FIFA World Cup: 16 cities to host 2026 edition; 5 potential bids in for 2030

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The recently-concluded Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar came to a spectacular conclusion on December 18, with Argentina becoming the champions of the world.

All eyes are now turned toward the future editions of the world's biggest tournament.

The Fifa World Cup 2026 will be the first since the tournament's inception in 1930 to have 48 teams competing with each other, as opposed to the long-time 32-team format.

The 2026 edition, also called "United 2026", will be jointly hosted by 3 North American countries — the United States, Canada (for the first time), and Mexico — another first for the world of football. The 16 cities in which matches will be held were revealed in June 2022.

According to a report by The Economic Times, the three countries won the bid to host the tournament in 2018, after a majority of Fifa’s congress voted in favour of these nations against Morocco.

The 2030 edition of the World Cup will be doubly special, for it marks a century since the very first edition of the world's biggest tournament in 1930.

According to a report by The Athletic, although the hosting nations for this will be finalised only in 2024, a number of bidders have come to the forefront:

A joint bid between Spain and Portugal, with conflict-ridden Ukraine joining the bid, despite being located very far away from both the Iberian nations.
A four-way South American (CONMEBOL) bid — Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile — honouring the roots of the tournament, since the 1930 edition was hosted by Uruguay. However, none of these nations have made a formal announcement on the matter.
An unconfirmed tri-continental bid among Egypt, Greece, and Saudi Arabia.
Morocco, which has bid unsuccessfully over the years, may enter a joint bid with neighbours Tunisia and Algeria.
A potential three-way bid between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.