Spanish football’s showpiece game, the Supercopa Final is in progress right now at Riyadh’s King Fahd Stadium in Saudi Arabia (being contested between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid). But if you’re a true supporter of Spain, Portugal and Ukraine’s joint bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, then you’re gonna wanna turn the tv off, throw your tv remote in the bin or give it to your dog to chew on and destroy.
With its main competition for 2030 hosting rights coming from another joint bid from Saudi Arabia (along with Greece and Egypt), any additional eyes and attention directed at major international football events taking place in Saudi Arabia is sure to add legitimacy and clout to its bid. And nothing adds legitimacy than arguably the highest profile club match in the world, the clasico, with this version, the 2023 Supercopa final also doubling as Saudi Arabia’s most high profile match its hosted in its history.
In November 2019, a three year €120 million deal to host a four team Supercopa tournament in the Saudi capital was signed, and despite the Spanish FA (responsible for its World Cup hosting bid) not knowing at the time that the Saudis would launch a rival bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, considering we are now under 18 months till FIFA hands down its decision on who will host, there’s not a single worse deal that the Spanish FA could’ve struck. The Supercopa, now hosted three times by Saudi Arabia, is no doubt going to be featured prominently in its FIFA World Cup 2030 bid book, as proof of the nation’s pedigree in hosting major football events.
So if you’re all in on the World Cup coming to Spain in 2030, turn off the Supercopa Final now. Unless there’s a major incident during the game like fan assault on a player, a stampede, violence in the stands, fans storming the pitch, a terrorist attack or stadium collapse. In that event, turn it on, keep watching, tell all your friends about it and share the shit out of it online. That should get Spain back in the driver’s seat to host the World Cup in 2030!
