There’s been plenty of hype surrounding the U.S. men’s national team heading into the World Cup. Whether they have enough talent to contend remains to be seen, but as a host, history is on their side.

Host nations tend to perform well in World Cups, often exceeding expectations. Some powerhouse nations have thrilled home fans by winning the tournament as hosts, while underdogs who host the event frequently play over their heads.

Eight nations have won at least one World Cup – Germany, Brazil, Italy, France, Uruguay, Argentina, Spain and England. Of those, six have won at least one World Cup title on home soil.

England is the most notable example; their much-ballyhooed 1966 title came as the host nation. It’s also the only time that the Brits have even reached a final, and England doesn’t get to the semifinals very often, either. They’ve advanced to the final four in both 1990 and 2018, only to end up in fourth place both times.

Brazil has captured six World Cups, more than any other nation – but oddly, none of those have come at home. The Brazilians lost spectacularly to Uruguay in the 1950 final, 2-1, in Rio de Janeiro in front of a reported 173,850. Some list the crowd as large as 199,000.

The Brazilians also fell flat at home in 2014, as they were bombed 7-1 by Germany, the eventual champion, in the semis, then fell 3-0 to a young Dutch team in the third-place match.

For the most part, though, home teams do well. Uruguay did it first, taking the title in 1930 in the first-ever World Cup. The original soccer superpower, Uruguay, bested a field of 13 teams with a 4-2 win over Argentina in the final at Montevideo, then beat the Brazilians for another title 20 years later. Italy hosted the second World Cup in 1934 and came away with the title as well.

The only time a Nordic nation hosted the event was in 1958, when Sweden hosted. The Swedes went all the way to the final before losing 5-2 to Brazil and its young phenom, 17-year-old Pele, in Stockholm.

Sweden had won its group, then knocked off the Soviets in the quarters before eliminating West Germany, the defending champions, 3-1 in the semis.

Chile has only advanced to the World Cup semifinals once – and that was in 1962, when they hosted the tournament. The Chileans did it the hard way, surviving a first-round match with Italy that was so violent, it’s still known as the “Battle of Santiago.”

It was typical of some brutal encounters that defined World Cup play in the era. The Italians underachieved in the group stage, but Chile recovered to make it all the way to the semifinals, losing to Brazil, which made it two titles in a row. Chile then beat Yugoslavia 1-0 in the third-place match.

England then won in 1966 and has never let the world forget it. Four years later, underdog Mexico was the host and made it to the quarterfinals.

Led by superstars like Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller, West Germany was home to the World Cup in 1974. They continued their stellar tradition by taking the final, 2-1 over Johan Cruyff and the Netherlands, who were in the midst of their famous “total football” era of the 1970s. The highly skilled Dutch also came up short against host Argentina in the 1978 final.

Mexico hosted once again in 1986 and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost 4-1 on penalty kicks after a scoreless regulation to West Germany, the eventual runners-up.

In 1990, the tournament was in Italy, and the host Azzurri fell to Argentina 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 tie in the semifinals. Argentina then lost 1-0 to Jürgen Klinsmann and West Germany in the championship match, while Italy ended up in third.

The last time the U.S. hosted was in 1994, when the Americans, with a collection of colorful personalities, put together a spirited run to the Round of 16.

There, the Americans battled the Brazilians before losing 1-0 in a Fourth of July match marred by a cheap-shot elbow that left U.S. star Tab Ramos with a skull fracture. The 1994 World Cup set attendance records that still stand.

France hosted the 1998 World Cup and won its first title. The 2002 event was hosted jointly by Japan and South Korea, and the Koreans made the most of it, finishing fourth. It was South Korea’s best-ever finish on soccer’s biggest stage.

Germany was a young team as the nation hosted in 2006, but “The Machine” did not disappoint, coming away with a strong third-place finish after losing in extra time to Italy, the eventual champions, in the semifinals.

It was one of many high finishes for Germany in big tournaments in the decade, as the Germans finished second in the 2002 World Cup, third in both 2006 and 2010, and won it all in 2014. Along the way, they were also second in the 2008 European Championships and advanced to the semifinals at Euro in both 2012 and 2016.

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.