barely two months' notice and while the city was also preparing another final, the Champions League showpiece held that same year at the Metropolitano. The outcome, in his view, was flawless.

Vigo and Valencia, two venues the CSD sees in the final list

On the distribution of host cities, the president of the sports body was optimistic about the chances of Vigo and Valencia. The Spanish bid currently has eleven venues and both cities, he underlined, have expressed their willingness to take part. Valencia's case depends on the new stadium being ready by 2028, a deadline Rodríguez Uribes considers realistic and enough to keep the city in the race.

Indeed, if the Nou Mestalla is ready in 2028, how could Valencia not be a host city? I believe Vigo and Valencia will be there, I have defended their inclusion.

The official said he has personally pushed for both cities to make the final list. Their presence, together with the rest of the already confirmed venues, would strengthen the Spanish proposal before FIFA.

Malaga pulls out of the 2030 World Cup and the CSD respects the move

The other side of the bid is Malaga. The southern city decided to withdraw from the race to host matches and Rodríguez Uribes said he understands the position of cities that have made that choice. He explained that the mayor called him personally to announce the decision, telling him Malaga already has a busy enough cultural and sporting calendar to skip the World Cup.

The CSD president recalled that the state made clear from the outset that not a single cent of public money would go toward building or renovating stadiums. That approach, he argued, explains why some cities have opted out. Despite the withdrawal, he said Malaga is capable of hosting other major events and will continue to do so without the World Cup.

The CSD stays out of Malaga CF's ongoing legal situation

During the event, Rodríguez Uribes presented Malaga CF with a gift to mark the club's promotion to the top flight last season. Kike Pérez, the club's managing director, collected the present from the CSD president, who welcomed the team's return to La Liga. However, he declined to comment on the judicial administration the club has been under for more than six years.

It is a matter in which I should neither give an opinion nor get involved.

FIFA has the final say on where the title match will be played

Rodríguez Uribes stressed that choosing the venue for the final is not up to the Spanish government or the national federation. The decision belongs exclusively to FIFA, which already picked New York eight months before the last World Cup held in the United States. Spain, he insisted, should never give anything up and must defend its bid to the end.

The official also confirmed the creation of an interministerial commission to coordinate the state's work. The goal, he explained, is to meet the guarantees required by FIFA, an effort Portugal and Morocco will also have to make. Spain, he assured, has committed to fulfilling them and to working to make sure everything runs smoothly.