The LaLiga teams FC Barcelona’s home ground – the Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona, the Real Madrid CF’s residence – the 83,186-seat Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid and the Valencia CF’s home pitch – the 49,430-seat Mestalla Stadium in Valencia are all on a list of possible stadiums as Spain bids to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup (a rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams).
Spain is considered a sleeping giant of European rugby.
Connecting Tournament
‘BBC SPORT’ stated that the Spanish Rugby Federation (the governing body for the sport of rugby union in Spain) said that it aims to deliver the “best World Cup in history” thus connecting the tournament to the 700 million Spanish speakers worldwide.
Spain Bid
If Spain’s bid is successful the revamped Spotify Camp Nou (post-renovation seating capacity will be 105,000) is in line to host the final which would be the first time the World Cup showpiece would be held in front of more than 100,000 fans.
Preferred Bidder
‘BBC SPORT’ further stated that Argentina and Japan are also bidding to host the tournament with World Rugby (the worldwide governing body and law-making organization for the sport of rugby union) expected to announce its preferred bidder in the spring or summer of 2027.
Formal Announcement
A formal announcement is expected during the 2027 tournament in Australia.
Capitalizing on FIFA Show
The Spanish rugby authorities say the tournament in 2035 would capitalize on the FIFA World Cup™ in 2030 with Spain joint hosts along with Morocco and Portugal.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup™ is scheduled to be the 24th FIFA World Cup™, the quadrennial international football tournament that is contested by the men’s national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament is planned to be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the first edition in 1930 a special match and celebration are scheduled to be held at the 60,235-seat Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay – host stadium of the 1930 final – as well as one match each in the 85,018-seat Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the 32,000-seat Estadio Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb in Asunción, Paraguay.
Potential Venues
The Rugby World Cup bid has the support of the Spanish Government as well as the LaLiga (the top-tier professional men’s football league in Spain) with some of the most iconic stadiums in world football on a list of potential venues.
Organizational Capability
Averred Juan Carlos Martin ‘Hansen’, Executive President, Spanish Rugby Federation, “We have complete confidence in our organizational capability, our sports infrastructure is at the cutting edge of innovation and we are convinced that hosting the Rugby World Cup 2035 will bring new and unique dimensions of hospitality, collaboration, unity, and friendship to the global rugby family.”
First Appearance
Spain have qualified for the 2027 tournament in Australia which will be their first appearance at a men’s World Cup since 1999.
Tier One Rugby Nation
The Spanish federation has an ambition to triple the number of people playing the sport in the country by 2035 and, ultimately, establish Spain as a Tier One rugby nation.
‘Turning Point’
Added Martin, “Rugby is becoming part of our country’s identity. Working together with the World Rugby we can make the Rugby World Cup 2035 a turning point in the global growth of the sport for the benefit of generations to come.”
European Finals Weekends
Seven-time participants in the Women’s Rugby World Cup, Spain has hosted two European finals weekends – at the LaLiga team Athletic Bilbao’s home field – the 53,331-seat San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao in 2018 and 2026 – while the 2016 Top 14 final was held at the Spotify Camp Nou in front of 99,124 supporters.
Fourteen Stadiums
The San Mamés Stadium is on a list of 14 stadiums submitted to the World Rugby which will be reduced to 9 or 10 if the Spanish bid is successful.
World Rugby Sevens
Spain has also staged the World Rugby Sevens (a fast-paced, high-scoring variant of rugby union) events with further editions confirmed in Castile (a historic, political and cultural region in Central Spain) and León (city in Spain) for 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Spain, Argentina or Japan?
The site visits and the feasibility assessments are due to take place from December with the World Rugby planning to identify its preferred candidate by the late spring or summer of 2027.
Bids Announced
Japan and a South American group of nations led by Argentina have announced their bids.
Argentina Tournament
A tournament in Argentina would also include Brazil, Chile and Uruguay and would break ground as the first Rugby World Cup in South America.
Ground-breaking World Cup
Japan hosted a similarly ground-breaking World Cup in 2019 – the first to take place in Asia – which smashed the commercial and audience records.
The 2027 and 2029 World Cups are taking place in Australia with the United States hosting in 2031 and 2033.
Spain Sleeping Giant
Spain is a sleeping giant of European rugby with the sporting culture and infrastructure to become an elite rugby nation.
A World Cup in 2035 would supercharge this ambition and the prospect of some of the most iconic football stadiums in the world hosting matches is tantalizing.
With the World Cups in 2027 and 2031 taking place in Australia and the US it is also very possible that the World Rugby would want to return the tournament to Europe in 2035.
However, Argentina’s bid tugs on the heart strings given the magnificent role the Los Pumas (the Argentina national men’s rugby union team) have played in so many World Cups over the decades.
But, while a South American tournament could be wonderful, Argentina and the co-hosts would need to prove to the World Rugby they have the infrastructure and financial clout of Spain and Japan.
As was the case with Ireland and South Africa in 2023, the romantic bid is often overlooked in favor of the commercial imperatives. This is where Japan come into it as another serious contender given the huge success on and off the field in 2019.
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