Home of football statistics and historyLike with most other sports, figuring out which is the best football team is easy – that’s what the game is about, after all. Yet, that’s not all it’s about, as much of the enjoyment of football comes from the stadium’s atmosphere, the euphoria of the spectacle, and the joy of sharing your passion with those around you. In that sense, what makes the FIFA World Cup special isn’t just the games themselves but the venues each World Cup host creates.
However, while determining the winner of a match is straightforward, how do we decide who was the best World Cup host? The FIFA competition has a long and storied history. There have been 22 tournaments so far, hosted by 18 different countries, with only Brazil, Mexico, Germany, France and Italy hosting more than one tournament, and Japan and South Korea co-hosting the 2002 World Cup. This has led to much variety in the World Cup, as every host brings a bit of itself into the tournament’s organization and festivities. While there are hardly any objective ways to determine the “best” World Cup host, let’s go over our picks based on the tournament’s attendance and overall reception.
5. 2002 Japan and South Korea
The 2002 World Cup didn’t impress with the highest attendance (2,724,604 people in total and an average of 42,571 people per game); the two World Cups before it and all others since then were watched by more people in person. However, the tournament was nevertheless remembered among the most spectacular ones, as the 20 stadiums (ten in each host country) impressed with their designs and breathtaking nighttime backdrops. That was only fitting, as 2002 was the first time the World Cup was hosted in Asia and the first time it was hosted in two countries. Both hosts made it out of the group stages too, with South Korea making it to the semi-finals, where they lost to Germany, and Japan losing to Turkey in the Round of 16.
4. 2010 South Africa
Speaking of firsts, the 2010 World Cup will similarly be remembered as the first time the tournament was held in Africa. This happened thanks to FIFA implementing a “continental rotation” rule, which stated that only countries from particular continents were allowed to bid for World Cup hosting rights. The decision for Africa to be the first continent in that continental rotation was made in 2001, and South Africa won the hosting rights three years later in 2004.
The tournament’s history was somewhat tarnished by the famous corruption controversy exposed a few years later. However, that wasn’t known at the time, so it shouldn’t take away from the amazing spectacle people were treated to in South Africa. From the vuvuzela horns and the ten great stadiums hosting a total of 3,167,984 people (an average of 49,449 people per game) to Spain finally winning its long-awaited first World Cup title, the 2010 World Cup was certainly one of the most memorable ones.
3. 2006 Germany
2006 was the second time Germany had hosted the tournament, but the first after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The first time was in 1974 in West Germany. While Germany had managed to win the title during its first hosting, they weren’t so lucky in 2006 because they finished third and had to watch the title go to Italy, who beat them in the semi-finals.
Despite this heartbreak, however, the tournament as a whole was very impressive for the neutral viewer. There were 3,367,000 people in attendance in the 12 stadiums across the country, averaging 52,609 people per match, the third highest in football history. Funnily enough, Germany had outbid South Africa by 12 to 11 votes during the vote in Zürich in 2000. It was that decision that led to the continental rotation being introduced a year later.
2. 2014 Brazil
2014 saw the World Cup return to Brazil 64 years after the country first hosted it in 1950. The hosts hadn’t managed to win the 1950 tournament (that cup went to Uruguay), so the excitement for the 2014 tournament was immeasurable. In the entire history of the tournament, there have been six times (out of 22) the host nation won it (Uruguay in 1930, Italy in 1934, England in 1966, West Germany in 1974, Argentina in 1978 and France in 1998). As a result, Brazilians were ecstatic at the prospect of that happening again. It didn’t, of course, as the Brazilian team infamously suffered a 7-1 defeat by Germany in the semi-finals, with the European team winning in the final against Argentina too.
Before the heart-breaking end, however, the hype for the tournament was so significant that Brazil built seven new stadiums from the ground up just for the World Cup and significantly renovated five others. Quite a few of them haven’t hosted any football matches since then, raising the question of whether their construction was even worth the investment. However, for the 3,441,450 people who watched the games live (an average of 53,772 per match), it was definitely worth it, and the tournament will be remembered as one of the most exciting World Cups in history.
1. 1994 United States of America
The 1994 US World Cup was unique in many ways. For starters, the US as a whole wasn’t all that interested in football at the time, so the World Cup functioned as an excellent popularization tool. More than that, the 1994 World Cup had the highest attendance to date. The 3,568,567 people who watched the matches live (an average of 68,626 per game) outnumbered subsequent World Cups, including those in Germany, Brazil and Qatar (around 3.4 million each).
The US had beaten Brazil and Morocco in the vote for a host nation held in Zürich in 1988. Unfortunately for them, Brazil took its revenge by knocking the US team out of the tournament in the first elimination round, beating them 1-0. Still, the tournament undoubtedly left a positive mark on the host nation, as football has only grown in popularity in the US ever since.
In Conclusion
Most things are easy to rank – tallest skyscrapers, fastest F1 drivers, most decorated football team, most popular casinos in the gambling industry, and so on. Since picking the best World Cup hosts isn’t nearly as simple, we’re sure we’ve missed a lot of countries others would deem “the best.” Still, the five tournaments above are cited as people’s favourites more often than most and are certainly some of the ones to beat for future World Cup hosts.
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