Viva Mundo: New Football Theme Park Planned for Portugal
Viva Mundo is scheduled to open in Portugal in 2030, the year the country will co-host the FIFA World Cup. | Visualization: Courtesy of Viva Mundo – World of Football
(eap) A new leisure destination entirely dedicated to football is scheduled to open in 2030 in Santarém, Portugal, around 40 minutes from Lisbon. Covering a total area of approximately 80 hectares, Viva Mundo – World of Football (alt. VIVAMUNDO) is planned to comprise six areas designed to immerse visitors in the world of the popular ball sport in different ways.
The park is planned as follows: Guests will enter the site through the “Welcome Gate”, which will already provide a first thematic preview of the other areas. In the “Cultural Quarter”, football fans will be able to explore the sport as a cultural phenomenon through exhibitions and an XD cinema. In the “Fan Zone”, meanwhile, the focus will be on the shared fan experience. Plans include live matches, an “Immersive Dome” and an interactive production studio. The “Living Stadium”, an arena for 4,000 spectators, is intended to provide space for concerts and special matches. The plans also include an F&B area featuring culinary offerings from twelve different countries.
The heart of the park, however, is set to be the “Football World”. Four themed areas with various attractions are planned around a lake. According to an announcement video shared on social media, a total of 28 attractions are envisaged, including roller coasters, flat rides and further rides and experiences. A 300-room hotel is also part of the plans. Overall, the project is expected to create between 800 and 1,000 direct jobs. The Portuguese JFA Group is a key partner in the project and is responsible for managing the integration, planning, design, engineering, procurement and construction delivery strategy.
Football fans are the park’s key target group. According to Viva Mundo, there are around 50 million football fans on the Iberian Peninsula alone. In addition, the project developers point to approximately 32.5 million tourist arrivals in Portugal each year – an audience that the coming new leisure destination also aims to attract. The park is scheduled to open on April 29, 2030, in time for the start of the next World Cup. The tournament will be staged partly in Portugal and will also mark the 100th anniversary of the FIFA World Cup, the first of which was held in 1930. ■
