Editing FIFA World Cup (section)

=== Selection process ===
[[File:World cup hosts.png|thumb|upright=1.81|A map of FIFA World Cup final hosts, 1930–2022. Green: once; dark green: twice; light green: planned]]
Early World Cups were given to countries at meetings of FIFA's congress. The locations were controversial because South America and Europe were by far the two centres of strength in football and travel between them required three weeks by boat. The decision to hold the [[1930 FIFA World Cup|first World Cup]] in Uruguay, for example, led to only four European nations competing.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/history/newsid_1632000/1632201.stm |title=Uruguay 1930 |work=BBC Sport |date=11 April 2002 |access-date=13 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031122125127/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/history/newsid_1632000/1632201.stm |archive-date=22 November 2003 |url-status=live}}</ref> The next two World Cups were both held in Europe. The decision to hold the second of these in France was disputed, as the South American countries understood that the location would alternate between the two continents. Both Argentina and Uruguay thus boycotted the [[1938 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/history/newsid_1632000/1632206.stm |title=France 1938 |work=BBC Sport |date=17 April 2002 |access-date=13 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031122125158/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/history/newsid_1632000/1632206.stm |archive-date=22 November 2003 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Since the [[1958 FIFA World Cup]], to avoid future boycotts or controversy, FIFA began a pattern of alternating the hosts between the Americas and Europe, which continued until the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]]. The [[2002 FIFA World Cup]], hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan, was the first one held in Asia, and the first tournament with multiple hosts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/2002/world_cup/news/2002/06/03/au_asia_rb/ |title=Asia takes World Cup center stage |date=3 June 2002 |publisher=CNN |access-date=1 January 2008 |archive-date=1 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401144059/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/2002/world_cup/news/2002/06/03/au_asia_rb/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup in [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]]. The [[2014 FIFA World Cup]] was hosted by Brazil, the first held in South America since [[1978 FIFA World Cup|Argentina 1978]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7068848.stm |title=Brazil will stage 2014 World Cup |date=10 October 2007 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=1 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031095538/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7068848.stm |archive-date=31 October 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> and was the first occasion where consecutive World Cups were held outside Europe.<ref>{{cite news |title=World Cup 2014: All you need to know about Brazil finals |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/24518819 |access-date=6 October 2020 |work=BBC Sport |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712154826/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/24518819 |archive-date=12 July 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Russia 2018 World Cup.jpeg|thumb|Russian delegates celebrate being chosen as the host of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]]]]
The host country is now chosen in a vote by FIFA's Council. This is done under an [[exhaustive ballot]] system. The national football association of a country desiring to host the event receives a "Hosting Agreement" from FIFA, which explains the steps and requirements that are expected from a strong bid. The bidding association also receives a form, the submission of which represents the official confirmation of the candidacy. After this, a FIFA designated group of inspectors visit the country to identify that the country meets the requirements needed to host the event and a report on the country is produced. The decision on who will host the World Cup is usually made six or seven years in advance of the tournament. There have been occasions where the hosts of multiple future tournaments were announced at the same time, as was the case for the [[2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids|2018 and 2022 World Cups]], which were awarded to [[Russia]] and [[Qatar]], with Qatar becoming the first Middle Eastern country to host the tournament.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/02/england-russia-win-2018-world-cup |title=England beaten as Russia win 2018 World Cup bid |date=2 December 2010 |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=8 September 2017 |first=Owen |last=Gibson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308044324/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/02/england-russia-win-2018-world-cup |archive-date=8 March 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/02/qatar-win-2022-world-cup-bid |title=Qatar win 2022 World Cup bid |date=2 December 2010 |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=8 September 2017 |first=Jamie |last=Jackson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005083825/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/02/qatar-win-2022-world-cup-bid |archive-date=5 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

For the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the final tournament was rotated between confederations, allowing only countries from the chosen confederation (Africa in 2010, South America in 2014) to bid to host the tournament. The rotation policy was introduced after the [[FIFA World Cup hosts#2006 FIFA World Cup|controversy]] surrounding Germany's victory over South Africa in the vote to host the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 tournament]]. However, the policy of continental rotation did not continue beyond 2014, so any country, except those belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments, can apply as hosts for World Cups starting from [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/russia2018/organisation/media/newsid=625122/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324161949/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/russia2018/organisation/media/newsid=625122/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 March 2013 |title=Rotation ends in 2018 |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |work=FIFA.com |date=29 October 2007 |access-date=30 March 2013}}</ref> This is partly to avoid a similar scenario to the bidding process for the 2014 tournament, where Brazil was the only official bidder.<ref>Collett, Mike (30 October 2007), [https://web.archive.org/web/20180704215911/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-world-brazil-idUKL3026608120071030 “Brazil officially named 2014 World Cup hosts”]. . Reuters. Retrieved 6 July 2018</ref>

The [[2026 FIFA World Cup]] was chosen to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first time a World Cup has been shared by three host nations.<ref name="World Cup26">{{cite news |title=World Cup 2026: Canada, US & Mexico joint bid wins right to host tournament |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44464913 |access-date=13 June 2018 |agency=BBC Sport |date=13 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613145402/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44464913 |archive-date=13 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The 2026 tournament will be the biggest World Cup ever held, with 48 teams playing 104 matches. Sixty matches will take place in the US, including all matches from the quarter-finals onward, while Canada and Mexico will host 10 games each.<ref name="World Cup26" />