Spain proposes Nou Camp final as part of 2035 Rugby World Cup bid
Spain has formally put forward a bid to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup and has proposed Barcelona’s Nou Camp as the venue for the final, the Spanish Rugby Federation said on 15 October 2026. The federation says work to raise the Nou Camp’s capacity began in June 2023 and is expected to be completed in early 2028.
The bid dossier lists several major Spanish football stadiums, including Barcelona's Nou Camp, Real Madrid's Bernabeu and Valencia's Mestalla, among potential venues and names Bilbao’s San Mames as one of 14 stadiums submitted to World Rugby. The federation has set an objective of delivering the “best World Cup in history” and aims to link the tournament to 700 million Spanish speakers worldwide, while noting backing from the Spanish government and La Liga.
If Spain’s bid succeeds the federation says the Nou Camp would host the final, which it says would be the first World Cup showpiece staged in front of more than 100,000 fans. The federation also points to recent large-scale rugby and football events in Spain as precedent: the 2016 Top 14 final drew 99,124 spectators at the Nou Camp, and San Mames hosted European finals weekends in 2018 and 2026.
Juan Carlos Martin 'Hansen', executive president of the Spanish federation, is quoted in the bid materials saying: "We have complete confidence in our organisational capability, our sports infrastructure is at the cutting edge of innovation, and we are convinced that hosting Rugby World Cup 2035 will bring new and unique dimensions of hospitality, collaboration, unity and friendship to the global rugby family." He added: "Rugby is becoming part of our country's identity," and, "Working together with World Rugby, we can make Rugby World Cup 2035 a turning point in the global growth of the sport, for the benefit of generations to come."
The Spanish federation has set participation and development targets tied to the bid, stating an ambition to triple the number of people playing rugby in Spain by 2035 and ultimately to establish Spain as a Tier One rugby nation. Spain have qualified for the 2027 tournament in Australia, which will be their first appearance at a men's World Cup since 1999, a point the federation cites in outlining how a 2035 hosting role would build on recent progress.
Spain’s bid will face competition from Japan and a South American bid led by Argentina; the Argentine-led proposal would involve Brazil, Chile and Uruguay and, if selected, would represent the first Rugby World Cup in South America, the bid documents state. The sources also note Japan’s 2019 tournament was the first World Cup in Asia and "smashed commercial and audience records." The Spanish materials argue Argentina and its co-hosts would need to demonstrate comparable infrastructure and financial resources.
The bid submission also highlights Spain’s experience with World Rugby events, noting past World Rugby Sevens tournaments and confirmation of further Sevens editions in Castile and Leon for 2027 and 2028. The federation says an initial list of 14 stadiums submitted to World Rugby would be reduced to nine or ten venues should the bid progress to the next stage.
Site visits and feasibility assessments for the candidate bids are due to begin from December, and World Rugby plans to identify a preferred bidder by the late spring or summer of 2027, with a formal announcement expected during the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.