For the country that invented the modern game and boasts some of the world’s most iconic stadiums – just think of the homes of Liverpool, Manchester United and City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton, Newcastle, to name but a few – England’s World Cup hosting record is surprisingly sparse. The tournament has visited the nation just once, back in 1966, when Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy at Wembley after England’s famous victory over West Germany.

Since then, football has changed dramatically. The Premier League has become the richest domestic competition in the world, stadiums have been rebuilt to world-class standards, and England has repeatedly demonstrated it can host major international events. Yet the FIFA World Cup has never returned.

The reason clearly has little to do with infrastructure and everything to do with politics, geography and FIFA’s rotation system. Some critics may also hint at something more sinister.

Why hasn’t England hosted another World Cup?

For decades, FIFA has deliberately spread the World Cup across different continents rather than repeatedly awarding it to traditional football powers.

After England hosted in 1966, the tournament travelled to Mexico, Germany, Argentina, Spain, Italy, the United States, France, Japan and South Korea, Germany again, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, Qatar and, most recently, the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.

England has really attempted to bring the tournament back.

Its bid for the 1990 World Cup lost to Italy, while a planned challenge for 2006 was withdrawn after it became clear Germany had overwhelming support. The biggest disappointment came with the bid for the 2018 tournament.

Despite presenting one of the strongest technical proposals, England received just two votes from FIFA’s Executive Committee before Russia was selected as host. The process later became overshadowed by corruption investigations that rocked FIFA, although no wrongdoing was ever attributed to England’s campaign.

Since then, the Football Association has focused on other major tournaments, helping bring UEFA Euro 2028 to the UK and Ireland.

When could England host the World Cup again?

The next edition of the World Cup, in 2030, will be staged primarily in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three centenary opening matches taking place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. If that’s new news to you, allow us to explain.

Under FIFA’s current rotation rules, confederations that host a World Cup are generally excluded from bidding for the following two tournaments. The 2034 edition has already been awarded to Saudi Arabia.

If FIFA applies that policy strictly, UEFA’s involvement in 2030 could make a European host for 2038 unlikely – although Germany and France are plotting – potentially leaving North America as the favourite.

However, many observers believe the rotation rules could yet be interpreted differently because South America is only staging three opening matches rather than co-hosting the entire tournament. FIFA has also shown flexibility with hosting formats in recent years, making it difficult to predict exactly how the bidding process for 2038 will unfold.

Should UEFA become eligible, England would almost certainly rank among the favourites.

The country already possesses nearly every requirement FIFA looks for: modern stadiums, excellent transport links, vast hotel capacity and a proven record of delivering global sporting events.

Hosting Euro 2028 will only strengthen that case by providing another successful tournament on England’s résumé, even though UEFA competitions have no formal bearing on FIFA’s World Cup selection process.

If 2038 proves impossible because of the rotation system, then 2042 may represent England’s clearest opportunity. By then, more than three-quarters of a century will have passed since the country last welcomed the World Cup.

‘It’s coming home’ may echo around England every major tournament, but returning the World Cup itself has depended less on results on the pitch than decisions made in FIFA’s corridors of power.

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