The 2026 World Cup is now history. Spain concluded its incredible campaign by winning the world title against Argentina and international football is already looking ahead to its next great cycle. The 2030 and 2034 editions have already been allocated, which naturally makes 2038 the next huge meeting available. In this context, the rumor of a French candidacy is gaining momentum. The Parisian revealed that the hypothesis of a joint file with Germany is gaining ground in political and sporting circles, while Sports Minister Marina Ferrari confirmed that this possibility existed in the discussions without any decision being made yet. France has a major argument after having completed Euro 2016, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the 2030 Winter Olympic Games. This succession of events has allowed the country to demonstrate its organizational and logistical capacity. Now the real question remains. Does France really have the infrastructure necessary to convince FIFA without the support of its German neighbor while the competition continues to grow and a move to 64 selections now seems to be an increasingly credible hypothesis in international bodies.
The answer does not depend solely on the quality of the French organization. FIFA’s criteria have become particularly demanding over the last few editions. A candidate country must present a dense network of modern stadiums, considerable hotel capacities, efficient transport infrastructure, training centers spread across the entire territory as well as extremely solid financial and security guarantees. The latest World Cups have shown that FIFA now favors candidates capable of offering around fifteen high-level stadiums in order to spread out the matches and absorb an ever-busier schedule. In 2026, sixteen venues have been selected in three countries while Saudi Arabia is planning fifteen stadiums for 2034 despite being organized alone. France already has an important base thanks to the legacy of Euro 2016, which had profoundly modernized its equipment with brand new or completely renovated enclosures in Saint-Denis, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Bordeaux, Lens, Saint-Étienne, Toulouse, Paris and even DĂ©cines in the Lyon suburbs. This heritage constitutes a considerable asset, but it will probably have to be strengthened if FIFA definitively validates a 64-team World Cup which would further increase the number of matches, delegations and supporters to be hosted. And it’s a real fixed idea since Philippe Diallo’s FFF plans to support Gianni Infantino in his re-election.
Inventory still limited in stadium
If France were to host the World Cup alone tomorrow, its inventory appears solid but still limited for a competition expected to grow. The Stade de France, the Orange VĂ©lodrome, the Groupama Stadium, the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, the Parc des Princes, the Matmut Atlantique and the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium all exceed the 40,000 seat mark. Behind them, several venues remain slightly below with the Stadium in Toulouse, the Allianz Riviera in Nice, the Bollaert-Delelis stadium in Lens, the Meinau in Strasbourg currently under reconstruction, the Roazhon Park in Rennes or even the Beaujoire in Nantes which could cross this threshold thanks to targeted work. On paper, France could quickly have a dozen stadiums meeting international standards. On the other hand, if FIFA ultimately imposes a 64-team tournament with more host cities and an unprecedented volume of matches, it would probably be necessary to launch several extensions or build a new large venue in order to reach the level of the world’s largest bids. It is precisely on this point that Germany remains ahead of the game today with a much denser pool of large stadiums already adapted to very large-scale international competitions.
France nevertheless has serious arguments to believe in an independent candidacy. Its recent experience in organizing major events, the recognized quality of its transport, its tourist attractiveness and the legacy left by Euro 2016 as well as the Olympic Games constitute an extremely credible base. However, if the World Cup continues its expansion, the question of stadiums will quickly become the main weak point of the French file. A joint application with Germany would immediately offer a response to this problem by bringing together one of the best networks of speakers in Europe with French organizational know-how, especially to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the end of the First World War. A solo bid therefore remains possible but it would require a new cycle of investments in several large stadiums in order to convince FIFA that France can absorb alone a tournament set to break all participation and attendance records. To date, the ambition appears credible. It will only be truly competitive if the country agrees to undertake a new modernization of its sporting heritage before officially submitting its application.
