According to German sports channel ARD, the German Football Association (DFB) plans to wait for the power struggle surrounding FIFA President Gianni Infantino to end before proceeding with its bid to host the 2038 or 2042 World Cup. DFB Vice President Hans-Joachim Watzke stated that these efforts will only be meaningful after a new FIFA president is elected.
The FIFA presidential election is scheduled for the FIFA Congress in March 2027. UEFA is currently demanding Infantino's resignation and is preparing to file criminal charges against him in Switzerland. This comes against the backdrop of Infantino's involvement in a now-defunct plan to sell a portion of the rights to major international tournaments to private investors, including individuals close to US President Donald Trump.
The German Football Association had previously discussed hosting the FIFA World Cup finals in Germany for the third time, following 2006 and 1974. According to current FIFA regulations, the 48 participating teams require 14 stadiums with a capacity of at least 40,000. Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne, Hamburg, Hannover, Werder Bremen, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, Kaiserslautern, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Munich, and Stuttgart are all considered as candidate host cities.
Watzke stated that, apart from Germany, few countries can host a World Cup with 48 teams. He indicated that Germany would not need to demolish or rebuild its stadiums after the tournament, and its existing infrastructure would remain intact, making the event more sustainable. However, it remains unclear whether the World Cup will continue with 48 teams or expand to 64 teams in the future.
According to the current arrangements, the 2030 World Cup has been jointly hosted by Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while the 2034 World Cup has been confirmed to be held in Saudi Arabia.
