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This weekend, England faces the final road match of this World Cup.
Sunday’s round of 16 match against Mexico at Azteca Stadium will present challenges beyond those the Three Lions have faced thus far. The altitude, the hostile atmosphere and whatever else might await you – it’s all part of the experience of taking on El Tri in Mexico City.
It’s also gripping theater.
There’s nothing like a big World Cup match involving the host nation, and when that team has a remarkably impressive home record – which Mexico certainly does at Azteca – there’s a real intimidation factor. The men’s tournament has been won six times by the home country, most recently in 1998. But there is hope for England. Some of the most famous matches in World Cup history have been matches lost by the home team.
Here’s a look at home-field advantage over the years:
Italy, 1934
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The first two World Cups were won by the host nations – Uruguay in 1930, then Italy in 1934. The latter became famous due to Benito Mussolini’s use of the tournament as a political tool – and perhaps its impact on refereeing?
“The fascist regime exploited this event politically,” said Italian writer Marco Impiglia almost 80 years later. “It was a questionable victory and it raised many doubts at the time.”
It must be recognized that four years later, Italy became the first team to win a World Cup away from home, winning in France.
Brazil, 1950
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Brazilian men have won a record five World Cups, but have never triumphed on home soil. The hosts needed only a draw against Uruguay to win the title in 1950 – there was a final group stage instead of a single title match – but with perhaps 200,000 spectators at Rio’s Maracanã stadium, the Brazilians suffered an unthinkable 2-1 defeat.
Alcides Ghiggia, scorer of the winning goal, once said that only three people had silenced the Maracana: “The Pope, Frank Sinatra and me.”
That 1950 defeat loomed large over proceedings when Brazil hosted again in 2014 – and the team’s semi-final loss to Germany was perhaps even more embarrassing. At least then, the suspense was dissipated early on when the visitors scored a string of first-half goals before winning 7-1.
England, 1966
(Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
England’s only World Championship was held at home, and not without controversy. In the final against West Germany at Wembley Stadium, Geoff Hurst’s extra-time shot bounced off the crossbar. Did it fit or not? Goal-line technology was decades away from being available.
The officials awarded the goal, putting England up 3-2. Hurst then scored again to complete a hat trick, and the final score was 4-2.
Argentina, 1978
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The Netherlands lost two consecutive finals in 1974 and 1978, each time to the host country. In 1974, the Dutch scored early, but lost 2-1 to West Germany. Four years later, they faced Argentina in front of a delirious crowd in Buenos Aires. The Argentines entered the field a few minutes after the Dutch, leaving the visitors alone against a hostile crowd. Then there was an argument about whether René van de Kerkhof would be able to play with a cast. Argentina eventually won 3-1 in overtime.
The Dutch almost faced Brazil in this final. Argentina needed at least four goals against Peru in their final match of the second round of their group to advance to the final. The Argentines won 6-0, which gave rise to many conspiracy theories.
Italy, 1990
(Photo credit should read PASCAL GEORGE/AFP via Getty Images)
Sometimes you don’t really know who the home team really is. At least that’s what Diego Maradona hoped when Argentina prepared to face Italy in the 1990 semi-final in Naples. Star of the Napoli club, Maradona was popular there, but would the local fans really cheer him and Argentina against their own country? Maradona certainly tried to stir up divisions between northern and southern Italy.
“After so much racism, only now do they remember that Naples is part of Italy,” Maradona told Corriere dello Sport. “Now that they have slapped the Neapolitans in every possible way, someone is telling them that they are Italians, that only Italy counts. It’s incredible, absurd, offensive.”
In the end, the fans cheered for Italy, but Argentina became the first team in the entire tournament to score against the Italians, earning a 1–1 draw. Then, Argentina won the penalty shootout to eliminate the Azzurri. In the final in Rome, Argentina received an unpleasant reception and lost to West Germany.
France, 1998
(Photo by Bongarts/Getty Images)
The most recent host nation to win the title was France, who had never gone all the way before 1998. The French didn’t even qualify for the 1990 or 1994 World Cups, but on home soil they reached the final, where they denied Brazil another title.
South Korea, 2002
(Photo by PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL / AFP via Getty Images)
The 2002 World Cup was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, the latter having made a remarkable run to the semi-finals. Italy and Spain had little to celebrate about the Korean breakthrough.
After the Italians lost to South Korea in the round of 16, FIFA said it had received hundreds of thousands of emails from Italian fans angry at the refereeing. In the quarterfinals, South Korea defeated Spain on penalties after the Spaniards were denied several goals.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has denied any conspiracy but acknowledged some bad decisions.
Associated Press reporting.
