With one exception, every World Cup has been hosted by a single country, dating to the 1930 competition, which was played in its entirety in Uruguay. That will change significantly in 2026 with not two co-hosts but three countries taking on hosting duties. Why was this done? How will it change things? Will it be repeated?

History of co-hosted World Cups

The 2002 World Cup was the only prior one that was hosted by more than one country as Japan and South Korea were where those matches were played. That World Cup was split as close to 50-50 as possible as far as where games were scheduled with the opening and third-place matches in South Korea and the final in Japan.

FIFA’s original intent was to have one or the other host it alone before deciding on the then-unique arrangement.

However, this did not end up being a trend as FIFA immediately returned to one host country per World Cup. In fact, for a time, joint bids weren’t even allowed.

Future of co-hosted World Cups

It will be a short wait until the next co-hosted World Cup, and the 2030 edition of this competition will take co-hosting to new levels.

Initially, however, plans weren’t that different from the USA-Canada-Mexico event as Spain, Portugal and Morocco had agreed to join forces, which FIFA approved. Even though that made this the first World Cup to be played on multiple continents, the distance from Morocco to Iberia is short.

What stretched things significantly was the appointment of Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as co-hosts as well, albeit for just one match apiece. Regardless, the event’s now being played in South America too.

Conversely, the 2034 World Cup has been awarded to only one country, Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the bidding process hasn’t yet opened for the 2038 edition of this competition.

Why is the 2026 World Cup being hosted by multiple countries?

In 2016, FIFA stated that co-hosting would be possible for the 2026 World Cup. At the same time, it was communicated that that event’s field may consist of 40 or 48 teams.

Those factors likely went hand in hand since the larger the World Cup gets, the more difficult it will be to have any single country host it alone. That said, all three countries did consider it. In any case, this may become even more of a factor in the future as there have been discussions to expand the number of participants to 66 in 2030.

Also, at the time the decision was made about the 2026 event, FIFA may have liked the optics of these countries working together. In other words, it may have been looking to champion “unity” as this bid was approved and during the competition itself.

Another benefit of co-hosting is that smaller countries can host World Cup matches. For example, it’s unlikely that Canada would have earned the nod as a sole host of this World Cup. And perhaps in 2038 and beyond, similar circumstances will be realized elsewhere in the world. UEFA already did this with Euro 2020 as countries like Azerbaijan and Scotland hosted matches in that competition.

How does a co-hosted World Cup affect teams, fans and others?

The 2026 World Cup being co-hosted will impact teams, fans and others in various ways.

One is that many won’t be able to stay immersed in a single country’s culture. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something that hasn’t happened since 2002.

And note that, in 2002, nobody crossed borders during the group stage – some did after it ended, to start the knockout phase in the opposite country – while the only crossing of borders that occurred during the knockout phase was between the semifinals and the final and third-place match.

Conversely, in 2026, teams will regularly cross borders during the group stage and from one knockout phase round to another. For example, Czechia will play in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 11, in Atlanta on June 18 and in Mexico City on June 24. Meanwhile, a team could travel from Atlanta to Mexico City to Miami Gardens, Fla., as it navigates the first three rounds of the knockout phase.

Of course, simply going through the border-crossing process can add logistical complications that do not exist when the World Cup is being held in one country. Plus, there’s working with multiple currencies, needing to use international roaming or different cellphone-service carriers, embracing varying culinary offerings and so on.

Also, the distances traveled will increase. For example, a World Cup solely hosted by the USA already involves a significant amount of travel for teams and fans, but adding Canada and Mexico to the mix bumps up the miles traveled even more.

An additional effect of a co-hosted World Cup is people in more nations being able to say that the World Cup is coming to their country. And Canada’s and Mexico’s national teams are guaranteed at least three home World Cup matches this summer as well as the USA’s.

Conclusion

The 2026 World Cup is unique in so many ways, and it being played across three countries is one of its more intriguing elements. It’ll be interesting to see how teams as well as fans react to these changes. In any case, Sofascore will, of course, provide statistics and other details about all of these matches, wherever they’re played.