Table of Contents
- So, does the World Cup host qualify automatically?
- Why is this the case?
- What happens when there’s more than one host nation?
- Does the host nation always play the opening World Cup game?
- Does the World Cup-winning team qualify automatically?
- Do any other nations get a free pass into the World Cup?
- Recap: Does the World Cup host qualify automatically?
You might have turned off your TV last week to see Qatar featuring in the opening game of this World Cup and thought: “I didn’t know Qatar had a good soccer team”.
It’d be unfair to judge how good Qatar is in the early stages of this tournament, but they are participating in it regardless.
Did Qatar qualify for this World Cup? Have host nations always been involved in World Cups? Let’s look at the history of World Cup hosts and what they need to do to play in tournaments.
So, does the World Cup host qualify automatically?
Yes, these days, the World Cup host nation qualifies automatically for the FIFA World Cup.
Qatar, as host of the current World Cup, didn’t have to go through the qualifying process to participate in this event.
The only time a host nation has ever had to qualify for a tournament was in 1934. Italy qualified for the tournament they were hosting and became eventual winners of the event, the first European side to lift the World Cup trophy.
In 1930, there were fewer applicants to participate in the tournament than desired, so host nation Uruguay entered without having to qualify but may have had to do so had there been more than 16 applicant nations.
It used to be the case that the winners of the previous tournament also qualify for the next World Cup, but this no longer applies.
Why is this the case?
The hosts automatically qualify for World Cups because of tradition and the amount of money the country has spent organizing the event.
Hosting a World Cup is expensive. It feels fair to offer a place to the host nations for putting together such an event at a great expense, despite potentially recouping a lot of that capital.
If the existing infrastructure isn’t sufficient, it will cost an eye-watering sum of money to build stadia and transport links suitable to host a World Cup.
For instance, Qatar has spent approximately $220 billion on this World Cup, far exceeding any other host nation. This is partly because there wasn’t much in place to host a big event like this beforehand, unlike other former hosts like the USA, Germany, or France.
Many neutrals love seeing the passion involved with supporters in the stadiums watching their side hosting a World Cup.
Whether it’s the colors and emotions of Brazilians in 2014, the noise and flair of South African support four years prior, the exposure to soccer that the USA ‘94 tournament provided, and the blend of different host cultures in one World Cup such as in 2002, it’s easy to see why so many people enjoy keeping an eye on the home sides in World Cups, justifying FIFA’s reason to include them automatically.
What happens when there’s more than one host nation?
So far, the only World Cup to have multiple hosts was the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea, both of which qualified for the tournament automatically.
Despite not sharing a land border, the nations are near each other, both have excellent transport infrastructure, and the tournament organizers did a good job of keeping sides in one country during the early stages of the tournament.
Although the final decision is not yet confirmed, it’s widely expected that all three of the USA, Canada, and Mexico will qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup because they are host nations.
Also, it’s important to remember that in the 2026 World Cup, there will be 48 competing sides for the first time. This increase could be why FIFA president Gianni Infantino has all but approved participation for the three host nations: the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Therefore, proportionately, the same percentage of host nations fill spots for this tournament that did in the 2002 World Cup.
The awarding of the 2026 World Cup to the aforementioned North American nations could serve as a watershed moment for combined bids.
If there are any doubts regarding their infrastructure when hosting a World Cup, joining two or three others nations to enhance their appeal and odds could make the bid much more attractive.
FIFA could restrict the number of host nations who automatically qualify if there are 4+ nations involved in a single bid. For example, in 2030, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland expressed interest in jointly bidding for the tournament.
If all of them automatically qualify, other nations will complain that this is unfair as it limits the number of teams who can reach the tournament on merit because of reduced qualification spots.
FIFA will need to decide how to handle this should they ever award 4+ teams a World Cup in the future.
Does the host nation always play the opening World Cup game?
The last five tournaments have seen the host nations involved in the opening game. Prior to this, it was often the case that the holders would play in the first game.
For instance, in 1998, the opening game was Brazil versus Scotland, despite France hosting the tournament. Back then, the previous winners would play the first game instead of the hosts, which is why Brazil was involved following their success in the 1994 World Cup.
Since 2006, the hosts have played the first game of the tournament. That edition saw Germany overcome Costa Rica 4-2 in a stunning contest in Munich.
Does the World Cup-winning team qualify automatically?
The winners of the previous World Cup no longer automatically qualify for the following World Cup.
France was the last nation to gain entry to the following edition of the finals as holders. In 1998, they won the trophy on home soil and competed in the 2002 World Cup without having to qualify.
However, Les Bleus were humiliated in Japan and South Korea, picking up just one point from their three group games.
So far, no team has failed to reach the next tournament after winning the previous World Cup.
Curiously, Uruguay boycotted the 1934 World Cup in Italy because so few European sides sailed to South America to participate in the 1930 tournament that Uruguay hosted.
Do any other nations get a free pass into the World Cup?
Typically, only host nations or holders have qualified automatically for World Cups.
Interestingly, not a single side qualified for the 1930 World Cup, the first edition of the tournament.
Back then, international travel was expensive and arduous, so it wasn’t feasible for many European sides to travel to Uruguay, where the tournament was held.
FIFA wanted 16 sides to compete in the inaugural event, but that figure wasn’t reached, so the tournament went ahead with fewer sides than desired, none of which needed to qualify.
Recap: Does the World Cup host qualify automatically?
Tournament rules and formats are tweaked occasionally, but since 1938, the host nation has always been granted a place at the FIFA World Cup.
We’ll have to wait and see if Qatar puts on a successful show both on the pitch and off it.