World Cup attention swings from America to the Iberian Peninsula

The 2026 edition, staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, was a showcase of scale. The 2030 FIFA World Cup instead brings football back to the more modest peninsula that gave the modern game some of its greatest stages – handing Europe a rare chance to host an event that has spent two decades touring the globe in search of new audiences.

It will be 48 years since Spain last hosted, in 1982, and they return as champions for only the second time in their history. For Portugal, it will be a first – as Cristiano Ronaldo put it, "a dream come true."

With FIFA's rules meaning no host continent can bid again for the following two cycles, Europe won't get another chance until 2042 at the earliest, so there is little room for slip-ups – especially with 2030 marking the tournament's 100th anniversary, with opening matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.

The tournament will demonstrate that established footballing nations can deliver something newer hosts cannot: infrastructure that barely needs building, and stadiums steeped in history.

For Spain, the figures are substantial. According to DLA Piper, Spain expects to spend around €1.43 billion on hosting costs, but anticipates generating more than €5 billion in economic benefit and over 82,000 jobs, with 11 of its stadiums put forward.

Portugal's figures are smaller in absolute terms but striking relative to its economy. A PwC study for the Portuguese Football Federation projects a GDP impact of €700-900 million, tax revenue of €312–394 million, 18,000–23,000 jobs, and a boost to foreign direct investment of €104–313 million.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said: "In all three countries, for each euro invested, in principle, there is a return of 1.8 euros. In the Portuguese case, each euro invested will result, according to the study, in a return of 8.5 euros. Therefore, we have a much greater impact in Portugal than in our other co-organising partners."

Portuguese legend Figo added: "Portugal, Spain and Morocco are countries with football at their heart. In Portugal, hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 will bring the country together like never before."

Portugal's costs are expected to be modest, since Estádio da Luz, Estádio José Alvalade and Estádio do Dragão were built for Euro 2004 and need only modernisation.

Paul Stannard, chairman of Portugal Pathways, expects the impact to be considerable: "It's an opportunity to put itself in front of a global audience of hundreds of millions of people – many of whom have never considered Portugal as a place to invest, relocate, or do business. That kind of visibility simply cannot be bought through conventional marketing... hosting a World Cup earns it, in six weeks, what might otherwise take a decade of trade missions."

Portugal is even hoping to deliver the world's first football-focused theme park: Viva Mundo, a privately-funded €450 million project in Santarém, due to welcome guests just weeks before kick-off.

Morocco, the third host, is earmarking upwards of $23 billion for transport, tourism and stadium infrastructure, with a projected direct economic benefit of $1.2 billion and up to 250,000 jobs, reflecting its ambition to be a genuine bridge between Africa and Europe.

The history books offer a warning, though: Brazil's 2014 World Cup generated an estimated $13 billion in activity, yet left stadiums underused for years afterwards. For Spain and Portugal, neither of which is building new venues, the calculation looks more favourable – a six-week amplification of assets they already possess.

The only thing missing for Portugal in 2030? Cristiano Ronaldo. At 45, he's vowed a final swansong on home soil is a step too far. But let's believe that when we see it.