The first FIFA World Cup was played in 1930 in Uruguay, organized by FIFA, which had itself been founded in 1904. Uruguay was not a neutral host: the country arrived at its own tournament as the reigning Olympic football champion, and went on to win the inaugural World Cup as well. The tournament has been held every four years since, with exactly one interruption: no World Cup was played in 1942 or 1946, both years falling inside the Second World War. The finals field has grown four separate times across the tournament's history, from thirteen teams in 1930 to sixteen from 1934 through 1978, twenty four in 1982, thirty two in 1998, and forty eight from 2026. Mexico is the only country to have hosted the tournament twice, in 1970 and 1986. The 2026 tournament will also be the first World Cup with more than one host nation: the United States, Mexico and Canada will host it jointly, ending the single-host model every previous tournament had used.