The story of how the FIFA World Cup finds a home in 2038 may involve one of the most ambitious hosting arrangements ever conceived — a transpacific coalition spanning the United States, New Zealand, and potentially Fiji.

The road to 2038

The FIFA World Cup has already shattered convention. The 2026 edition in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the first to span three nations, while the 2030 tournament — shared between Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with centenary matches in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay — effectively becomes a six-host event to mark 100 years since Uruguay staged the inaugural finals.

Saudi Arabia will host 2034, a bid that advanced with little resistance once FIFA's confederation rotation policy cleared the field. That same rotation rule — which requires two tournaments to pass before a confederation can host again — now complicates the picture for 2038. With the AFC on the sideline after 2034, and UEFA, CAF, and CONMEBOL all locked out of consecutive hosting windows, the realistic options narrow sharply to Oceania or a return to CONCACAF.

New Zealand's creative pitch