70,000-seater ‘world’s best stadium’ set to have World Cup hosting rights RESTORED as work restarts after 16 years
Stadium became a financial disaster
VALENCIA’S Nou Mestalla Stadium is set to have its World Cup hosting rights restored after work restarted following 16 years.
The skeleton of what had been dubbed “the world’s best stadium” had been lying dormant as construction work halted in 2009.
However, after the best part of two decades, work has finally restarted on the stunning project.
The aim is to complete the 70,000-capacity stadium by the summer of 2027 after the club unveiled its sixth set of plans since the original announcement in 2006.
And the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rafael Louzán, has now suggested the ground will be one of those to play host to World Cup football in 2030.
During a trip to the stadium with FFCV and LaLiga, he said: “I said it this morning, I am just another Valencianista, Valencia is not going to miss out on hosting the World Cup.
“I can assure you of that. We have already been working on this and I know that in the end that would be something tremendously unfair and that it is not going to happen.
“I want to reassure the Valencianistas so that they know that our work is oriented in that direction so that a stadium like this can host the World Cup and host important matches.
“We must remember that the Nou Mestalla is going to be the most modern stadium in Spain with a very important capacity. Valencia is going to host the 2030 World Cup.”
Spain is co-hosting the tournament with Morocco and Portugal.
While the final venues for the tournament have not been announced, the so-called “most modern stadium” in the country would be a big miss at such a prestigious tournament.
The original plans for the ground when it was announced had seen Valencia plan to move into it in the 2009/10 season.
However, crippling financial troubles where it climbed up to £350million in costs saw the project – which also originally had an 80,000 capacity – paused.
Last summer Valencia was stripped of its hosting rights by the RFEF as it was no longer considered a viable venue.
But now there has been a stunning U-turn that will see it host the World Cup.
It comes following a report from that the number of stadiums will be reduced from 20 to between 17 and 19.