There is arguably nothing more prestigious in sport than hosting a World Cup.
Since the tournament's origins in 1930, when Uruguay hosted 16 countries in the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the competition has been held every four years, only interrupted once, to crown the best national team on the planet.
Brazil has won the most World Cups with five, and they have hosted the tournament twice. No nation has hosted more than two tournaments, and five continents have put on at least one World Cup.
The Sporting News looks back at all the previous World Cups, including a full breakdown of which stadiums featured most prominently and how the host nations performed.
MORE: Which clubs have the most players at the 2022 World Cup?
World Cup hosts
The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay, and the tournament has been held every four years since, only paused once for an eight-year period due to World War II.
The first multi-nation World Cup was in 2002, with the event split between Japan and South Korea. The 2026 World Cup held across the United States, Mexico, and Canada will be the second such event.
| Year | Host | Continent | Venues |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Uruguay | South America | 3 |
| 1934 | Italy | Europe | 8 |
| 1938 | France | Europe | 10 |
| 1942 | cancelled | — | — |
| 1946 | cancelled | — | — |
| 1950 | Brazil | South America | 6 |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Europe | 6 |
| 1958 | Sweden | Europe | 12 |
| 1962 | Chile | South America | 4 |
| 1966 | England | Europe | 8 |
| 1970 | Mexico | North America | 5 |
| 1974 | West Germany | Europe | 9 |
| 1978 | Argentina | South America | 6 |
| 1982 | Spain | Europe | 17 |
| 1986 | Mexico | North America | 12 |
| 1990 | Italy | Europe | 12 |
| 1994 | United States | North America | 9 |
| 1998 | France | Europe | 10 |
| 2002 | Japan/ South Korea | Asia | 20 |
| 2006 | Germany | Europe | 12 |
| 2010 | South Africa | Africa | 10 |
| 2014 | Brazil | South America | 12 |
| 2018 | Russia | Europe | 12 |
| 2022 | Qatar | Asia | 8 |
| 2026 | United States/ Mexico/ Canada | North America | 16 |
World Cup hosts and venue breakdown
The World Cup has been the staple event of the global football calendar since its inception in 1930, when Uruguay hosted the inaugural event across three stadiums in Montevideo.
Since then, 18 different countries have hosted World Cup matches, with Qatar the 19th for the 2022 tournament, and Canada the 19th in 2026.
Mexico was the first country to repeat as a World Cup host when it welcomed the tournament for the second time in 1986, and Estadio Azteca became the first stadium to host two World Cup finals. It remains one of only two venues across the globe to have held multiple World Cup finals, alongside Brazil's famous Maracana.
Estadio Azteca has also hosted the most World Cup games, with 19 World Cup matches. It will add to that number in the 2026 World Cup.
World Cup venue breakdown
| Year | Host | Venues | Opening Match | Final | Most games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Uruguay | 3 | Monteviedo (Estadio Pocitos) | Monteviedo (Estadio Centenario) | 10 - Monteviedo (Estadio Centenario) |
| 1934 | Italy | 8 | Eight concurrent opening games | Rome (Stadio Nazionale) | Four venues tied with three games |
| 1938 | France | 10 | Paris (Parc des Princes) | Paris (Stade Olympique) | Two venues tied with three games |
| 1950 | Brazil | 6 | Rio de Janeiro (Estadio do Maracana) | Rio de Janeiro (Estadio do Maracana) | 6 - Rio de Janeiro (Estadio do Maracana) |
| 1954 | Switzerland | 6 | Geneva (Charmilles Stadium) | Bern (Wankdorf Stadium) | 6 - Basel (St. Jakob Stadium) |
| 1958 | Sweden | 12 | Solna (Rasunda Stadium) | Solna (Rasunda Stadium) | 8 - Solna (Rasunda Stadium) |
| 1962 | Chile | 4 | Four concurrent opening games | Santiago (Estadio Nacional) | 11 - Santiago (Estadio Nacional) |
| 1966 | England | 8 | London (Wembley Stadium) | London (Wembley Stadium) | 10 - London (Wembley Stadium) |
| 1970 | Mexico | 5 | Mexico City (Estadio Azteca) | Mexico City (Estadio Azteca) | 10 - Mexico City (Estadio Azteca) |
| 1974 | W. Germany | 9 | West Berlin (Olympiastadion) | Munich (Olympiastadion) | Four venues tied with five games |
| 1978 | Argentina | 6 | Mar del Plata (Estadio Jose Minella) | Buenos Aires (Estadio Monumental) | 9 - Buenos Aires (Estadio Monumental) |
| 1982 | Spain | 17 | Barcelona (Camp Nou) | Madrid (Santiago Bernabeu) | Two venues tied with four games |
| 1986 | Mexico | 12 | Mexico City (Estadio Azteca) | Mexico City (Estadio Azteca) | 9 - Mexico City (Estadio Azteca) |
| 1990 | Italy | 12 | Milan (San Siro) | Rome (Stadio Olimpico) | Two venues tied with six games |
| 1994 | United States | 9 | Chicago (Soldier Field) | Los Angeles (Rose Bowl) | 8 - Los Angeles (Rose Bowl) |
| 1998 | France | 10 | Paris (Stade de France) | Paris (Parc des Princes) | Two venues tied with seven games |
| 2002 | Japan South Korea | 20 | Seoul (Sangam Stadium) | Yokohama (Nissan Stadium) | Four venues tied with four games |
| 2006 | Germany | 12 | Munich (Allianz Arena) | Berlin (Olympiastadion) | Four venues tied with six games |
| 2010 | South Africa | 10 | Johannesburg (FNB Stadium) | Johannesburg (FNB Stadium) | Two venues tied with seven games |
| 2014 | Brazil | 12 | Sao Paulo (Neo Quimica Arena) | Rio de Janeiro (Estadio do Maracana) | Two venues tied with seven games |
| 2018 | Russia | 12 | Moscow (Luzhniki Stadium) | Moscow (Luzhniki Stadium) | Two venues tied with seven games |
| 2022 | Qatar | 8 | Doha (Al Thumama Stadium) | Lusail (Lusail Iconic Stadium) | 10 - Lusail (Lusail Stadium) |
| 2026 | United States Mexico Canada | 16 |
World Cup hosts by continent
European nations have hosted the most World Cups but in recent years, FIFA has clearly made an effort to spread the tournament to other parts of the globe.
The 2022 World Cup is the first-ever World Cup held in the Middle East.
The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will mean that five successive World Cups will all have taken place on different continents.
| Continent | World Cups | Last |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 9 | 2018 (Russia) |
| South America | 5 | 2014 (Brazil) |
| North America | 4 | 1994 (USA)* |
| Asia | 2 | 2022 (Qatar) |
| Africa | 1 | 2010 (South Africa) |
*Scheduled to host the 2026 World Cup
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How do hosts usually perform at the World Cup?
There is a clear home-field advantage when a host nation competes in a FIFA World Cup.
Six times in history a host nation has won the tournament altogether, with the host reaching the final on two other occasions.
Additionally, 12 times a nation's performance at their hosted tournament is on record as their best-ever result in a World Cup. While that hasn't happened recently, performances still show a clear host bump. For example, while Russia's run to the quarterfinals in the 2018 World Cup was not the nation's best World Cup performance (they finished fourth at the 1966 World Cup), it still represented a noticeable over-performance to where they were expected to finish.
| Year | Host | Stage Reached | Defeated By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Uruguay | Won* | — |
| 1934 | Italy | Won* | — |
| 1938 | France | Quarterfinals | Italy |
| 1950 | Brazil | Final | Uruguay |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Quarterfinals* | Austria |
| 1958 | Sweden | Final* | Brazil |
| 1962 | Chile | Third Place(won)* | Brazil |
| 1966 | England | Won* | — |
| 1970 | Mexico | Quarterfinal* | Italy |
| 1974 | W. Germany | Won* | — |
| 1978 | Argentina | Won* | — |
| 1982 | Spain | 2nd Group Stage | W. Germany |
| 1986 | Mexico | Quarterfinals* | W. Germany |
| 1990 | Italy | Third Place (won) | Argentina |
| 1994 | USA | Round of 16 | Brazil |
| 1998 | France | Won* | — |
| 2002 | Japan South Korea | Round of 16* Third Place (lost)* | Turkey Germany & Turkey |
| 2006 | Germany | Third Place (won) | Italy |
| 2010 | South Africa | Group Stage | Uruguay |
| 2014 | Brazil | Third Place (lost) | Germany & Netherlands |
| 2018 | Russia | Quarterfinals | Croatia |
| 2022 | Qatar | Group Stage | Ecuador, Senegal |
* Nation's best result in a World Cup tournament
