Germany wants back in. The country that hosted the 2006 men’s World Cup — widely considered one of the best-run tournaments in modern history — is exploring a run at either the 2038 or 2042 edition. According to Axel Hellmann, the Eintracht Frankfurt CEO who also sits on the German Football Association’s management board, the DFB is serious about this.
Hellmann told The Athletic that Germany already has the bones of a successful bid: stadiums that work, a transport system that moves people efficiently, plenty of hotels, and training facilities that don’t need to be built from scratch. The 2006 World Cup left that in place. But a lot has changed in 20 years.
The rotation problem
The tricky part is FIFA’s confederation rotation rules. The 2030 tournament is a three-continent circus — Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay are all involved. That effectively locked the 2034 edition for Saudi Arabia, representing Asia. By the time you get to 2038, the expectation is North America and Oceania get their turn. And the United States is already the heavy favorite there, coming off its co-hosted 2026 tournament with Canada and Mexico.
But Hellmann thinks FIFA might bend the rules a little given the unusual circumstances around 2030. “We would love to, and there is an initiative by Bernd Neuendorf and the DFB to run for 2042, maybe 2038,” he said. “It depends on FIFA regulations.”
Stadium upgrades and the 2006 effect
Hellmann acknowledged that some German stadiums would need modernization. He doesn’t see that as a weakness. He sees it as a trigger for exactly the kind of investment wave that followed 2006 — a tournament he called one of the country’s greatest global marketing campaigns. It changed how people saw Germany, he argued. A 2038 or 2042 World Cup could do the same for a new generation.
“It’s important to send a signal to German society,” Hellmann added.
The DFB has not officially opened a bidding process. FIFA hasn’t either for those specific years. But the signal is being sent now, deliberately.
FIFA’s ticket pricing is already a problem
Hellmann also took aim at FIFA’s approach to ticket pricing for the 2026 World Cup. He warned that expensive seats risk driving a wedge between the sport and the people who actually fill the stands. “Football is the sport of the people, and it belongs to a certain extent to the people,” he said.
He specifically raised concerns about whether FIFA would repeat its 2026 pricing model in future tournaments. “That’s what I fear. That’s why we should start a discussion about the future price policy,” Hellmann said. He argued that affordable tickets and safe-standing areas are essential to keep younger fans coming through the turnstiles.
The DFB president Bernd Neuendorf would lead a formal bid if it happens. For now, Germany is laying groundwork. The question is whether FIFA’s rules — and the United States’ likely candidacy — leave room for the Germans to get back in the game.
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