Russia

Being the host of the 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup, Russia had a lot to prove to the rest of the world. Expectations were low at the start of the 2018 tournament, as the Russian team came in with one of the lowest rankings. But they defied all expectations by putting up a good fight.

So even without a win, reaching the quarter-final stage is worth celebrating. That 2018 event was the first of its kind to be hosted in Eastern Europe, and with an estimated cost of $14.2 billion, it has been treated as the most expensive FIFA World Cup tournament in history.