World football governing body FIFA it has been revealed that one of the Spanish stadiums lined up for the 2030 World Cup has been banned from hosting any matches. This concerns the Nou Mestalla stadium in Valencia. The stadium, with a capacity of up to 70,000, making it the third-largest in the country, remains unfinished.

The construction of this stadium was first announced in 2006, with work starting in the summer of 2007. Valencia’s president at the time, Juan Soler, called Nou Mestalla “the best stadium in the world.” Within two years, the monolithic structure was completed, but construction was halted due to the club’s financial problems. One of the main issues was the sale of Valencia’s current stadium, Mestalla. Buyers were uncertain about the timeline for the team to vacate the stadium.

Despite numerous plans to resume construction in recent years and desperate attempts to raise the necessary funds, Nou Mestalla remains in its unfinished state.

Due to these ongoing issues, the Royal Spanish Football Federation has decided to exclude the stadium from the list of contenders to host the 2030 World Cup matches, as reported by the Spanish publication Cadena SAR.

However, Nou Mestalla still has a slim chance to remain on the list. Valencia has sent an email to the World Cup organizers, stating that they are ready to guarantee the stadium’s completion by 2030.