FIFA says Portugal’s basic infrastructure is already in place

On 2 November 2026, Sporting board member André Bernardo led FIFA’s delegation through Estádio José Alvalade, showing them facilities and improvements completed since the previous visit, alongside work still under way. The Portuguese Football Federation said the finished changes had impressed FIFA, while many of the remaining works were expected to be completed in January. At the start of a four-day assessment, Alvalade offered a practical view of Portugal’s preparations: what was ready, and what still needed finishing.

FIFA’s four-day visit is testing more than whether Portugal’s proposed stadiums are ready to host matches. The inspection points to a country with basic infrastructure in place, visible improvements at its venues and organisations working together. It is also checking the adjustments and procedures that still need refining. That matters now because FIFA is assessing Portugal’s preparations as part of the 2030 World Cup venue process. The visit offers evidence of progress, but it also shows that readiness depends on getting the remaining details right across the venues and the organisations involved.

Alvalade was only one stop in FIFA’s four-day work visit, which began on 2 November and runs through 6 November. The assessment covers Portugal’s three proposed World Cup stadiums, but also hotels and facilities being considered as national-team training centres, according to A Bola and SIC Notícias. The delegation is examining the places teams and visitors would use as well as the grounds where matches could be played.

On the first day, the delegation visited Estádio Pina Manique, Estádio do Real SC, Estádio do Restelo, Estádio Nacional and the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo. Their programme also included hotels and other possible training-centre facilities, reports Record. That wider itinerary makes the visit a test of Portugal’s tournament preparations beyond the three candidate stadiums.

Nicolas Rozenberg, FIFA’s strategy director, told O Jogo that his previous visit was in March 2025.

When we compare what we found then with the current situation, we can see a significant transformation. From the stadiums we visited in Lisbon to the plans being developed, we see concrete progress. Changes are under way and the stadiums themselves are evolving.

At the Estádio da Luz, Benfica vice-president Nuno Catarino presented the stadium’s current facilities, improvements made since FIFA’s previous inspection and work the club plans to carry out, A Bola and O Jogo reported. The presentation also looked beyond the ground itself, to Benfica District, a proposed redevelopment of the surrounding area that the club had unveiled publicly in July 2025.

Benfica has set 2030 as the project’s target completion year. Its plans include sports and entertainment facilities intended to bring activity to the area throughout the year, not only on match days. The proposals include a 10,000-seat arena and two covered sports halls, with capacities of 2,500 and 1,500. A January 2026 report put Benfica District’s cost at €220 million, plus €75 million for stadium refurbishment. Nuno Catarino said potential gross revenue was 37 million euros, with about 24 million euros after direct costs intended to service project finance to pay for the stadium over 15 years.

The project would also change the Luz itself. Benfica’s proposal gives the stadium a future capacity of 80,000, compared with 65, 209 in the bid documents. That is a proposed expansion, not a description of the venue FIFA inspected during this visit.

Jorge Betancor, the Populous director whose company is leading the project’s operations, described the scheme as an upgrade to both the stadium and its surroundings. The presentation reported by Observador framed the plans as a way to serve supporters on match days and the wider community through the year.

This exciting project will modernise the stadium and surrounding area, introducing new amenities across the masterplan, including a new multi-purpose arena, sports halls and a fan plaza, benefiting supporters on match days and the community throughout the year. It will provide a new experience for supporters and help the club increase revenue, setting a new benchmark in Europe as Portugal prepares for the 2030 World Cup.

The Alvalade programme also brought together people whose work sits beyond the stadium. Sporting officials met the delegation alongside Pedro Machado, Portugal’s Secretary of State for Tourism, Lisbon deputy mayor Gonçalo Reis and representatives of the Portuguese Football Federation. Transport, infrastructure and emergency services were represented too, Record reported. Their presence reflected the range of public bodies and services involved in preparing to host a tournament.

The FPF is coordinating the visit and acting as the link between the organisations involved in Portugal’s preparations. Its role is not to replace the clubs or local authorities, but to bring their work into a shared process. António Laranjo, the director and coordinator of the FPF’s World Cup preparation team, described that task to A Bola as making sure everyone speaks with one voice.

The Federation’s role is exactly that: to be the glue between everyone, to make sure we all speak with one voice. We need to give each stadium and each city its own identity, while ensuring exactly the same high standard of service at every venue where the World Cup will be played.

The FPF’s coordinating role does not mean the preparations are finished. António Laranjo, who leads its World Cup team, told A Bola that procedures still need refining and service standards must be aligned across venues, while each city and stadium keeps its own identity. That is a practical task: a tournament must feel consistent to teams and visitors even when its host places are distinct.

FIFA’s operations director Heimo Schirgi described the inspection as a review of work already completed and the work still to come. His assessment was positive, but left room for changes rather than treating Portugal’s preparations as settled.

The basic infrastructure is already in place, and there is a clear willingness to implement whatever modifications prove necessary.

Portugal’s venue review is one part of a wider FIFA process involving its 2030 co-hosts, Spain and Morocco. Candidate bids elsewhere are already changing as FIFA’s review continues.

In Spain, several proposed venues have dropped out. AS reported that Murcia and Gijón withdrew after doubts about completing required upgrades by the 2028 deadline. Málaga also withdrew after encountering obstacles over stadium renovations and commitments involving the local club, while A Coruña pulled its host-city bid on 16 March 2026, according to the same outlet.

Those withdrawals followed doubts about upgrades, renovation obstacles and local-club commitments. Only after that review will it make its final selection; the allocation of matches and types of games is to follow confirmation of the host-city list.

At Alvalade, André Bernardo’s tour on 2 November began with completed improvements and work still under way. FIFA’s programme is due to reach the Dragão on Friday, 6 November, before the process moves towards its final choices of host cities and stadiums.

• The scheduled FIFA visit to the Estádio do Dragão and meetings with local partners on 6 November 2026.