Which countries have hosted the most World Cups?

Hosting a World Cup is a complex process, which is not always without hitches. Let Qatar tell you that.

The country had its selection shrouded in a series of controversies, such as accusations of corruption and violations of human rights.

Nevertheless, Qatar was the country that received the highest number of votes from the confederations associated with FIFA, and therefore won.

Counting from 1930 to 2026, 16 countries have been responsible for organising the biggest football tournament worldwide. Any idea who they are?

Up to today, Mexico, Italy, France, Germany and Brazil are the only ones to host the event more than once.

Only Azteca Stadium in Mexico and the Maracanã in Brazil have celebrated more than one FIFA World Cup final.

For the 2030 World Cup, the selection process is still in progress. And, as incredible as it may seem, there is already speculation about 2034, with China entering as a strong candidate.

Below, from largest to smallest, are the countries that have hosted the most World Cups. It is worth noting that in 2002 (South Korea and Japan) and 2026 (USA, Mexico and Canada) the tournament was and will be split between nations.

Mexico - 1970, 1986 and 2026

Germany - 1974 and 2006

Brazil - 1950 and 2014

United States - 1994 and 2026

France - 1938 and 1998

Italy - 1934 and 1990

South Africa - 2010

Argentina - 1978

Canada - 2026

Qatar - 2022

Chile - 1962

South Korea and Japan - 2002

Spain - 1982

England - 1966

Russia - 2018

Sweden - 1958

Switzerland - 1954

Uruguay - 1930

If we consider continents, the ranking looks like this:

Europe (11): 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1990, 1998, 2006 and 2018

South America (5): 1930, 1950, 1962, 1978 and 2014

North America (4): 1970, 1986, 1994 and 2026

– Asia (2): 2002 and 2022

– Africa (1): 2010