World Cup 2018 & 2022 Hosts: 10 Best Replacements

Should Russia and Qatar lose their hosting rights, a number of nations could step in.

By Jack G King /

The World Cup has survived a rocky beginning, several last-minute rearrangements and a world war, yet now looks to be in more jeopardy than ever. The recent FIFA arrests and subsequent allegations of corruption have rocked football to its very core, throwing the fate of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments into serious danger. Should it emerge that Russia and Qatar gained the right to host their respective World Cups via nefarious means (a revelation which would surely shock nobody at this stage), demand for the competitions to be re-assigned would be immense. The scramble would then begin to find a suitable nation to host either competition - but which are best suited in the event of such a logistical emergency? Thankfully, football's global appeal and long history means that there would be no shortage of suitors eager to step in, although the suitability of each candidate would certainly provoke mass debate. From counties involved in a long, storied love affair with the sport, to those who've never organised a World Cup before, each potential host would bring something unique to the table - but which (if any) will end up in charge of the biggest show on earth. Here are the ten nations best suited to hosting either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, a once unthinkable turn of events which now seems increasingly certain with each passing week.