World Cup Host Nations Listed

It is common knowledge that for many years, the process for selecting host nations was flawed. Voting was increasingly not about what was fair or even good for the game, but was politically and strategically led. 

In that environment, nations that lacked sufficient influence were left in the cold. FIFA had an unfair system, the sort that self serving humans specialise in. The unevenness of it all is seen in the history shown below. While some effort has been made to address the way hosting rights are granted, underlying negative issues of how such decisions are made remain. 

The yellow side below shows the year the tournament was - or will be - held, the number of participating countries, and the host or hosts. The 2030 WC will also feature Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, who will each hold opening celebration matches to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup.  

The 2034 event is already earmarked for Asia, with Saudi Arabia as the host nation. It will not be shared, which is surprising, considering 48 nations will be participating. Several new stadiums will be built to accommodate the number of teams involved.  

The blue side shows the inequality starkly. Mexico first hosted in 1970 and has now done so on three occasions. The USA is a twice holder since 1994 and Spain will soon become a second time host, the first time in 1982. The USA has offered to host the 2038 tournament, saying it could handle the possible 64 nation competition. 

It's good to see more recently many first time nations, from Portugal down to Russia. On the negative side,  Argentina (not since 1978) and England - inexplicably back at 1966 - have been overlooked. Those before them are smaller nations that could at best piggyback on larger hosts. 

England, Netherlands and Scotland would be a good mix. Close proximity, two that have never hosted before and one that is well overdue. Am I holding my breath? No. Some negative issues remain. 

Football World Cup Group Standings: 2026

Twelve groups and forty eight teams. Thirty two qualifying for the next round. All the teams that achieved four points or more qualified as well as Senegal, the lone three point team. With more teams and more qualifying for the next round, there will be more positives. 

Positive surprises: 

Canada had by far their best ever tournament, two lasts and now through.
Bosnia-Herzegovina also through for the first time on a second attempt.
Egypt has much the same record as Canada, three lasts and now qualifying. 
Scotland's equal best tournament, but still no play off place. 
Cape Verde's first tournament and into the play offs!

Negative surprises:

South Korea don't have a great WC history, but I'm sure they will be disappointed. 
Uruguay has won WCs, but Cape Verde outperformed them. 
Turkey rarely make WC's but this was their worst of three.
Italy has now missed its third consecutive WC, despite a fine history at them!

Highest World Cup Scorers (Women)

In the history of the Football World Cup for women, eleven players have reached or exceeded ten goals scored. None have scored more than one goal per match played (as of 2023).

Because the women's game hasn't had the history of the men's, I was expecting fewer in the top ten. However, it has been around long enough for players to participate in many tournaments so I don't know why I thought that.

Highest World Cup Scorers (Men)

In the history of the Football World Cup, only ten players have exceeded ten goals scored. Only three of those have scored more than one goal per match played (as of 02/07/2026).

The top two on the list are still playing. I'm surprised that Messi has one of the lowest average goals per game. Mbappe will surely pass him sooner or later, with youth on his side. C.Ronaldo has the lowest strike rate here, which is surprising. 

Kane is making a charge, but still some way back. Below the listed players, there are not many still donning their boots and eligible to be added to this list if they go on a late scoring spree.

Japan: Clubs Ranked - 1965 to 2025 (Updated)

Football's evolution in Japan has been gradual. A semi professional Japan Soccer League started in 1965, moving on to the fully professional J League in 1993. 

The Emperor Cup is the longest competition but I decided to start counting from 1965 in line with the Japan Soccer League's inception. The JSL Cup started from the 1970's and it also became the J League Cup in 1993.  

Before the J League, clubs were connected to companies and carried their names too. When the J League was initiated, most club names were changed and they are the ones used here. 

Some clubs have been introduced during this period under consideration and a few have folded. With the introduction of the professional J League, the amount of success a club enjoyed changed too. So no club really dominates the list above. 

The chart to the right / top shows points for the Japanese domestic competition (Jap) and then includes Asia (Tot). The points are: J League (Division 1) the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The Emperor Cup competitions 4 and 2 points for the finalists only.  The JSL Cup is 3 and 1 points. The Asia Club Championship is 8, 4 and 2 points. The Asian CC includes 2026. 

For the J League (plus JSL) the most successful club is the Urawa Red Diamonds and a more recently successful club the Kashmiri Antlers second. The Yokohama Marinos are also proving competitive. Vissel Kobe won on 2023 and 2034. The Kashima Antlers are the current champions won in 2020 and 2021, the Yokohama F Marinos 2022 and Vissel Kobe in 2023. Most recent winners are the Kashima Antlers.

The Emperor's Cup dates back to 1921 but I only counted from 1965 when the sport was getting more professional. The Urawa Red Diamonds is the most successful with eight wins in twelve finals appearances since 1965. They last won in 2021. Recently the more successful clubs historically have not done so well. The Machiva Zelvia are the current holders. 

The J League Cup is not old (mid 1970's) so the points are not high. It's the equivalent of the league Cup in England. The Kashmira Antlers and Tokyo Verdy have each won it six times. As with the Emperor's Cup, the more successful clubs historically are not doing so well. The current holders is the Sanfrecce Hiroshima club.

The Asia Club Championship started in earnest in the 1985-86 season. Of the 38 times it has been held, Japanese clubs have won it on eight different occasions. They have also been losing finalists seven times. 

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club, divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk) which gives their place compared to all the other clubs. Any suggestions? Please leave a comment. 

Kantō covers Tokyo and the surrounding area so there is no surprise it has won 62.3% of all points among Japanese clubs. Kansai is two regions down from there and is next (15.5%). Chūbu is between them and third with 11.2%. The south is whatever is below Chūbu (9.8) and the north is above Kantō.