I think three are too many, and, heck two are too many. Hosting means you are exempt from qualifying, and we don’t need more than one country exempt from qualifying. But, the 2026 winning bid now opens the door to whole continents exempt!
Again, as long as not too many new stadiums are built on the backs of slave labor or poor countries’ budgets, I don’t see the issue. Should cut that bid down to Uruguay and Paraguay IMO.
I think we’ve reached the point where mega-events like the World Cup (especially with the expansion in the number of entrants) and Olympics have become so expensive, etc. that multi-country hosting provides a way to make such events viable for a broader range of countries to host.
First, win your Qualifying Group.
For 2026, seeded in Pot 1, you won all of the matches EXCEPT the two vs NOR. That means play-offs. Then, as the top-ranked team in the play-offs, you win one and lose the final in kicks to BOS, the 74th ranked team per FIFA.
In 2022, seeded in Pot 1, you lost zero matches but won one fewer than SUI the top Pot 2 team. That means play-offs. Lost in the semi to North Macedonia, Pot 4 team ranked 65 per FIFA in Nov 2020.
In 2018, you were a Pot 2 team drawn against Spain. That means play-offs. Lost and drew to SWE in home-home.
So, first, get a better draw. Failing that, win the play-off!!
Yup. It will suck for those home countries, too. Here’s hoping that they get an extra day or two, meaning that those matches would be two or three days before the rest of Match 1.