France eyes 2038 World Cup, 100 years on

The idea on the table

According to Foot Mercato, the FFF is exploring a co-hosting bid with Germany's DFB for the 2038 World Cup. The pitch writes itself: 1938 was the last World Cup held on French soil before the tournament ballooned into the global product it is now, and landing the 2038 edition would put France back at the centre of it exactly 100 years on.

FFF president Philippe Diallo is named in the report as the figure behind the discussions, and has confirmed the interest to After Foot. What is clear is that this is still at the exploratory stage rather than anything close to a formal candidacy.

Why Germany makes sense as a partner

Pairing with Germany isn't just about splitting costs. Germany hosted a hugely praised World Cup in 2006 and has the stadium infrastructure, the transport links and the fan culture to make a joint bid genuinely competitive rather than sentimental. Two federations with existing top-tier venues, in neighbouring countries, cuts down the infrastructure argument that usually sinks ambitious co-hosting proposals.

It also fits a pattern FIFA has leaned into recently: 2026 is split across the USA, Mexico and Canada, and multi-nation bids have become the norm rather than the exception for tournaments this size. A France-Germany ticket would be smaller in scale than that, but the logic of shared load is the same.

What's still missing

The report doesn't specify whether Germany has formally signed off on joining France in a bid, nor does it lay out a timeline for when an official announcement might come. It also isn't clear yet whether other nations are circling 2038, which matters given how far in advance World Cup hosting races now start.

For now, there's no confirmed sign-off from the DFB and no timeline attached to any of it, just Diallo's acknowledgement that the conversation is happening.