Abandoned stadium described as the 'world's greatest' blacklisted from hosting matches at 2030 World Cup

An abandoned football stadium once described as 'the world's greatest' has been effectively blacklisted from hosting matches at the 2030 World Cup.

The 2030 World Cup has made football history years before a ball has been kicked, with the tournament to be the first held in three different nations.

Morocco, Spain and Portugal will host matches, with the tournament also becoming the first World Cup to span across more than one continent as a result.

In addition, to celebrate FIFA's centenary, one group stage match will be held in each of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay - meaning that three continents will be involved in staging matches.

Spain initially put forward 15 stadiums as part of their shortlist, with Portugal having put forward three and Morocco six. It is yet to be confirmed which stadiums will host matches, or how many stadiums from each nation will be given the green light.

One of the Spanish stadiums on the shortlist was Valencia's Nou Mestalla stadium, which has a planned capacity of 70,000 seats for the tournament.

The issue, however, is that Valencia do not play at the stadium, as it hasn't been fully built.

Official plans for the ground were unveiled in December 2006, with Valencia hoping to move into it at the beginning of the 2009/10 season.

At the time, then Valencia president Juan Soler said it would be 'the best stadium in the world', and there were plans for Nou Mestalla to host the 2010 Champions League final.

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But the six-time La Liga winners, who had finished third behind Barcelona and Real Madrid in the 2005/06 season, soon ran into financial issues that delayed work on the stadium.

There have also been difficulties in selling the club's current ground, which was part of the plans to open Nou Mestalla. The Athletic claim that potential buyers are hesitant to purchase the ground as Valencia are currently playing there, and there is no indication of when, or if, they will leave the ground to move to their planned new home.

While numerous plans have been made to revive the building work in recent years, with desperate attempts to raise the money needed to finish it, Nou Mestalla is still unused.

And according to Spanish outlet Cadena SAR, the Spanish FA have decided to remove the stadium from its shortlist for the 2030 World Cup, which now contains 12 venues.

However, all hope is not yet lost. The report goes on to claim that Valencia sent an email to the World Cup organisers, stating that they agreed to sign the contract for the stadium.

The club, as well as the city council, are reportedly trying to secure extra time in order to be included as an additional venue as part of the World Cup bid.