9. Hosting Without a Pro League (1994)
In 1994, the United States hosted the FIFA World Cup without a top-tier professional soccer league, a rarity in tournament history. This absence was due to the collapse of the North American Soccer League in 1984, leaving the country without a national domestic league. To address this, FIFA required the establishment of a professional league as a condition for hosting the tournament. Consequently, Major League Soccer (MLS) was founded in 1996, marking a significant step in the development of soccer in the U.S (fourfourtwo.com).
