Since 1930, there have been twenty-one FIFA tournaments, and fifteen countries have hosted them. At first, the organization chose which countries would host meetings of FIFA’s congress. In the early tournaments, deciding where FIFA would hold it was hard because it took three weeks by boat to get from South America to Europe, where the best football teams were.
Only four European countries participated in the first World Cup in Uruguay. Europe was the site of the following two World Cups. The second of these was the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France.
It was a controversial choice because FIFA had told the South American countries that the World Cup would move between the two continents.
Argentina and Uruguay skipped the tournament because of this. Three teams dropped out of the first tournament after World War II, held in Brazil in 1950, because they had money problems or didn’t agree with how FIFA ran the tournament.
Beginning of Switching Across the Globe
To avoid boycotts or other problems in the future, FIFA started switching between the Americas and Europe. It continued until the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Asia. The system changed over time, and now FIFA’s Congress votes on which country will host. A complete ballot system is used to do this. At the moment, the decision is made about seven years before the tournament. But, at the same time, FIFA chose the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
If the bid from Canada, Mexico, and the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is chosen, it will be the first time the tournament has been held in more than two countries. If Estadio Azteca is selected, it will be the first stadium to host three World Cups.
FIFA World Cup Hosts List From 1930 to 2034
| Year | Hosts |
| 1930 | Uruguay |
| 1934 | Italy |
| 1938 | France |
| 1942 | Cancelled because of World War II |
| 1946 | Cancelled because of World War II |
| 1950 | Brazil |
| 1954 | Switzerland |
| 1958 | Sweden |
| 1962 | Chile |
| 1966 | England |
| 1970 | Mexico |
| 1974 | West Germany |
| 1978 | Argentina |
| 1982 | Spain |
| 1986 | Mexico |
| 1990 | Italy |
| 1994 | United States |
| 1998 | France |
| 2002 | Japan & South Korea |
| 2006 | Germany |
| 2010 | South Africa |
| 2014 | Brazil |
| 2018 | Russia |
| 2022 | Qatar |
| 2026 | Canada, the US, Mexico |
Countries List Which Hosts the World Cup
Below, we have described the countries that host the World Cup. The list is arranged from Z to A.
- West Germany
- Uruguay
- United States
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Spain
- South Korea
- South Africa
- Russia
- Qatar
- Mexico
- Japan
- Italy
- Germany
- France
- England
- Chile
- Brazil
- Argentina
Which Nation Has Hosted the World Cup the Most Times?
Mexico, Italy, and Brazil have all twice hosted the World Cup.
| Country | Year | Times |
| West Germany | 1974 | 1 |
| Uruguay | 1930 | 1 |
| United States | 1994 | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1954 | 1 |
| Sweden | 1958 | 1 |
| Spain | 1982 | 1 |
| South Korea | 2002 | 1 |
| South Africa | 2010 | 1 |
| Russia | 2018 | 1 |
| Qatar | 2022 | 1 |
| Mexico | 1970, 1986 | 2 |
| Japan | 2002 | 1 |
| Italy | 1934, 1990 | 2 |
| Germany | 2006 | 1 |
| France | 1938 | 1 |
| England | 1966 | 1 |
| Chile | 1962 | 1 |
| Brazil | 1950, 2014 | 2 |
| Argentina | 1978 | 1 |
Qatar Hosts FIFA World Cup 2022
South America and Europe could not bid for the 2022 World Cup. Also, FIFA officially allowed joint bids again (after banning them in 2002) because there was only one organizing committee for each joint bid, unlike Korea & Japan, which had two different organizing committees.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Hosts
As of 2016, FIFA rules said that the 2026 Cup couldn’t be in Europe (UEFA) or Asia (AFC). It meant that either Africa (CAF), North America (CONCACAF), South America (CONMEBOL), or Oceania (OFC) could put in a bid. In March 2017, FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, confirmed that “Europe (UEFA) and Asia (AFC) had been cut from the bidding after Russia and Qatar were chosen for 2018 and 2022.
Read More: FIFA World Cup Trophy
The host was announced at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow, Russia, on June 13, 2018. The FIFA World Cup 2026 host nations will be Canada, the USA, and Mexico.
2030 FIFA World Cup
On January 15, 2019, FIFA President Gianni Infantino backed Morocco, Portugal, and Spain’s bids to host the 2030 World Cup. It was bad news for England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, even though it was still “very early” to discuss it.
Chile’s bid to host was confirmed by the group on February 14, 2019, in a joint statement from Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Read More: FIFA World Cup History
Plan to Bid for Sure
Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay are all members of CONMEBOL. Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay want to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
CAF: Morocco (pending on Algeria, Algeria, and Tunisia Tunisia): Morocco 2030 The FIFA World Cup bid.
UEFA: Portugal / Spain: Spain–Portugal 2030 FIFA World Cup bid Greece / Bulgaria / Serbia / Romania: Bulgaria–Greece–Romania–Serbia 2030 FIFA World Cup bid said they wanted to bid.
2034 FIFA World Cup
But in June 2018, Tengku Abdullah, a member of FIFA’s executive committee, Pahang’s crown prince and regent, and the former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president, said he was interested in the three countries hosting the World Cup together.
During the AFC Asian Cup 2007, the four countries held a football event. If the FAM agrees to come back to the project, it would be the first time that four countries worked together to put in a bid for the FIFA World Cup.
Egypt makes the second offer. Ashraf Sobhy, Egypt’s Minister of Sports and Youth, said that the country has considered bidding to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Instead of the country, the National Football Association should create a proposal like this.
After its bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup failed, Australia has considered making a joint bid with OFC member New Zealand.
