Spain bids for Rugby World Cup with Nou Camp final — SkimNews
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- Spanish Rugby Federation submitted a bid for the 2035 Rugby World Cup, naming Barcelona's Nou Camp, Real Madrid's Bernabeu, and Valencia's Mestalla as potential venues from a 14-stadium shortlist that would be cut to 9 or 10 if successful.
- The revamped Nou Camp is in line to host the final in front of more than 100,000 fans, which would mark the first Rugby World Cup showpiece played before a six-figure crowd; the same venue hosted the 2016 Top 14 final in front of 99,124 supporters.
- Argentina is bidding alongside Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay in what would be the first Rugby World Cup held in South America, while Japan is also competing after its record-breaking 2019 tournament, the first World Cup held in Asia.
- World Rugby is expected to identify its preferred bidder in late spring or summer 2027, with site visits beginning in December and a formal announcement planned during the 2027 tournament in Australia.
- The Spanish federation has set a goal to triple rugby participation by 2035 and establish Spain as a Tier One nation; Spain has already qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia — its first men's World Cup appearance since 1999.
- The bid carries support from the Spanish government and La Liga and would capitalize on infrastructure from Spain's joint hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Morocco and Portugal.
Why it matters: World Rugby will weigh Spain's commercial firepower — La Liga backing, government support, and football-stadium scale — against Argentina's romantic bid to bring the tournament to South America for the first time and Japan's proven track record from 2019; with $99,124 already proven feasible at Nou Camp, the final could redefine rugby's commercial ceiling, while the timeline locks in with the 2030 FIFA World Cup pipeline that Spain is already co-hosting.
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