Humanities › Geography FIFA World Cup Host Countries From 1930 to 2026 Print dabldy / Getty Images Geography Basics Physical Geography Political Geography Population Country Information Key Figures & Milestones Maps Urban Geography By Matt Rosenberg Matt Rosenberg Geography Expert M.A., Geography, California State University - Northridge B.A., Geography, University of California - Davis Matt Rosenberg is an award-winning geographer and the author of "The Handy Geography Answer Book" and "The Geography Bee Complete Preparation Handbook." Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on August 04, 2019 Held every four years, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup is held in a different host country. The World Cup is the major international soccer (football) competition, consisting of the nationally recognized men's soccer team from each country. The World Cup has been held in a host country every four years since 1930, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 due to the Second World War. FIFA's executive committee selects the host country for each FIFA World Cup. The 2018 and 2022 World Cup host countries, Russia and Qatar respectively, were selected by the FIFA executive committee on December 2, 2010. On June 13, 2018, the 2026 host was selected through a new process, the open votes of all FIFA member countries. Read More Cities and the Quest to Host the Olympics Games By Matt Rosenberg Note that the World Cup is held in even-numbered years that are the interval years of the Summer Olympic Games (although the World Cup now matches the four-year cycle of the Winter Olympic Games). Also, unlike the Olympic Games, the World Cup is hosted by a country and not a specific city, as is the Olympic Games. The following is a listing of the FIFA World Cup host countries from 1930 to 2026. World Cup Host Countries 1930 - Uruguay1934 - Italy1938 - France1942 - Canceled due to World War II1946 - Canceled due to World War II1950 - Brazil1954 - Switzerland1958 - Sweden1962 - Chile1966 - United Kingdom1970 - Mexico1974 - West Germany (now Germany)1978 - Argentina1982 - Spain1986 - Mexico1990 - Italy1994 - United States1998 - France2002 - South Korea and Japan2006 - Germany2010 - South Africa2014 - Brazil2018 - Russia2022 - Qatar2026 - North America (united bid by Canada, Mexico, and the United States) Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Rosenberg, Matt. "FIFA World Cup Host Countries From 1930 to 2026." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/world-cup-host-countries-1434492. Rosenberg, Matt. (2020, August 28). FIFA World Cup Host Countries From 1930 to 2026. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/world-cup-host-countries-1434492 Rosenberg, Matt. "FIFA World Cup Host Countries From 1930 to 2026." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/world-cup-host-countries-1434492 (accessed March 28, 2024). copy citation