The first-ever men’s World Cup match was played in Qatar, the tournament’s hosts, after a lengthy wait of twelve years of expectation and preparation. The Maroon, however, were booted out of their group within the following five days, making Qatar the quickest men’s host country to be eliminated from the championship. This reached the pinnacle of the tournament’s anticlimax.
Despite the fierce rivalry that is now taking place, the men’s FIFA World Cup is often a fruitful hunting field for the nations who host the tournament. The World Cup is the most important competition in football and has been held 92 times throughout 22 countries (the 2002 World Cup was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea). With the exception of South Africa in 2010, all of the nations who hosted the event were able to advance at least to the following round, and they appeared in the tournament’s final on eight different occasions, winning it six times.
FootTheBall takes a look at how well each of the home nations performed when they were given the honor of hosting this spectacular footballing event.
Table of Contents
1930: Uruguay Becomes World Boxing Champions
It was a foregone conclusion that the country that had just won two gold medals in a row in the Olympic competitions held in Europe would be the one to host the first World Cup. This tournament featured 13 different teams.
It was a replay of the gold-medal match that took place in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, when La Celeste defeated Yugoslavia 6-1 in the semifinals to get to the final against Argentina at the newly built and spectacular Estadio Centenario. Uruguay came back from being down 2-1 to win the championship by a score of 4-2.
1934, Italy Becomes the World Champions
The defending champions, Uruguay, did not participate in the 1934 World Cup because only four European nations traveled to the previous tournament in the South American nation. As a result, the Italians doubled up on the field to win the cup while Mussolini and his party used the competition as a propaganda vehicle off the field.
The match between Italy and the United States began with Italy taking an early 7-1 lead. The match in the second round versus Spain, which was played for a total of 210 minutes (since it had to be replayed! ), was the most difficult obstacle for the home team to overcome on their way to success.
They defeated Austria in the semifinals 1-0 and Czechoslovakia in the final 2-1, scoring the game-winning goal in extra time in the latter match.
1938, France – First Round of the Quarterfinals
When there were 16 teams competing in the World Cup but there was no group stage, France was the side that ended up playing the fewest amount of games as the host country.
France prevailed over Belgium in their preliminary quarterfinal match by a score of 3-1 before suffering a defeat at the hands of eventual winners and defending champions Italy, who reportedly competed in the final under the orders of Italy’s supreme leader to “Win or Die.” Les Bleus won their match against Belgium with ease.
World War II prevented the holding of the men’s FIFA World Cup in 1942 and 1946, respectively.
1950, Brazil – Runners-up
Even though this was supposed to be the first World Cup that did not have a one-off final (since the team that finished first in the last group stage was supposed to be declared the champion), we were graced with a de facto final when Uruguay met Brazil in the final round of matches. The latter team required a victory against the former to claim the title of world champions, whilst Brazil just needed to avoid loss to claim the title.
Sadly, it was not meant to be, as a Brazilian team that had previously routed Sweden and Spain by scores of 7-1 and 6-1 respectively ended up losing 2-1 to the Uruguayan golden generation in the Maracan in front of nearly 175,000 spectators in a historic match known as “The Maracan Smash.”
1954, Switzerland – Quarterfinals
The hosts were placed in Group 4 together with Italy, Belgium, and England; but, due to the peculiar nature of the group-stage schedule, each team would only play two matches over the whole tournament.
Prior to their loss to England, Switzerland prevailed against the Azzuri by a score of 2-1. As a consequence of this, they have forced Italy into a rematch of the play-off for a spot in the quarterfinals. The hosts were victorious in a decisive victory over the defending world champions with a score of 4-1 but were eliminated by Austria with a score of 7-5 in the highest scoring game in the history of the World Cup.
1958, Sweden – Runners-up
As tournament hosts, Sweden handled their responsibilities well and advanced all the way to the championship game. This is the most Sweden has ever advanced in a World Cup to this point in their history.
Les Bl’gult were the most successful team in their group, coming in first place ahead of Wales, Mexico, and Hungary. In addition, they were victorious against teams such as the Soviet Union and the defending champions, West Germany, but ultimately fell short in the final match against Brazil, losing 5-2 at Rasunda Stadium in Solna.
The event also witnessed the development of a specific Brazilian striker who was 17 years old at the time. He scored twice in the championship game and a total of six times during the competition. He was known by the nickname Pelé.
1962, Chile: Finished in third place
Contrary to what was anticipated, La Roja was able to find a way out of their group, which also included West Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, as well as a “Battle of Santiago” matchup against the Azzuri.
Chile prevailed against the Soviet Union in the quarterfinals, but Brazil’s dominance ultimately proved to be too much for La Roja, who were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempt to retain their title. Chile’s victory against Yugoslavia in the third-place match, which was a close contest that ended with a score of 2-1, was a little consolation.
1966 saw England become World Cup champions.
When the Three Lions defeated West Germany 4-2 at Wembley in front of an audience of nearly 95,000 supporters, it became the first time in 32 years that the host country had been victorious.
Their illustrious path also included triumphs against heavyweights like as France in the group stage and Argentina and Portugal in the knockout stages.
1970, Mexico – Quarterfinals
El Tri had just one victory going into this World Cup finals competition, but with the help of the crowd at their home stadium, they were able to overcome both El Salvador and Belgium, bringing their total to two victories in the tournament.
Despite the fact that Mexico and the Soviet Union tied for second place in the group, Mexico ended below the Soviet Union despite the fact that both teams had the same number of points and goal differential. The deadlock was resolved by means of a random drawing of lots.
As a direct consequence of this, El Tri had to face a formidable Italian team in the quarterfinals. This match took place at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, where the Italians won 4-1.
1974, West Germany was the victor, and they were crowned Champions.
In spite of the fact that they were defeated by East Germany in the campaign’s lone match, the West Germans were able to correct their mistakes and win the World Cup for a second time, much to the satisfaction of the people in their homeland. In the final, which took place in Munich, they defeated a Netherlands team led by Johan Cruyff by a score of 2-1. This victory came twenty years after they had won their first.
Along the way to the championship match, they recorded victories over Poland, Sweden, Yugoslavia, Chile, and Australia.
1978: Argentina Wins the World Cup
After defeating the Netherlands in the World Cup final and raising the golden trophy in front of their home supporters in the nation’s capital city of Buenos Aires, Argentina followed in the footsteps of West Germany by obtaining the highly politicized and propagandized World Cup. They prevailed in extra time by a score of 3-1 against the Dutch.
It is interesting to note that there was a point in the competition when La Selección found themselves stuck in a ditch. In order for them to advance, they needed to win their match against Peru by a score of four goals or more. However, they got themselves out of the jam by cruising to a 6-0 victory.
Spain, 1982 – The Second Round
In order to get to the semifinals of this competition, teams have to go through both of the group stage’s rounds.
After suffering a defeat at the hands of Northern Ireland, the host team’s performance in this competition was not quite as impressive as it might have been. During the subsequent stage, they performed poorly and ended up in last place in their group, which included West Germany and England.
The Red Fury had a little chance of winning even one of their five matches.
1986, Mexico – Quarterfinals
El Tri did their supporters proud with an upbeat campaign that resulted in a 4-1 defeat in penalties against powerful West Germany in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Mexico made history by being the first nation to host the World Cup twice.
Prior to then, they decisively overcame challenges in Bulgaria, Iraq, and Belgium. It was also the last time that they advanced to the round of 16 in the World Cup finals!
Italy finished in third place in 1990.
After Mexico, Italy was given the chance to host the gala for the second time, and during that event, they gave their fans a ride on an emotional rollercoaster.
They were rock-solid at the defense, but they agonizingly let up their first goal (and equalizer) in the tournament against Argentina in the semi-finals via a penalty, and they finally fell to La Selección on penalties in Naples with a score of 4-3.
However, they were able to find some solace in the fact that they came in third place behind England.
1994, in the United States of America – The Round of 16
Due to an unexpected victory against Columbia by a score of 2-1, the United States, who were only making their second participation in the World Cup and their first since 1950, advanced as the best third-ranked team out of their group.
They advanced to the following round, where they faced the eventual champions, Brazil, against whom they fought valiantly but were ultimately defeated by a score that was still acceptable (1-0).
1998, France – Champions
The team of gladiators representing Les Bleus is the most recent nation to pull off the miracle of advancing all the way to the finals in a World Cup held in its own country.
The French stumbled their way into the championship game, but they were able to give the world’s best team, Brazil, a taste of their own medicine by beating them 3-0 at the Stade de France.
2002, South Korea and Japan: Finished in fourth place and advanced to the round of 16 Both South Korea and Japan were remarkable in their roles as hosts of the men’s FIFA World Cup. However, South Korea’s march all the way to the quarterfinals was unquestionably the highlight of the tournament.
Before losing to Germany in the semifinals by a score of 1-0, the South Koreans were able to post impressive results against teams like as Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Italy. The host country was devastated when they found out that Turkey, the tournament’s dark horse, had beaten them to third place. Turkey was a surprise contender.
As for the Samurai Blue, they got off to a strong start in their campaign as well, finishing first in their group which also included Belgium and Russia. Nevertheless, in the last 16, they were defeated by Turkey as well.
2006, Germany: Placed third overall
As a result of their terrible performance in Euro 2004, Die Mannschaft had a lot to prove, and they did it by exhibiting grit and maturity throughout the tournament.
They dominated their group with a perfect 3-0 record and backed it up with two hard-fought victories against Sweden and Argentina. Unfortunately for them, their good fortune ran out in the semifinal match against Italy as they gave up two goals in the closing minutes of extra time.
In the matchup for third place, the Germans breezed through the Portuguese with a score of 3-1.
The group stage was place in South Africa in 2010
The first men’s FIFA world cup, which was held in Africa, was a memorable extravaganza, and credit for that must go to the supporters, both at the venues and at home. who contributed to the presence of a celebratory mood.
Despite this, South Africa became the first host country to be eliminated in the first round of the competition. However, it is safe to assume that luck was not on the side of Bafana Bafana since they were put in the “Group of Death,” which also comprised France, Mexico, and Uruguay.
Nevertheless, they did enough to give the country a cause to be proud of their squad. They tied with Mexico in terms of points, but thus ended up in third place owing to a worse goal difference than Mexico had, and they eliminated France from the competition.
2014, Brazil: Fourth Place in the World
There are unsuccessful bids to host the World Cup at home, and then there is Brazil’s performance in 2014.
Many nations would consider it a successful World Cup campaign if their men’s teams advanced to the quarterfinals. It is also possible that such a result might be acceptable for a team like La Selección, but in the year 2014 in Brazil, it was not acceptable. The embarrassing, humiliating, and stupefying way in which they lost 7-1 to Germany in the semifinal at their own stadium is a wound that they may never be able to recover from.
As a result of their clear loss against Uruguay, the Brazilian squad competed in the match for third place, which was perhaps the least significant match they’ve ever played in.
2018, Russia – Quarterfinals
Despite the fact that the glory days of Russian football are long behind them, the Russian team performed very well to advance out of their group by claiming victories against Egypt and Saudi Arabia while also scoring eight goals. The crowning success of their run was sending the Spanish team home in the round of 16 on penalties after winning 4-3.
In spite of this, a Croatian squad that was also striving to enter the world of folklore was able to thwart the efforts of the home team in the quarterfinals. This put an end to the home team’s run of fun and fairytales.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
