What began as a slight suspicion in San Sebastián about the negative impact of the 2030 Football World Cup on the city has ended up questioning the event's feasibility not only in the Gipuzkoan capital but also in Bilbao. Both cities have been bidding as venues since 2022, and it was assumed that the world's biggest sporting spectacle would be the culmination of the Basque strategy to showcase themselves globally. However, this possibility is now seriously at risk.
A series of clear signals point to this. Following the initial doubts expressed by the Mayor of San Sebastián, came those from the General Deputy of Bizkaia, and the Lehendakari himself described FIFA's demands as "leonine." The PNV has also voiced its concerns, despite leading all involved administrations. The Socialists, meanwhile, have requested to be involved in the discussion in recent weeks.
The Basque institutions have taken a further step. They revealed that two years ago they set several "red lines" for FIFA, which were ignored, and now they are proposing a different scenario: instead of two venues (Bilbao and San Sebastián) hosting four matches each, a single venue with two stadiums (San Mamés and Anoeta) for a group stage. This would halve the investment.
The governments are reluctant to provide figures due to confidentiality clauses, but sources familiar with the process mention an initial total figure of over seventy million euros, which would be reduced to around 35 million. That is, less than 20 million per city.
“"We wanted and want the World Cup, but not at any price"
The Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, confirmed that the economic aspect is one of the most significant. "Hosting the start of the Tour de France involved an investment of 12 million euros, and now we would be talking about a much higher figure," he stated. He also mentioned the impressive security deployment, logistical costs, mobility, accommodation, and tax reforms.
Aburto detailed that on Sunday, "shortly before midnight" on May 31, the Basque institutions sent FIFA a document outlining the new situation. That day was the deadline for candidate cities to submit their organizational budget. The Basque representatives used this opportunity to shift the approach: proposing not two venues, but one venue with two stadiums.
Now the ball is in FIFA's court. Initially, after reviewing the estimated budgets of the venues, they planned to announce their decision on the candidacies by the end of the year. However, given the turn of events in Euskadi, Aburto expects the international federation to "contact us to explore" the new scenario.
The Mayor of Bilbao also mentioned FIFA's exclusivity demands, which would prevent other events from being organized in Bilbao during the summer of 2030, such as the start of the women's Tour de France or women's Champions League finals.
Aburto recalled that four cities (Málaga, Murcia, Gijón, and A Coruña) have already withdrawn their bids for the World Cup because their mayors considered it not to be a good opportunity for them.
“"Donostia is not for sale"
The Mayor of San Sebastián, Jon Insausti, adopted a much firmer tone: "Donostia is not for sale." "We set our conditions here; you don't have to accept everything. Donostia is our home, and we decide who we invite to our home."
The new proposals from the Basque venues are surprising FIFA. Although the World Cup is about to begin in Mexico, the USA, and Canada, the echoes from Euskadi regarding the 2030 event are causing "notable surprise." Sources close to the federation indicate that they "do not understand" what is happening and why this crucial moment has been chosen to change course.
The same sources speak of "some weariness," as this is not the first conflict. A couple of weeks ago, Basque institutions stated that FIFA had toughened its demands in March, a claim the federation denied, saying "the conditions have been the same from the very beginning." This means that when the two Basque cities embarked on the project in 2022, they knew what was being asked of them.
The Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, had to clarify, acknowledging that what happened in March was not the imposition of new demands, but rather the "fine print" of issues that "were not entirely clear" became known.
Conversely, the first vice-lehendakari and Minister of Culture, Ibone Bengoetxea, assured that the new proposal made by the Basque institutions to FIFA is a demonstration of Euskadi's "commitment" to participating in the sporting event. "We are not renouncing it."
Nevertheless, the note released insists that the demands to the football federation are non-negotiable. "The Basque institutions understand that not proceeding in this manner (one venue with two cities), whether this proposal is accepted or not, would be detrimental to Basque society in general." The "firm Basque institutional interest" is reiterated, but "it remains pending the response from the event's organizing company," guided by the "perspective of the country and the general interest."
