FIFA will send an inspection delegation to Morocco, Spain and Portugal in November and December 2026 as preparations intensify for the 2030 World Cup.

The visits will assess the progress of infrastructure projects in the cities bidding to host matches and examine whether their plans meet FIFA’s requirements. They will form a significant stage in the process before the tournament’s final stadium allocations are confirmed.

Morocco, which is co-hosting the competition with its two European neighbours, has identified six cities for inspection: Casablanca, Rabat, Tanger, Marrakech, Agadir and Fes. Each is among the Moroccan candidates seeking to stage World Cup fixtures.

According to a FIFA statement issued on Tuesday, the delegation will include representatives responsible for several areas of tournament planning. Their work will extend beyond the stadiums themselves, taking in transport networks, accommodation capacity and the operational arrangements needed for teams, supporters and official delegations.

The FIFA representatives are also expected to meet national and local authorities, stadium operators and other organisations involved in delivering the event. The inspections will allow the governing body to compare the commitments in the host-city bids with conditions on the ground and identify any changes that may be required.

Nine further candidate cities in Spain and Portugal will receive visits. They include Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon and Porto.

Although Morocco has already established the six cities it wants to put forward, the eventual distribution of World Cup matches has not been decided. FIFA may also inspect additional locations if it considers that necessary during the selection process.

The number of matches assigned to each stadium, along with the significance of those games within the tournament, will be settled at a later stage when the official competition schedule is drawn up.

The venue for the final also remains undecided. Both Morocco and Spain have strong ambitions to host the showpiece match, but no conclusion has yet been announced.

FIFA has not released the precise dates for the inspection programme or set out a timetable for its final decisions.

For Morocco, the visits will provide another major test as it prepares to stage the World Cup for the first time in its history. The country’s readiness will be assessed alongside that of Spain and Portugal, four years before the tournament begins.