France eyes 2038 World Cup bid, Diallo confirms talks

France is seriously considering bidding to host the 2038 World Cup. Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, confirmed that the matter is under review, mentioning a possible partnership with Germany.

“It’s a subject for reflection,” Diallo admitted, before adding: “But at 48 (nations competing), we can no longer organize it alone. Look at the United States…” On the prospect of a France-Germany partnership, he was more direct: “It’s a partner that would make sense.”

FIFA’s logic of continental rotation favors this bid. After the 2026 World Cup in North America, the 2030 tournament will be co-hosted by Europe (Spain, Portugal), Africa (Morocco) and South America (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay for symbolic centenary matches). Saudi Arabia will then host the 2034 edition in Asia. The cycle would naturally return to Europe in 2038.

A French bid would coincide with the fortieth anniversary of the 1998 triumph, the first and only World Cup title won by Les Bleus on home soil. A partnership with Germany would take on particular symbolic significance: 2038 will mark the centenary of the end of World War II.

The 48-team format, adopted since 2026, makes co-hosting virtually unavoidable for European nations, whose stadiums and distances between cities do not allow them to absorb such a volume of matches alone. The United States, Canada and Mexico showed the way in 2026 with a three-country host model.

No official bid has yet been submitted to FIFA, and the allocation process for 2038 has not yet been launched. Diallo’s remarks nevertheless signal that the reflection has moved beyond wishful thinking within the federation.