Spain bids for 2035 Rugby World Cup with 100,000-seat Nou Camp final
Spain wants the 2035 Rugby World Cup final to be played at Barcelona's revamped Nou Camp in front of more than 100,000 fans.
The Spanish Rugby Federation has set out its bid to bring rugby union's global showpiece tournament — held every four years — to Spain for the first time, with details reported by the BBC. The Nou Camp is earmarked for the final. It would be the first World Cup final played before a crowd above 100,000.
Spain has put forward an initial list of 14 stadiums. That would be cut to nine or 10 if the bid wins. Real Madrid's Bernabeu and Valencia's Mestalla are on the long list, along with Bilbao's San Mames.
The big venues are proven rugby hosts. The Nou Camp staged the 2016 Top 14 final — the decider in France's top club league — in front of 99,124 supporters. San Mames hosted European club finals weekends in 2018 and 2026.
Spain faces two rivals. Argentina is bidding with Brazil, Chile and Uruguay in a joint proposal that would take the men's tournament to South America for the first time. Japan, which staged the 2019 World Cup, the first played in Asia, is bidding again.
World Rugby's process starts soon. Site visits and feasibility checks are due to begin from December. A preferred bidder is expected in spring or summer 2027, with a formal announcement of the 2035 host planned during the 2027 tournament in Australia.
Spain's bid has the backing of the Spanish government and La Liga, the body that runs the country's top two football divisions. Spain knows how to stage big football events. It will jointly host the FIFA World Cup in 2030 with Morocco and Portugal.
The rugby story is growing too. Spain's men have qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia. It is their first appearance since 1999. Spain's women have played at seven Women's Rugby World Cups. The federation says it wants to triple the number of people playing rugby in Spain by 2035.
What makes this stand out is scale. A Nou Camp final would smash the tournament's attendance record. And a Spanish World Cup would follow hot on the heels of football's 2030 party, using many of the same stadiums with a very different shape of ball.
