Yet, no World Cup is an island – part of the experience of watching the tournament is understanding how this event fits in the history of the most widely adopted sport in the world. With that in mind, read on for our list of the best teams in World Cup history and while you’re at it take 30 seconds to enter $500 World Cup predictions contest to help get into this action this summer.
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Top Five Best Teams in World Cup History
5. Italy (1982)
In the 1982 tournament, Italy was hardly dominating in its first three games – its goal difference of +6 is tied for the lowest for a champion in World Cup history – but the Azzurri turned it on in the succeeding games, with help from Paolo Rossi, the tournament’s top scorer with six goals.
Rossi fired a famous hat-trick against mighty Brazil to put the Italians through to the semifinals and scored the equalizing goal in the final as Italy prevailed 3-1 against West Germany.
4. West Germany (1974)
Led by the legendary Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller, West Germany reached the final on home soil in 1974, where they met Johan Cruyff’s Dutch team.
Outclassed on paper by the Dutch team’s revolutionary “total football” strategy, the Germans trailed inside two minutes of the final only to come from behind to win their second World Cup. Muller’s winning goal was his 14th, which made him the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
3. Argentina (1986)
Simply put, Diego Maradona carried Argentina toward World Cup glory in 1986. The diminutive forward scored or assisted 10 of Argentina’s 14 goals including the assist for the winning goal in the final.
But it was in the quarterfinal against England where Maradona solidified his legend. First, with his infamous “Hand of God” goal, and then with his game-winning solo effort hailed as “Goal of the Century.” See both incredible efforts below, together at last with some rather tacky graphics.
2. Hungary (1954)
The greatest team never to win the trophy. The “Mighty Magyars” of Hungary, with the great Ferenc Puskas and Sandor Kocsis (11 goals), tore through the competition en route to the 1954 final, and their 27 goals in five games remains the most ever in a single tournament.
Unfortunately, Hungary let slip a two-goal lead and fell 3-2 to West Germany in the final to be known as “The Miracle of Bern.”
1. Brazil (1970)
Brazil played six and won six en route to lifting the 1970 World Cup trophy undefeated.
Led by Jairzinho – the only player ever to score in every game in a tournament – the team featured a who’s-who of famous Brazilian stars: Pele, Rivelino, Gerson and Carlos Alberto. Even the final was a rout, as Brazil crushed Italy 4-1 in the final. Carlos Alberto’s emphatic fourth goal is one of the most memorable in World Cup history.
