FIFA inspects Portugal's three 2030 stadiums, with the Dragão closing the tour on Friday

The visits announced at the end of October are no longer a diary entry. A multidisciplinary FIFA team landed in Portugal on Monday 2 November 2026 for a four-day visit devoted to the 2030 World Cup build-up. It started at the Estádio José Alvalade, in Lisbon.

The programme, stadium by stadium

• Monday 2 November: Estádio José Alvalade, in Lisbon. This is where the visit began.
• Tuesday 3 November: Estádio da Luz, also in Lisbon. The visit did take place, and A Bola published the pictures.
• Friday 6 November: Estádio do Dragão, in Porto, for the final leg.

These are the three Portuguese stadiums proposed for the tournament staged with Spain and Morocco. The final choice of venues has not been made yet.

The stadiums are only part of the file

The delegation is also meeting the municipalities of Lisbon and Porto, along with representatives of hotel operators in both metropolitan areas. It is reviewing five candidates for training site status: the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo, the Estádio Nacional, the Estádio do Restelo, the Estádio do Real SC and the Estádio Pina Manique.

The Portuguese Football Federation coordinates the programme and brings the organisations involved together. Its secretary general, Rui Caeiro, led the opening day.

What FIFA says

Heimo Schirgi, FIFA’s Director of Event Operations, gave a positive assessment after the first day: “It has been an extremely interesting visit, which lets us see all the work already done and discuss what remains to be done so that Portugal hosts the World Cup in the most successful way possible.”

He highlighted the collaboration between the government, the federation, the clubs and the municipalities, and said the basic infrastructure is in place, with a willingness to make whatever changes are requested.

That does not mean the preparation is over. The exercise exists precisely to identify what each site still has to do to meet FIFA’s requirements. Lisbon’s deputy mayor, Gonçalo Reis, listed security, mobility, infrastructure and hospitality. The federation’s coordinator, António Laranjo, described his own role as keeping the partners aligned and ensuring a consistent standard across the host cities.

What this visit does not settle

These stops are part of the series of visits FIFA made public on 27 October 2026, planned for November and December across the three host countries. The number and type of matches allocated to each stadium will only be fixed once the host cities are confirmed and the competition calendar is set.