FIFA World Cup host countries
Every country that has hosted the men’s FIFA World Cup or been chosen to, from Uruguay in 1930 to Saudi Arabia in 2034: 22 countries, with Mexico the only one to have hosted three times.
22 countriesAs of September 2026Short notes, not sourcedSuggest a correction
The first World Cup was played in Uruguay in 1930, with thirteen teams. It has been held every four years since, except in 1942 and 1946 during and after the Second World War. For most of its history it alternated between Europe and the Americas, and it didn’t go anywhere else until South Korea and Japan shared it in 2002.
Since then it has grown and spread. The 2026 tournament, shared by the United States, Canada and Mexico, was the first with 48 teams. The 2030 edition, marking a hundred years, will be played in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with its first three matches in South America, and Saudi Arabia will host in 2034.
Europe9
ItalyHosted in 1934, and won, and again in 1990.
FranceHosted in 1938 and 1998, winning at home in 1998.
SwitzerlandHosted in 1954. FIFA has had its headquarters in Zurich since 1932, and that tournament still holds the record for goals per game.
SwedenHosted in 1958, when a 17-year-old Pelé scored twice in the final to beat the hosts.
United KingdomEngland hosted in 1966, and won, beating West Germany at Wembley.
GermanyWest Germany hosted in 1974 and won, and the reunited Germany hosted again in 2006.
SpainHosted in 1982, and will co-host again in 2030.
RussiaHosted in 2018, the first World Cup in Eastern Europe.
PortugalWill co-host in 2030, its first World Cup.
The Americas7
UruguayHosted the first World Cup in 1930 and won it. It will stage one of the opening matches in 2030, a hundred years on.
BrazilHosted in 1950, when Uruguay beat Brazil in the deciding match at the Maracanã, and in 2014, when Germany beat Brazil 7–1 in the semi-final.
ChileHosted in 1962, two years after the strongest earthquake ever recorded struck the south of the country.
MexicoHosted in 1970 and 1986 and co-hosted in 2026, the first country to host three times. The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City is the only stadium to have staged matches at three World Cups.
ArgentinaHosted in 1978, under military rule, and won. It will stage one of the opening matches in 2030.
United StatesHosted in 1994, drawing record crowds, and co-hosted in 2026.
CanadaCo-hosted in 2026, its first men’s World Cup.
Africa and Asia6
South KoreaCo-hosted in 2002, the first World Cup in Asia, and reached the semi-finals.
JapanCo-hosted in 2002. The final was played in Yokohama.
South AfricaHosted in 2010, the first World Cup in Africa.
QatarHosted in 2022, the first in the Middle East, played in November and December to avoid the summer heat.
MoroccoWill co-host in 2030, the second African country to host, after five earlier bids had failed.
Saudi ArabiaChosen to host in 2034.
Close calls
Paraguay
Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay will each stage one of the three opening matches of the 2030 World Cup to mark the centenary, before the tournament moves to Morocco, Portugal and Spain, which FIFA names as the hosts. Argentina and Uruguay are on this list for earlier World Cups; Paraguay isn’t counted as a host.
Colombia
Colombia was picked to host in 1986 but pulled out in 1982, saying it couldn’t afford it. Mexico stepped in, and so became the first country to host twice.
England, not the UK
The 1966 World Cup was England’s, since England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland play as separate teams. It is listed here under the United Kingdom, the country.
The Women’s World Cup
This list is of the men’s tournament. The Women’s World Cup, first held in China in 1991, has had its own hosts, among them Australia and New Zealand, who shared it in 2023, and Brazil, which hosts in 2027.
More country lists
- Amazon rainforest countries
- Andean countries
- Arab League member states
- Arctic Ocean countries
- ASEAN member countries
- Atlantic Ocean countries
- Baltic Sea countries
- Black Sea countries
- BRICS member countries
- Caribbean Sea countries
- Commonwealth member countries
- Countries in the Arctic Circle
- Countries in the European Union
- Countries of the former Yugoslavia
- Countries on the Equator
- Countries that drive on the left
- Countries that use the euro
- Countries with a monarch
- Countries with nuclear weapons
- Danube countries
- Former Soviet republics
- G20 member countries
- Indian Ocean countries
- Island nations
- Landlocked countries
- Mediterranean countries
- Mekong countries
- NATO member countries
- OECD member countries
- OPEC member countries
- Pacific Ocean countries
- Persian Gulf countries
- Red Sea countries
- Sahara Desert countries
- Schengen Area countries
- Summer Olympics host countries
- Winter Olympics host countries