Every World Cup Host Country from 1930 to 2034 and How the Hosts Performed
Every World Cup host from 1930 to 2034, how each host team performed at home, which countries hosted more than once and how FIFA chooses hosts today.
Hosting the World Cup is one of the biggest prizes in international sport, and playing at home has often helped the host team. Six host nations have won the trophy on home soil. This guide lists every host from Uruguay in 1930 to Saudi Arabia in 2034, shows how each host team performed, and explains how FIFA picks host countries today.
All World Cup hosts and how they did
| Year | Host(s) | Host team result |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Uruguay | Champions |
| 1934 | Italy | Champions |
| 1938 | France | Quarter-finals |
| 1950 | Brazil | Runners-up |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Quarter-finals |
| 1958 | Sweden | Runners-up |
| 1962 | Chile | Third place |
| 1966 | England | Champions |
| 1970 | Mexico | Quarter-finals |
| 1974 | West Germany | Champions |
| 1978 | Argentina | Champions |
| 1982 | Spain | Second group stage |
| 1986 | Mexico | Quarter-finals |
| 1990 | Italy | Third place |
| 1994 | United States | Round of 16 |
| 1998 | France | Champions |
| 2002 | South Korea / Japan | South Korea fourth place; Japan round of 16 |
| 2006 | Germany | Third place |
| 2010 | South Africa | Group stage |
| 2014 | Brazil | Fourth place |
| 2018 | Russia | Quarter-finals |
| 2022 | Qatar | Group stage |
| 2026 | Canada / Mexico / United States | All three: round of 16 |
| 2030 | Morocco / Portugal / Spain (opening matches in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay) | – |
| 2034 | Saudi Arabia | – |
The tournaments of 1942 and 1946 were cancelled because of the Second World War.
Home advantage: what the numbers show
Six of the 23 tournaments so far have been won by the host: Uruguay (1930), Italy (1934), England (1966), West Germany (1974), Argentina (1978) and France (1998). Brazil (1950) and Sweden (1958) lost in the final at home.
The advantage has faded in recent decades, however:
- No host has won since France in 1998. Seven tournaments have passed without a home winner.
- South Africa in 2010 became the first host to go out in the group stage.
- Qatar in 2022 lost all three of its group matches.
- In 2026 none of the three co-hosts reached the quarter-finals. Canada lost 3-0 to Morocco, Mexico 3-2 to England and the United States 4-1 to Belgium, all in the round of 16.
The 2026 tournament was won by Spain, who will be co-hosts themselves in 2030. Details are in our 2026 World Cup results.
Countries that have hosted more than once
| Country | Times hosted | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 3 | 1970, 1986, 2026 |
| Italy | 2 | 1934, 1990 |
| France | 2 | 1938, 1998 |
| Brazil | 2 | 1950, 2014 |
| Germany | 2 | 1974 (as West Germany), 2006 |
| United States | 2 | 1994, 2026 |
Mexico became the first three-time host in 2026. The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City hosted matches at all three of Mexico’s tournaments, including the finals of 1970 and 1986. In 2030 Spain (1982) will become a two-time host, and with centenary matches planned in Uruguay and Argentina, both countries will also host World Cup matches for a second time.
Why Mexico hosted in 1986
Colombia was originally chosen to host the 1986 World Cup but withdrew in 1982 for economic reasons. Mexico stepped in, only 16 years after its first tournament.
Co-hosted World Cups
For most of its history the World Cup had one host. That has changed:
| Year | Hosts | Number of host countries |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | South Korea, Japan | 2 |
| 2026 | Canada, Mexico, United States | 3 |
| 2030 | Morocco, Portugal, Spain + Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay | 6 (on three continents) |
The 2030 World Cup will be the first played on three continents. Only three matches are planned in South America, to mark 100 years since the first World Cup in Montevideo. Read more in our 2030 World Cup guide.
How FIFA chooses hosts today
From rotation to the confederation rule
From 1930 to 1998, the World Cup mostly alternated between Europe and the Americas. In 2000 FIFA introduced a rotation between confederations, which led to Africa’s first tournament in South Africa in 2010 and Brazil’s in 2014. FIFA dropped strict rotation in 2007. Since then the rule has been that member associations from the confederations of recent hosts cannot bid. That is why only Asian and Oceanian members could bid for 2034.
Who decides
- Until 2010: FIFA’s Executive Committee voted on hosts. The double vote for 2018 (Russia) and 2022 (Qatar) on 2 December 2010 led to corruption investigations and reforms.
- Since 2016: The full FIFA Congress, where every member association has a vote, appoints the host after the FIFA Council presents a shortlist.
- 2026: The joint bid of Canada, Mexico and the United States beat Morocco at the FIFA Congress in Moscow on 13 June 2018.
- 2030 and 2034: With only one bid each, the hosts were confirmed together at an online Extraordinary FIFA Congress on 11 December 2024.
What a bid needs
FIFA’s bidding requirements cover stadiums, training sites, hotels, transport, security and sustainability. For 2034, FIFA required at least four existing stadiums with a capacity of 40,000 or more at the time of bidding. Bids are evaluated in a technical report before the Congress decides.
Step by step: from bid to tournament
- FIFA opens the bidding process and sets eligibility and requirements.
- Member associations submit an expression of interest.
- Bidders hand in a full bid book with stadiums, host cities and guarantees from their governments.
- FIFA publishes an evaluation report.
- The FIFA Congress appoints the host.
- Over the following years, the host builds or renovates stadiums and FIFA confirms the final match schedule.
For the next two tournaments, this process is still running in the background. The 2030 final venue and the dates of the 2034 tournament had not been officially decided by October 2026. See our guide to the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia for the latest status.