Who has hosted previous World Cups?

Source: Alamy Stock Photo

Who has hosted previous editions of the World Cup? Learn the nations that have held the World Cup in years gone by and which teams won during each tournament.

Over the course of all previous World Cups, there have been 18 different host nations. But which have held the most tournaments? Who won each edition of the tournament? And does being a host nation help a nation’s chances of winning the competition?

Read on to learn more about the host nations for each FIFA World Cup edition and the countries that have hosted multiple tournaments! Alternatively, if you think this is going to be a tournament to remember, why not dive straight into the latest World Cup betting odds for all the matches as they unfold.

How many World Cup tournaments have been held?

From the first tournament in 1930 to the most recent in 2022, there have been a total of 22 World Cups held. The competition was first hosted by Uruguay for the inaugural edition and most recently by Qatar, where we witnessed one of the best World Cup finals ever.

List of World Cup tournaments

Below is a list of World Cup tournaments, the nations that hosted them, and which countries won the competition:

As you can see by the list, the hosts have only managed to win their respective tournaments on six occasions out of 22. This occurred with Uruguay (1930), Italy (1934), England (1966), West Germany (1974), Argentina (1978), and France (1998).

With this being the case, it doesn’t show a strong correlation between hosting the tournament and achieving success. However, it must also be noted that some host nations were not among the top competitors in world football at the time they held the competition.

Countries who’ve hosted multiple World Cup editions

Though not common, some nations have managed to host more than one edition of the World Cup. Out of the 18 different countries that have hosted the tournament, only five have hosted more than once. This includes Italy (1934, 1990), France (1938, 1998), Brazil (1950, 2014), Mexico (1970, 1986), and Germany (1974, 2006). Notably, though, no nation has hosted more than twice.

With the 2026 World Cup set to be in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, this will change. The USA will join the list as a multiple-time World Cup host and Mexico will add a third tournament to their tally.

Similarly, in the 2030 tournament, Spain are co-hosts so will also add their names to this list of repeat World Cup tournament hosts.

How often does the World Cup host win the tournament?

The World Cup host has won the tournament on six separate occasions – though, it’s not happened in nearly 20 years, with France ’98 representing the last example. Other instances include Uruguay and Italy hosting and winning the first two World Cup tournaments, respectively, England taking glory in 1966, West Germany winning in ’74, and Argentina enjoying a victorious summer of 1978.

History isn’t on America’s side here, so you might want to consider the wider range of World Cup winner odds if you’re hoping to pick a favourite!