rewrite this title The Myth of the National Team

Throughout the tournament’s history, hosts have hugely overperformed at the World Cup, reaching knockout rounds 91% of the time, semifinals 57%, and the championship 26%. Sports fans tend to discuss “home-court advantage” as though it’s all about players’ familiarity with physical conditions: the field, temperature, wind. These material factors matter very little at elite levels, where facilities are highly consistent. What matters more are often less-appreciated factors that happen off the field, starting with policies such as automatic qualification and seeding, and continuing with increased resources that host teams receive from their governments, federations, and sponsors.   

However, I would argue that the most dynamic driver is fan support—the kind that pushes exhausted athletes beyond what they knew they had in them. Athletes find a new gear when playing in front of throngs of chanting countrymen. A deafening fan roar can also disrupt visiting teams’ communication and subconsciously sway referees. Sports science consistently shows that the home-court advantage rises with crowd size. Conversely, in COVID-era seasons played in empty stadiums, the advantage nearly vanished. During 2002 and 2006 World Cups, cascading rallies shook the stadiums and filled the streets, galvanizing the home team to play at new heights.