A delegation from FIFA has begun a crucial inspection tour across Spain, Portugal and Morocco to evaluate preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

The two-week tour, which started on March 9, forms part of FIFA’s evaluation process ahead of the official announcement of host stadiums scheduled for December 2026.

The inspection mission, conducted in collaboration with the national football federations of the three countries, is aimed at assessing stadium infrastructure, organisational readiness and logistical arrangements across the candidate host cities.

Spain and Portugal First Stops

The FIFA delegation began its tour in Spain, where it visited major stadium facilities in Barcelona and Madrid. Officials inspected venues and reviewed ongoing infrastructure works as part of the preparations for the historic centenary tournament.

After completing the Spanish leg of the inspection, the delegation proceeded to Portugal before concluding the tour in Morocco.

Reports from the inspection indicate that FIFA officials were impressed by the progress of the redevelopment of Camp Nou in Barcelona, highlighting the importance of stadium readiness in the final selection of host venues.

Morocco’s Candidate Cities Under Review

The final stage of the inspection will take place in Morocco, where FIFA officials will assess stadiums and facilities in six candidate host cities.

In Casablanca, the delegation will review the construction progress of the proposed Grand Stade Hassan II, which is expected to seat about 115,000 spectators and is being considered as a possible venue for the tournament final.

Other Moroccan venues scheduled for inspection include the Complexe Moulay Abdellah in Rabat and the Grand Stade de Tanger, which is currently undergoing expansion.

Existing stadiums in Marrakech, Agadir and Fès are also being renovated and upgraded to meet FIFA’s technical and safety standards.

Key Areas of Assessment

During the inspection, FIFA officials are evaluating several critical areas including stadium safety, VIP facilities, media operations, transport infrastructure and accommodation capacity for teams, officials and supporters.

Morocco has already embarked on several major projects to strengthen its readiness for the tournament.

These include the implementation of an integrated security system featuring facial recognition technology, surveillance drones and a specialised judicial framework designed to manage large-scale sporting events.

On the administrative side, the Moroccan authorities have established the Morocco 2030 Foundation to coordinate development projects linked to the tournament.

Race to Host the Final

One of the most closely watched aspects of the 2030 World Cup preparations is the competition between Morocco and Spain to host the tournament’s final match.

With the construction of the massive Grand Stade Hassan II and ongoing stadium upgrades across the country, Morocco is positioning itself strongly to host several knockout-stage matches, including potentially the final.

FIFA officials say the ongoing inspection tour is a critical step in ensuring that all candidate cities meet the organisation’s requirements for hosting the global showpiece.

Findings from the two-week inspection will form part of FIFA’s technical evaluation report, which will influence the final decision on host venues expected to be announced in December 2026.

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FIFA Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi said the World Cup is “too big” and that the 2026 tournament will go on as planned despite ​the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking at the International Broadcast Centre ‌in Dallas on Monday, Schirgi was specifically asked about Iran, whose participation in the World Cup is uncertain due to the war waged on the country by Israel ​and the United States.

“At some stage, we will have a ​resolution, and the World Cup will go on, obviously,” Schirgi said, ⁠per NBC 5 in Dallas. “The World Cup is too big, and ​we hope that everyone who has qualified can participate.”

Schirgi said that FIFA is ​monitoring the situation in the Middle East closely while working with federal and international partners to evaluate daily developments.

FIFA said last week that it is keeping an eye ​on events in Iran just months ahead of the start of the ​World Cup in June. Iran qualified for the tournament through its participation in the ‌Asian ⁠Football Conference.

Iran is scheduled to play Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in Group G. Two of the games are set for Los Angeles, one in Seattle. Schirgi said that FIFA has been in contact with Iran’s soccer ​federation but declined ​to provide details ⁠of those conversations.

The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in history, with 48 nations competing across three countries. ​The United States will host games in 11 cities, ​Mexico in ⁠three and Canada in two.

FIFA officials were in Dallas for the announcement of plans for the city’s fan festival, with the International Broadcast Centre inside ⁠the ​Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center still under construction. ​Schirgi said the IBC will operate around the clock during the World Cup and is ​expected to bring between 3,000 and 3,500 media members to Dallas.

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By Kunle Solaja

For much of the modern era, the FIFA World Cup has been the world’s most powerful sporting spectacle—an event capable of pausing wars, suspending rivalries and uniting billions of viewers every four years. Yet history shows that global conflict can also silence football’s greatest festival.

The Second World War remains the clearest example. It is hoped that there will be no World War III.

In the summer of 1938, football fans filled stadiums across France as the third edition of the FIFA World Cup reached its dramatic climax. Italy eventually lifted the trophy, defeating Hungary 4–2 in Paris.

Few in those jubilant crowds could have imagined that it would be 12 years before the world gathered again for football’s greatest spectacle.

Within a year, Europe would be engulfed in war. But on 1 September 1939, when Germany invaded Poland and the Second World War erupted, the international football calendar collapsed almost overnight. What followed was one of the most remarkable interruptions in sporting history: the disappearance of the FIFA World Cup.

Today, as geopolitical tensions rise in the Middle East amid confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, historians of sport are again reminded that global conflict can reach far beyond politics and battlefields. It can silence sport itself.

Members of the Lebanese Civil Defence inspect a damaged building after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, following renewed hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 9, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Stringer

The escalating tensions in the Middle East today, particularly the confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, have raised concerns among sports observers that geopolitical crises can again disrupt the delicate ecosystem that sustains global sporting events.

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 9, 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

The FIFA World Cup had been successfully staged three times, in 1930 in Uruguay, 1934 in Italy and 1938 in France, before the march of history intervened. Plans were already underway for the next edition scheduled for 1942, with Germany and Brazil among the countries interested in hosting the tournament.

But on September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland triggered the Second World War, drawing major powers into a devastating global conflict. The war immediately made international travel, logistics and political cooperation impossible. As a result, FIFA cancelled the 1942 World Cup even before a host nation could be chosen.

Israeli soldiers gather near vehicles on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in northern Israel, March 9, 2026. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

The devastation of the war meant that football’s global showpiece could not resume quickly. Europe’s infrastructure was in ruins, many national associations had collapsed, and players were either in military service or recovering from wartime trauma. Consequently, the 1946 World Cup was also cancelled.

For 12 years, from the 1938 tournament in France until Brazil hosted the competition in 1950, the world’s most important football tournament simply did not exist.

A Lost Generation of Footballers

The absence of the World Cup during those years had significant consequences:

The disappearance of the World Cup during the war years created a footballing void that is still remembered today.

Many players who had emerged as stars in the late 1930s never received another opportunity to play on the world stage. Their peak years coincided with the war.

Several footballers lost their lives in combat, while others returned from the war physically or psychologically scarred. Domestic leagues in many countries were suspended or drastically reduced. International matches became rare.

In some places, football was played only in improvised forms to maintain morale among soldiers and civilians.

The administrative body governing world football also struggled to function. FIFA’s activities slowed dramatically, as many member associations were unable to operate effectively during the war.

Football, like much of global society, was in survival mode.

When the tournament finally returned in Brazil in 1950, it symbolised not just the rebirth of football but also the restoration of international cooperation after years of hostility.

Lessons From History

The wartime suspension of the World Cup demonstrated how fragile global sporting structures can be. Football tournaments depend on open borders, secure travel routes, stable diplomacy and economic cooperation.

War undermines all of these conditions. Already, the Iraqi team is facing logistical problems in travelling to Mexico for the intercontinental play-off. In the coming days, there may be others who will face similar issues.

Iran, already a qualifier for the World Cup, may likely abstain. Statutorily, a replacement should come from that region. But such a replacement will likely face the same problem currently facing Iraq.

Even after World War II ended in 1945, it took five years before the world could gather again for football’s biggest tournament. Reconstruction, diplomacy and infrastructure rebuilding had to precede the revival of sport.

Echoes in Today’s Geopolitical Climate

While the world today is far more interconnected than it was in the 1940s, geopolitical tensions still pose risks to international sport.

The escalating confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran has already begun to generate concerns across global institutions, from energy markets to aviation and international travel. If the conflict widens, its ripple effects could easily reach the sporting arena.

Major football tournaments are particularly vulnerable to geopolitical crises because they involve dozens of national teams, global travel logistics, security coordination and massive commercial investments.

Should tensions escalate into a broader regional or global conflict, the football calendar could face several disruptions:

1. Travel and security concerns
Airspace closures, sanctions or security threats could make international travel difficult for teams, officials and fans.

2. Tournament boycotts
Political alliances often spill into sport. Nations could refuse to play against certain opponents, echoing past boycotts in Olympic and football competitions.

3. Economic shocks
War often destabilises global economies. Sponsors, broadcasters and governments that fund tournaments may redirect resources to more urgent priorities.

4. Fan movement restrictions
Large international gatherings depend on the safe movement of supporters. Conflict zones can quickly undermine this.

5. Political pressure on governing bodies
Just as FIFA struggled during World War II, global football administrators could face enormous pressure to take sides or impose sanctions.

The story of the cancelled World Cups of 1942 and 1946 reminds one that sport does not exist in isolation from politics. When the world descends into conflict, even the most beloved sporting traditions can disappear overnight.

Yet the return of the World Cup in 1950 also showed something else: football can become a symbol of recovery and reconciliation after a crisis.

Whether the current geopolitical tensions escalate or subside, history offers a powerful lesson—when peace is threatened, even the world’s game can fall silent. And when peace returns, football often becomes one of the first languages through which the world begins to speak to itself again.

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