The FIFA World Cup is a tournament that brings the best soccer teams in the world together. It’s also a massive event that impacts its host country, sometimes in ways few people could have predicted. For example, the United States hosting the 1994 World Cup was supposed to be a disaster for American soccer. Instead, it helped launch Major League Soccer and brought American soccer into mainstream consciousness. So, let’s take some time to look back at how host nations have performed in previous tournaments.
Brazil, 2014
Brazil’s hosts were knocked out in the quarterfinals by eventual winners Germany. The fact that the hosts were eliminated in such an early tournament stage is a big surprise and shows how difficult it is to win a World Cup as the host nation.
Brazil has won the World Cup 5 times, more than any other country. However, they failed to live up to expectations this time round and struggled throughout the tournament before being defeated by Germany in their quarterfinal match at Arena de Sao Paulo.
South Africa, 2010
A number of issues marred the South African World Cup. First, the country was not prepared to host the event. South Africa had never hosted a major sporting event before, and there were concerns about whether stadiums would be ready on time. In addition, there was concern about security and protests against the government because of discrimination against black people during apartheid.
The tournament had its fair share of problems off the pitch as well:
• Many of the stadiums were not finished in time for kick-off.
• Players complained about their accommodation at some venues, which led FIFA to step in and order changes from local organizers before kick-off. This caused further delays and threatened to derail plans for transport links between games around Johannesburg’s suburbs.
Germany, 2006
• Germany was the defending champion and host country in 2006, but they failed to advance past the first round. Argentina eliminated the Germans in the quarterfinals, 2-1.
Japan & Korea, 2002
Japan and Korea co-hosted the 2002 World Cup. South Korea was knocked out after losing 2-1 to Spain in extra time in the last 16. Japan lost to Turkey in the last 16, also on penalties. However, one player received much attention during this World Cup: Ahn Jung-hwan scored against Italy for South Korea with a golden goal that sent them through to the semi-finals.
France, 1998
France was the first European country to host the tournament since Italy in 1934. The host nation emerged victorious as Zinedine Zidane scored two goals in extra time to defeat Brazil 3-0 in the final.
France had previously played at a World Cup only once before when their national team took part in the 1938 edition of this tournament.
USA, 1994
The United States, which first hosted the World Cup in 1994, was the first host country not to reach the final. They finished second in their group behind Nigeria and ahead of Spain, which put them through to the round of 16. Their best result was in 1930 when they finished third overall and were eliminated by Argentina on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
Italy, 1990
In 1982, Italy won the World Cup in Spain. In 1990, they hosted the tournament. They were defending champions when they entered the competition – so expectations were high, and everyone expected them to win again. They were ranked as one of the favorites to take home another trophy.
But things didn’t go according to plan, and Argentina eliminated them in an incredibly close match (1-0).
Mexico, 1986
Mexico won the 1986 World Cup after defeating West Germany in the final match. This was the first time a host country had won a World Cup, and it made Mexico footballing heroes. The win came as something of a surprise to many people, including members of Mexico’s own team. Many players were convinced that their goal-scoring performance would result in an early exit from the tournament.
Host nations don’t always perform as well as expected
When a country is selected to host the World Cup, many things go into its selection. The bid has to be approved by FIFA and then ratified by the member associations of each country that votes on it. There are also financial considerations; host nations have often spent a large amount of money building stadiums, transportation systems, and other infrastructure for their countries.
However, not all countries have been successful hosts of past World Cups. Some have performed very poorly during their time in the tournament’s spotlight – and in some cases, may even have been eliminated before they could make it out of their group stage.
Conclusion
Host nations have failed to perform in most of the last ten World Cups. Italy (1990) and France (1998) were the only two winners that were also hosts, although France did not win their home tournament. There’s no telling what will happen this year, but it’s important to note that while some countries do well when they host the event, others don’t live up to the hype, with Brazil being an example of this phenomenon.
The FIFA World Cup is a tournament that brings the best soccer teams in the world together. It’s also a massive event that impacts its host country, sometimes in ways few people could have predicted. For example, the United States hosting the 1994 World Cup was supposed to be a disaster for American soccer. Instead, it helped launch Major League Soccer and brought American soccer into mainstream consciousness. So, let’s take some time to look back at how host nations have performed in previous tournaments.
Brazil, 2014
Brazil’s hosts were knocked out in the quarterfinals by eventual winners Germany. The fact that the hosts were eliminated in such an early tournament stage is a big surprise and shows how difficult it is to win a World Cup as the host nation.
Brazil has won the World Cup 5 times, more than any other country. However, they failed to live up to expectations this time round and struggled throughout the tournament before being defeated by Germany in their quarterfinal match at Arena de Sao Paulo.
South Africa, 2010
A number of issues marred the South African World Cup. First, the country was not prepared to host the event. South Africa had never hosted a major sporting event before, and there were concerns about whether stadiums would be ready on time. In addition, there was concern about security and protests against the government because of discrimination against black people during apartheid.
The tournament had its fair share of problems off the pitch as well:
• Many of the stadiums were not finished in time for kick-off.
• Players complained about their accommodation at some venues, which led FIFA to step in and order changes from local organizers before kick-off. This caused further delays and threatened to derail plans for transport links between games around Johannesburg’s suburbs.
Germany, 2006
• Germany was the defending champion and host country in 2006, but they failed to advance past the first round. Argentina eliminated the Germans in the quarterfinals, 2-1.
Japan & Korea, 2002
Japan and Korea co-hosted the 2002 World Cup. South Korea was knocked out after losing 2-1 to Spain in extra time in the last 16. Japan lost to Turkey in the last 16, also on penalties. However, one player received much attention during this World Cup: Ahn Jung-hwan scored against Italy for South Korea with a golden goal that sent them through to the semi-finals.
France, 1998
France was the first European country to host the tournament since Italy in 1934. The host nation emerged victorious as Zinedine Zidane scored two goals in extra time to defeat Brazil 3-0 in the final.
France had previously played at a World Cup only once before when their national team took part in the 1938 edition of this tournament.
USA, 1994
The United States, which first hosted the World Cup in 1994, was the first host country not to reach the final. They finished second in their group behind Nigeria and ahead of Spain, which put them through to the round of 16. Their best result was in 1930 when they finished third overall and were eliminated by Argentina on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
Italy, 1990
In 1982, Italy won the World Cup in Spain. In 1990, they hosted the tournament. They were defending champions when they entered the competition – so expectations were high, and everyone expected them to win again. They were ranked as one of the favorites to take home another trophy.
But things didn’t go according to plan, and Argentina eliminated them in an incredibly close match (1-0).
Mexico, 1986
Mexico won the 1986 World Cup after defeating West Germany in the final match. This was the first time a host country had won a World Cup, and it made Mexico footballing heroes. The win came as something of a surprise to many people, including members of Mexico’s own team. Many players were convinced that their goal-scoring performance would result in an early exit from the tournament.
Host nations don’t always perform as well as expected
When a country is selected to host the World Cup, many things go into its selection. The bid has to be approved by FIFA and then ratified by the member associations of each country that votes on it. There are also financial considerations; host nations have often spent a large amount of money building stadiums, transportation systems, and other infrastructure for their countries.
However, not all countries have been successful hosts of past World Cups. Some have performed very poorly during their time in the tournament’s spotlight – and in some cases, may even have been eliminated before they could make it out of their group stage.
Conclusion
Host nations have failed to perform in most of the last ten World Cups. Italy (1990) and France (1998) were the only two winners that were also hosts, although France did not win their home tournament. There’s no telling what will happen this year, but it’s important to note that while some countries do well when they host the event, others don’t live up to the hype, with Brazil being an example of this phenomenon.