The City Council of A Coruña has presented plans to expand Estadio Abanca-Riazor as it seeks to make the cut as a host venue for Spain and Portugal’s joint bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The Riazor, home of Primera División RFEF football club Deportivo de La Coruña, was listed on a shortlist of 15 venues named by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) yesterday (Thursday). Eleven venues in Spain will ultimately be used if the World Cup bid is successful. A further three stadiums will be used in Portugal.
The City Council owns the Riazor, which first opened in 1944 and hosted three games during Spain’s staging of the 1982 World Cup. In order to be one of the 11 venues selected for the 2030 bid, the Galician city’s Council has committed to carrying out renovation and expansion of the stadium, as long as the Iberian bid is chosen by world football’s governing body.
The Riazor currently has a capacity of 32,490, with the plans set out by the Council set to take this to 40,200. The expansion would involve work on the Marathón and Tribuna stands, including lowering the level of the pitch to install around five new rows of seats per stand.
The 45 metre-high marathon tower, as a listed heritage element, will be reintegrated into the stadium as a whole. In parallel to the wider renovation and expansion project, the redevelopment of the surroundings of Riazor will be proposed, with the goal of improving its integration with the Paseo Marítimo, among other aspects.
The City Council said: “With all these elements it is expected that the stadium will reach an estimated capacity of 40,200 people. A Coruña is therefore positioned as one of the cities that would host the most important football competition in the world, a firm commitment of the Government of Inés Rey for the celebration of major events that translate into a significant economic return.”
Image: Deportivo de La Coruña
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