Germany starts exploring bid for hosting another World Cup

ISMANING, GERMANY - MARCH 23: Thomas Müller attends the presentation of the MagentaTV team for the FUFA World Cup 2026 at DMC Production Germany GmbH on March 23, 2026 in Ismaning, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images Soccer fans worldwide are gearing up for the first World Cup tournament with three hosts: United States, Canada, and Mexico. This will be a prelude to the 2030 World Cup that will be hosted by six countries across three continents.

Then there will be an awkward 2034 World Cup hosted by Saudi Arabia, despite the major infrastructure issues highlighted by Qatar’s 2022 bid. Germany is on the fringe of the true contenders in the 2026 World Cup. Current betting odds place Germany between 11:1 and 14:1 to win the tournament, behind the other favorites: Spain, France, England, Brazil, Argentina, and Portugal.

According to SID Sport News (via @iMiaSanMia ), the DFB is interested in hosting another World Cup in Germany, likely to be 2038 or 2042. The Association said today that it is “addressing a World Cup bid insofar as future options are being examined and discussed. ” Germany hosted the 1974 and 2006 World Cup tournaments, also taking home the trophy in 1974.

Germany would become the second country to host a third World cup, joining Mexico. Given FIFA’s recent bias toward unique bids, including first-time hosts or multi-country bids, it seems unlikely that a straight Germany bid would be sufficient. A joint bid with some combination of Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, or Italy sounds more appropriate to offer some shock value that would outweigh competition from Oceania or CONCACAF.