FIFA visit to Spain delayed as Sánchez calls early election

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has moved the Spanish general election to 29 November, prompting the world football governing body to postpone the next FIFA delegation visit to Spain, Portugal and Morocco that would decide the 2030 World Cup host venues.

Election timing disrupts FIFA timetable

EFE journalist Ramón Fuentes reported from Madrid that the FIFA itinerary has not yet been confirmed following the two‑week mission in March, when officials toured the three candidate nations. The lack of a new schedule is directly linked to the election call, which was announced on Monday.

Venue choices remain in limbo

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) continues to propose Valencia and Vigo as viable stadiums, after earlier withdrawals by Málaga and A Coruña. Those two cities would join the six Moroccan and three Portuguese venues already under consideration.

A separate debate centres on the final’s location, with Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu, Barcelona’s Camp Nou and Morocco’s future Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca all mentioned as possible sites.

José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, president of the Consejo Superior de Deportes, told EFE that the decision will be further delayed by the political situation created by the election call.

The current inter‑ministerial commission, chaired by Minister Milagros Tolón and involving fifteen ministries alongside the RFEF and the Spanish Olympic Committee, is tasked with organising the tournament. A change of government could affect the commission’s leadership and the appointment of the future head of the CSD.

Given the uncertainty, officials argue that a pre‑election visit would be ill‑advised, as the outgoing administration would be in charge of the World Cup preparations regardless of the electoral outcome.