This edition of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is full of changes. One of them is that this tournament will feature 48 teams and 104 matches for the first time, making it one of the most extensive ever.
In addition, this will be the first time that three countries have been awarded the hosting rights: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. This joint organization raises a big question: How did the host countries fare in the World Cups? We’ll tell you.
History of host countries in the World Cup
From preparing the stadiums for the matches to welcoming thousands of fans, every country that has organized this tournament carries a great responsibility. However, this task is also accompanied by a shared excitement among the people who live there.
Feeling like “masters of the house” gives a sense of security, although home advantage is not always synonymous with success. If we consider that, out of 22 World Cups, only six host countries have been crowned champions on their home soil, according to The Sporting News, the balance is not as positive as one might think.
Only Uruguay in 1930 (the first edition), Italy in 1934, England in 1966, West Germany in 1974, Argentina in 1978, and France in 1998 were able to celebrate a new cup with their people.
The saying that “no one is a prophet in their own land” takes on even more meaning when you look at the paths taken by the countries that host this tournament, as it has been 27 years since anyone has lifted the coveted trophy at home.
South Africa (2010) and Qatar (2022) were the unluckiest host countries in World Cup history. Both were eliminated in the first round, but while South Africa drew 1-1 with Mexico and defeated France 2-1, Qatar lost all three of its matches (against Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands) and finished last.
Japan in 2002 and the United States in 1994 followed suit, successfully advancing past the first round but seeing their World Cup dreams come to an end in the Round of 16. Luck improved for France in 1986, Switzerland in 1994, Mexico in 2010, and Russia in 2018, where they advanced to the quarterfinals.
Some teams played in the semifinals and the third-place match, such as Chile in 1962, Italy in 1990, and Germany in 2006, while Korea in 2002 and Brazil in 2014 finished in fourth place. Brazil (1950) and Sweden (1958) reached the long-awaited final, but were runners-up.
Only time will tell how this tournament will unfold for Canada, Mexico, and the US.
List of host countries and their results:
- 1930: Uruguay reached the Final – Champion
- 1934: Italy reached the Final – Champion
- 1938: France reached the Quarterfinals – 8th
- 1950: Brazil reached the Final – 2nd
- 1954: Switzerland reached the Quarterfinals – 5th
- 1958: Sweden reached the Final – 2nd
- 1962: Chile reached the Semifinals – 3rd
- 1966: England reached the Final – Champion
- 1970: Mexico reached the Quarterfinals – 6th
- 1974: West Germany reached the Final – Champion
- 1978: Argentina reached the Final – Champion
- 1982: Spain reached the Second Round – 12th
- 1986: Mexico reached the Quarterfinals – 6th
- 1990: Italy reached the Semifinals – 3rd
- 1994: United States reached the Round of 16 – 14th
- 1998: France reached the Final – Champion
- 2002: South Korea reached the Semifinals – 4th
- 2002: Japan reached the Round of 16 – 9th
- 2006: Germany reached the semifinals – 3rd
- 2010: South Africa was eliminated in the group stage – 20th
- 2014: Brazil reached the semifinals – 4th
- 2018: Russia reached the quarterfinals – 8th
- 2022: Qatar was eliminated in the group stage – 32nd
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