Although the 2022 World Cup has yet to start in Qatar, FIFA has already tabled plans for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments with a series of ambitious – and potentially controversial – options.
The 2022 World Cup will mark a historic first series as the debut World Cup in the Middle East, and its first edition will be held in the Northern Hemisphere winter months.
However, the 2026 incarnation will be the first to be jointly staged by the three countries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and will set the stage for a controversial expansion to 48 nations.
Looking further ahead, the trend of hosting multiple countries will continue again in 2030, with several joint bids already announced.
With the increase of teams in the tournament, countries are reducing the load by sharing hosting with their nearest neighbors.
The latter confirmed on October 5, has seen current war-torn Ukraine enter the fray, as part of a joint bid with Spain and Portugal.
When is the next World Cup?
The 23rd FIFA World Cup is expected to take place in June and July 2026, in an expanded format due to the increase in teams to 48 nations.
The decision to increase the number of qualifying teams was initially met with criticism – mainly from UEFA nations – but FIFA backed its decision in all aspects of the North American tournament.
Current FIFA rules say the door is open for any nation/national FA to bid for the 2030 World Cup, provided it has not hosted the tournament twice before, with Europe and Latin America being the most likely options.
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Where is the 2026 World Cup?
The trio of the 2026 World Cup host nations – the United States, Canada, and Mexico – will split the matches with certain group stage matches based on one nation to minimize travel.
Canada has confirmed two venues, Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton and BMO Field in Toronto, as well as three in Mexico Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, and Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.
The U.S. will cover most of the games, with Atlanta, Los Angeles, Bay Area, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, New York/New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, and Miami selected from 17 possible options put forward by tournament organizers.
Where is the 2030 World Cup?
Although a decision on the organizers for the 2030 tournament is not expected until 2024, interest from various sectors has been confirmed.
Morocco announced its hand early, revealing its desire to bring the tournament to North Africa, while a joint bid by four nations in South America, comprising Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile, will return the tournament to its roots – after 100 years. The World Cup was held in Uruguay for the first time.
Spain and Portugal announced their joint bid in October 2020, making the bid official with a statement released in the middle of an international friendly between the pair.
And in a controversial addition, Ukraine was officially added to that bid as a third potential host. The announcement naturally raised eyebrows as the country is now in the midst of a protracted conflict with Russia, which is ravaging its infrastructure and economy.
Confirmed: Ukraine joins Spain and Portugal for joint World Cup bid: pic.twitter.com/Ns2cmjVftD
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) October 5, 2022
A second triple-host bid – from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece – is considered among other potential candidates to win hosting rights.
FIFA World Cup Host Rotation
After the 1950 World Cup, FIFA implemented a policy of rotating World Cup hosting following both political and sporting pressure.
With Coimbatore (South America) and UEFA (Europe) the two dominant confederations within the developing competition, FIFA was keen to keep both sides happy, following successive World Cups in Europe in the 1930s in Italy and France.
The policy of direct rotation between Europe and Latin America continued until the 1970s, when Mexico (CONCACAF) was added to the cycle, followed by Japan and South Korea in 2002 (AFC) and South Africa (CAF) in 2010.
However, FIFA confirmed its decision to end the policy after the 2018 World Cup, saying the practice was outdated because member confederations were not always ready to take their turn when needed, resulting in suitable bids being rejected.