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Ranking FIFA World Cup Champions - Part 3 of 5
15. Brazil (1940) - In a theme that will likely start to look apparent in the next few entries, there is little shame in simply executing as expected and getting a good job done, and done well. Brazil's first World Cup slots finely into this category: led by Leonidas, for decades the tournament's all-time goalscorer thanks to his prodigious scoring in four tournaments with Brazil between 1932-44, Brazil took care of business at home winning all six of their matches both in the group stage and in the round-robin final stage, including the clinching win at the Maracana against upstart Mexico 2-1 after coming from behind a 1-0 deficit with a brace after the 70th minute to avoid a disaster. Brazil's reputation for squandering its talent and opportunities in later years has in some ways overshadowed how good it was in the early 1940s, as has a great deal of time, but this group and the "Black Diamond" who led them stands head-and-shoulders above the sides that won cups before and for several years after and has a good argument as the best group of the World Cup's first three decades
14. Britain (1980) - British football in the late 1970s and early 1980s was perhaps the best in Europe and the world, and nothing underlined this so much as Britain becoming the first European side to a World Cup outside of Europe in triumphing in Colombia. That they were there at all was impressive - a group stage flameout in 1972 and missing the World Cup four years later entirely despite an expanded 24-team field suggested Britain's 1960s dominance was at an end - and it was further impressive as they marched through a slate including a fine Germany, a budding but not yet arrived Argentina, and finally besting defending World Cup champion Netherlands and storied Hungary in come-from-behind wins. Colombia '80 was the story of "Ken and Kev," as Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan formed probably the most prolific strike duo in modern history (up until Brazil '04 - more on that in a moment), getting six goals apiece and together accounting for 12 of Britain's 14 goals at the tournament. What puts this group so low, then? An overreliance on two players, a field regarded as weak even by contemporaries (Germany was missing several key players who would power it just two years later to its first European Cup - and indeed any - championship, Argentina was not what it would become in just four years, Netherlands was a shell of its former self without Johan Cruyff, and Hungary had advanced through the easier half of the knockout bracket save for host Colombia in the semifinal), and a lack of dominance place it behind teams that at times seemed to have barely broken a sweat in advancing through their tournaments. Britain's daring play in the 1980 final, the legendary Battle of Bogota in which they won 3-2 after 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to the Magyars, will always be talked about in pubs across the British Isles; but Ken, Kev and the other blokes rank behind a number of other great teams.
13. Mexico (2020) - El Tri supporters are spoiled with options when it comes to debating the eternal question of their favorite Mexico side, but few if any would slot today's defending champions as the best that their country has produced. That being said, Mexico's 2020 performance was a throwback to the clinical, disciplined and sturdy defensive performances for which the country is known, but without the accusations of dirty play and over-reliance on friendly refereeing that has dogged El Tri for decades (especially from other CONAFA fans). The 2020 champions were not flashy, but led by veterans such as Andres Guardado, Chicharito, and the ageless Guillermo Ochoa in goal, they managed to keep clean sheets through their first four games and beat a murderer's row of France, USA and Argentina from the quarterfinals on to take a record-extending fifth championship. Most Mexico supporters would argue that the win on home soil that sent a golden generation of stars off on a high note slots roughly at the center of their all-time teams, and we agree - and that this Mexico team slots roughly at the center of our ranking of all-time World Cup champions, less due to any demerit to this group but rather speaking to the quality of those who come ahead.
12. Argentina (1988) - If we were ranking purely on individual play, what Diego Maradona accomplished in 1988 would place him at the top of the list, as 1988 Argentina enjoyed probably the best single-player performance in the history of the World Cup and, possibly, sport. With seven tournament goals he matched Eladio Rodriguez's 1948 record set with Mexico, and every goal he scored counted as he willed Argentina into doing what no side has done before or since - successfully defend a World Cup title, and do it on home soil. Unfortunately, we are not ranking purely on individual play, and thus the 1988 Albiceleste fall outside our Top Ten. Mario Kempes, Daniel Passarella and Leopoldo Luque had moved on, and men like Diego Simeone, Gabriel Batistuta and Hernan Crespo were as of yet merely on the horizon; as such, the team was carried largely by Maradona's heroics and, dare we say, very favorable home conditions rivalled only by Mexico's infamous thumb on the scale in 1960. Pitch quality was particularly alleged to have been manipulated to favor Argentina in knockout games against Denmark and Colombia, the USA is still not over the pitch invasion in the semifinal game that delayed the match and gave Argentina time to rest when they looked near done at the hands of the Montana-Marino-Kelly "Three Headed Monster", and the eventual champions faced a haggard and outmatched Brazil that they waxed 7-1 at the Monumental in Buenos Aires in front of a hundred thousand fans. Had they not entered as defending World Cup and two-time Copa America champions, we would have ranked this otherwise pedestrian and thin Argentina side - but, they were a historic group, and so they belong close to the top, even if they often played below their considerable talent in a time of transition.
11. Italy (1972) - At this point in our rankings it starts getting harder and harder to separate out where various teams should land, and the 1972 Azzurri squad that earned Italy her first-ever trophy after four silver medals in four trips to a World Cup Final are case in point. They won their first gold in Spain, a boon to them over teams that enjoyed the advantage of playing at home, and won in the final 16-team edition of the World Cup; they emerged from a difficult group, topping both runners-up Austria, a feisty Peru and an aging but talented Hungary, and ousted both hosts Spain and favored Germany en route to an Austrian rematch they took 2-1 in Madrid, avenging themselves for a 1-1 draw as well as the heartbreaking Milanese final defeat forty years prior. As defending European champions, they perhaps should have performed better than two draws and a win in the group stage, and the quality of the opposition in the final, despite resulting in a win rather than a draw in a rematch, leaves something to be desired compared to Spain and Germany even if early 1970s Austria enjoyed something of a silver generation, and that places them just outside our top ten even if this is a team that Italians for good reason love with all their hearts.
14. Britain (1980) - British football in the late 1970s and early 1980s was perhaps the best in Europe and the world, and nothing underlined this so much as Britain becoming the first European side to a World Cup outside of Europe in triumphing in Colombia. That they were there at all was impressive - a group stage flameout in 1972 and missing the World Cup four years later entirely despite an expanded 24-team field suggested Britain's 1960s dominance was at an end - and it was further impressive as they marched through a slate including a fine Germany, a budding but not yet arrived Argentina, and finally besting defending World Cup champion Netherlands and storied Hungary in come-from-behind wins. Colombia '80 was the story of "Ken and Kev," as Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan formed probably the most prolific strike duo in modern history (up until Brazil '04 - more on that in a moment), getting six goals apiece and together accounting for 12 of Britain's 14 goals at the tournament. What puts this group so low, then? An overreliance on two players, a field regarded as weak even by contemporaries (Germany was missing several key players who would power it just two years later to its first European Cup - and indeed any - championship, Argentina was not what it would become in just four years, Netherlands was a shell of its former self without Johan Cruyff, and Hungary had advanced through the easier half of the knockout bracket save for host Colombia in the semifinal), and a lack of dominance place it behind teams that at times seemed to have barely broken a sweat in advancing through their tournaments. Britain's daring play in the 1980 final, the legendary Battle of Bogota in which they won 3-2 after 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to the Magyars, will always be talked about in pubs across the British Isles; but Ken, Kev and the other blokes rank behind a number of other great teams.
13. Mexico (2020) - El Tri supporters are spoiled with options when it comes to debating the eternal question of their favorite Mexico side, but few if any would slot today's defending champions as the best that their country has produced. That being said, Mexico's 2020 performance was a throwback to the clinical, disciplined and sturdy defensive performances for which the country is known, but without the accusations of dirty play and over-reliance on friendly refereeing that has dogged El Tri for decades (especially from other CONAFA fans). The 2020 champions were not flashy, but led by veterans such as Andres Guardado, Chicharito, and the ageless Guillermo Ochoa in goal, they managed to keep clean sheets through their first four games and beat a murderer's row of France, USA and Argentina from the quarterfinals on to take a record-extending fifth championship. Most Mexico supporters would argue that the win on home soil that sent a golden generation of stars off on a high note slots roughly at the center of their all-time teams, and we agree - and that this Mexico team slots roughly at the center of our ranking of all-time World Cup champions, less due to any demerit to this group but rather speaking to the quality of those who come ahead.
12. Argentina (1988) - If we were ranking purely on individual play, what Diego Maradona accomplished in 1988 would place him at the top of the list, as 1988 Argentina enjoyed probably the best single-player performance in the history of the World Cup and, possibly, sport. With seven tournament goals he matched Eladio Rodriguez's 1948 record set with Mexico, and every goal he scored counted as he willed Argentina into doing what no side has done before or since - successfully defend a World Cup title, and do it on home soil. Unfortunately, we are not ranking purely on individual play, and thus the 1988 Albiceleste fall outside our Top Ten. Mario Kempes, Daniel Passarella and Leopoldo Luque had moved on, and men like Diego Simeone, Gabriel Batistuta and Hernan Crespo were as of yet merely on the horizon; as such, the team was carried largely by Maradona's heroics and, dare we say, very favorable home conditions rivalled only by Mexico's infamous thumb on the scale in 1960. Pitch quality was particularly alleged to have been manipulated to favor Argentina in knockout games against Denmark and Colombia, the USA is still not over the pitch invasion in the semifinal game that delayed the match and gave Argentina time to rest when they looked near done at the hands of the Montana-Marino-Kelly "Three Headed Monster", and the eventual champions faced a haggard and outmatched Brazil that they waxed 7-1 at the Monumental in Buenos Aires in front of a hundred thousand fans. Had they not entered as defending World Cup and two-time Copa America champions, we would have ranked this otherwise pedestrian and thin Argentina side - but, they were a historic group, and so they belong close to the top, even if they often played below their considerable talent in a time of transition.
11. Italy (1972) - At this point in our rankings it starts getting harder and harder to separate out where various teams should land, and the 1972 Azzurri squad that earned Italy her first-ever trophy after four silver medals in four trips to a World Cup Final are case in point. They won their first gold in Spain, a boon to them over teams that enjoyed the advantage of playing at home, and won in the final 16-team edition of the World Cup; they emerged from a difficult group, topping both runners-up Austria, a feisty Peru and an aging but talented Hungary, and ousted both hosts Spain and favored Germany en route to an Austrian rematch they took 2-1 in Madrid, avenging themselves for a 1-1 draw as well as the heartbreaking Milanese final defeat forty years prior. As defending European champions, they perhaps should have performed better than two draws and a win in the group stage, and the quality of the opposition in the final, despite resulting in a win rather than a draw in a rematch, leaves something to be desired compared to Spain and Germany even if early 1970s Austria enjoyed something of a silver generation, and that places them just outside our top ten even if this is a team that Italians for good reason love with all their hearts.
Ranking FIFA World Cup Champions - Part 4 of 5
10. Spain (2012) - Much like Mexico in 1948, one can only play the games ahead of oneself, and defending European champions Spain did just that in China in 2012. Setting aside the political and financial controversy of the tournament, Spain was clinical, methodical and in the end successful in its game, winning all four knockout matches by identical 1-0 scores and defeating Japan in the first Final not to require added time since 1988 on Fernando Torres' goal at the 90th minute. The Furia Roja won their first-ever World Cup and became the most recent first-time champion in keeping six clean sheets - a record tied with their immediate successor - but did it against a field that, to put it mildly, perhaps left something to be desired, though topping a group that included a very talented France is no mean feat. What puts this Spain side higher than some other squads that faced more talented opposition was the thoroughness of its domination, with scoresheets only really capturing the essence of their play with the utter lack of shots on goal the midfield of Xavi, Xabi and Iniesta allowed or the lethality of the counter to the front. In a curious tournament that saw, for the first time, four different confederations represented in the semifinals with all four teams aiming for a first-ever win, Spain showed the power of dedication and discipline and ended up where most would have predicted them to from the beginning.
9. Mexico (1968) - Mexico's defensive dominance in 1968 in Australia is, on its own, the stuff of legends, but what really sets this group apart was becoming the first side to win a World Cup outside of its home continent and its dismantling of Britain at Melbourne Cricket Ground, in which 2-0 did not truly capture what Mexico's performance was like. It was not enough that Mexico kept three clean sheets after the group stage - a feat unmatched until Spain did the same in 2012 - nor that Enrique Borja's brace handed Mexico an unprecedented third championship. It was that Mexico arrived there having won a "rubber match" of the past two World Cup champions during a stretch of time in which Britain was making a genuine challenge against the Hungary of just a decade prior as the best group of players on Earth. The importance of that final in Sydney in which Mexico leapt out ahead of the only other two teams to have collected multiple World Cup trophies up to that point and doing so with Britain, Brazil and Hungary left in her wake said it all. This team face down a murderer's row of the best talent of the late 1960s and kept it not just out of net but from successfully taking shots on goal, and did so while making defensive football look stylish and exciting. El Tri fanatics will argue if this was the best team - but in ending discussions of their 1960 win being a fluke and an open question from an arrogant British media about whether they even belonged on the same field, the 1968 champions made a credible argument for being fan favorites and probably the most important.
8. Argentina (1984) - Twice in a row, a team finds itself on the list as much for its final game - winning outside of its confederation for the first time, and defeating a heavily-favored British side regarded as among the best in the sport in doing so - as for anything else it accomplished, but what Argentina in 1984 accomplished does earnestly deserve a place in the discussion of the group being considered among the best teams to ever play the game. Kempes and Passarella were at the tail of their careers and Maradona at the start of his, and together in Russia they performed a miracle of teamwork, coming back from placing second to a scrappy USA side in the group stage to working their way methodically through the knockouts to get their chance on the big stage. Maradona's dazzling run through Russian defenders in the quarterfinal, the comeback against Platini's France in the last four, and finally trouncing Britain 4-2, with the scoreline reading 3-0 at the half, in St. Petersburg remains a show for the ages, and it would be a stroke of irony that the deep, talented Britain side - featuring Dalglish's veteran experience with the youthful energy of Ian Rush, Gary Lineker, and Bryan Robson, all led by the fiery Brian Clough - that was thought a shoe-in to repeat as champions would be denied their chance and then see the Argentines who bested them become the first back-to-back champions four years on.
7. Netherlands (1976) - No team has defined an era like the Total Football Netherlands that careened through the 1976 tournament on home soil making all other opposition look like fools in the first-ever 24-team tournament, culminating with a decisive 4-2 drubbing of a potent and undefeated Germany featuring Ballon d'Or winners Gerd Muller and Franz Beckenbauer. After decades of mediocrity, it was Johan Cruyff, Ruud Krol and Johnny Rep who elevated the Oranje to the knockout round mainstays of today and showed off what the concepts of Austria in the 1930s and Hungary in the 1950s could produce at its most elevated form. While the weaknesses in Total Football would eventually be exposed in later years, for one glittering hour in 1976, the Netherlands were so head and shoulders above their competition that they find their way close to the Top Five and behind only a collection of teams that were not only legendary in their own right, but had consistency to back their achievements up.
6. Britain (1964) - If one was to collect a who's who of famous British footballers, many if not all of them would be on the Britain side that won the World Cup in 1964, won the European Championship in 1966, and collected silver medals in 1968 (World Cup) and 1962 and 1970 (Euros), to go with their Mexican bronze of 1960. Other than Hungary in the early 1950s and Germany in the 2010s, no side has so thoroughly dominated an era of football as Britain in the 1960s did, thanks in large part to the core of players off of the world-beating Manchester United sides that acted to 1964 what Liverpool, Everton and Aston Villa did to the 1980 group. Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, Bobby Moore - these were but some of the names on that superlative British group that took the World Cup title in stride on home soil in dominating fashion, winning every game ahead of a 4-2 trouncing of Germany at Wembley. Their route to the finals was no slouch, either, facing pre-tournament favorites Italy and defending European champion Spain (who had beaten them just two years before) in the group, arguably the toughest group stage ever faced by a champion. Their placement on this list, despite definitively being the best British side in history and the group that Britain fans will hope to emulate come next summer, is purely a function of facing mediocre opposition in the quarters and semis (Austria and remarkable Cinderella but plainly outgunned Korea) and the quality of the legends who come ahead of them.
9. Mexico (1968) - Mexico's defensive dominance in 1968 in Australia is, on its own, the stuff of legends, but what really sets this group apart was becoming the first side to win a World Cup outside of its home continent and its dismantling of Britain at Melbourne Cricket Ground, in which 2-0 did not truly capture what Mexico's performance was like. It was not enough that Mexico kept three clean sheets after the group stage - a feat unmatched until Spain did the same in 2012 - nor that Enrique Borja's brace handed Mexico an unprecedented third championship. It was that Mexico arrived there having won a "rubber match" of the past two World Cup champions during a stretch of time in which Britain was making a genuine challenge against the Hungary of just a decade prior as the best group of players on Earth. The importance of that final in Sydney in which Mexico leapt out ahead of the only other two teams to have collected multiple World Cup trophies up to that point and doing so with Britain, Brazil and Hungary left in her wake said it all. This team face down a murderer's row of the best talent of the late 1960s and kept it not just out of net but from successfully taking shots on goal, and did so while making defensive football look stylish and exciting. El Tri fanatics will argue if this was the best team - but in ending discussions of their 1960 win being a fluke and an open question from an arrogant British media about whether they even belonged on the same field, the 1968 champions made a credible argument for being fan favorites and probably the most important.
8. Argentina (1984) - Twice in a row, a team finds itself on the list as much for its final game - winning outside of its confederation for the first time, and defeating a heavily-favored British side regarded as among the best in the sport in doing so - as for anything else it accomplished, but what Argentina in 1984 accomplished does earnestly deserve a place in the discussion of the group being considered among the best teams to ever play the game. Kempes and Passarella were at the tail of their careers and Maradona at the start of his, and together in Russia they performed a miracle of teamwork, coming back from placing second to a scrappy USA side in the group stage to working their way methodically through the knockouts to get their chance on the big stage. Maradona's dazzling run through Russian defenders in the quarterfinal, the comeback against Platini's France in the last four, and finally trouncing Britain 4-2, with the scoreline reading 3-0 at the half, in St. Petersburg remains a show for the ages, and it would be a stroke of irony that the deep, talented Britain side - featuring Dalglish's veteran experience with the youthful energy of Ian Rush, Gary Lineker, and Bryan Robson, all led by the fiery Brian Clough - that was thought a shoe-in to repeat as champions would be denied their chance and then see the Argentines who bested them become the first back-to-back champions four years on.
7. Netherlands (1976) - No team has defined an era like the Total Football Netherlands that careened through the 1976 tournament on home soil making all other opposition look like fools in the first-ever 24-team tournament, culminating with a decisive 4-2 drubbing of a potent and undefeated Germany featuring Ballon d'Or winners Gerd Muller and Franz Beckenbauer. After decades of mediocrity, it was Johan Cruyff, Ruud Krol and Johnny Rep who elevated the Oranje to the knockout round mainstays of today and showed off what the concepts of Austria in the 1930s and Hungary in the 1950s could produce at its most elevated form. While the weaknesses in Total Football would eventually be exposed in later years, for one glittering hour in 1976, the Netherlands were so head and shoulders above their competition that they find their way close to the Top Five and behind only a collection of teams that were not only legendary in their own right, but had consistency to back their achievements up.
6. Britain (1964) - If one was to collect a who's who of famous British footballers, many if not all of them would be on the Britain side that won the World Cup in 1964, won the European Championship in 1966, and collected silver medals in 1968 (World Cup) and 1962 and 1970 (Euros), to go with their Mexican bronze of 1960. Other than Hungary in the early 1950s and Germany in the 2010s, no side has so thoroughly dominated an era of football as Britain in the 1960s did, thanks in large part to the core of players off of the world-beating Manchester United sides that acted to 1964 what Liverpool, Everton and Aston Villa did to the 1980 group. Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, Bobby Moore - these were but some of the names on that superlative British group that took the World Cup title in stride on home soil in dominating fashion, winning every game ahead of a 4-2 trouncing of Germany at Wembley. Their route to the finals was no slouch, either, facing pre-tournament favorites Italy and defending European champion Spain (who had beaten them just two years before) in the group, arguably the toughest group stage ever faced by a champion. Their placement on this list, despite definitively being the best British side in history and the group that Britain fans will hope to emulate come next summer, is purely a function of facing mediocre opposition in the quarters and semis (Austria and remarkable Cinderella but plainly outgunned Korea) and the quality of the legends who come ahead of them.
Mayukh's World Cup Winner's List
List of Fifa World Cups and their Winners.
Nothing to do. Thought I make this.
| Year | Hosts | Winners |
| 1916 | France | France |
| 1920 | Cancelled | N/A |
| 1924 | Britain | Britain |
| 1928 | Argentina | Argentina |
| 1932 | Italy | Austria |
| 1936 | Germany | Hungary |
| 1940 | Brazil | Brazil |
| 1944 | Sweden | Sweden |
| 1948 | USA | Mexico |
| 1952 | Hungary | Hungary |
| 1956 | Cancelled | N/A |
| 1960 | Mexico | Mexico |
| 1964 | Britain | Britain |
| 1968 | Australia | Mexico |
| 1972 | Spain | Italy |
| 1976 | Nederlands | Nederlands |
| 1980 | Colombia | Britain |
| 1984 | Russia | Argentina |
| 1988 | Argentina | Argentina |
| 1992 | Italy | Italy |
| 1996 | Japan | Mexico |
| 2000 | Germany | Germany |
| 2004 | Brazil | Brazil |
| 2008 | USA | USA |
| 2012 | China | Spain |
| 2016 | France | Germany |
| 2020 | Mexico | Mexico |
| 2024 | Britain | Britain |
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Looks good! Britain hasn't won 2024 (yet,,,?), though, and the hosts of 1916 and 1924 were the winners.
Ranking FIFA World Cup Champions - Part 5 of 5
5. Brazil (2004) - Brazil's second and most recent World Cup champion stands on its own two feet as probably the best South American side of all time, beating out 1960s Britain - but only narrowly - thanks in large part to its remarkable run of quality with no losses and only three draws in competitive matches between a 1-0 defeat to France in a November 2000 friendly to a loss in April 2005 in Buenos Aires, a time of considerably more professionalization and global talent than forty years before. In the middle, Brazil absolutely destroyed everything in its path, arguably being for a stretch of the 2000s what Argentina was to the 1980s, Hungary was to the 1950s, aforementioned Britain was to the 1960s, and Germany was to the 2010s. Brazil ran off with the 2002 Copa America, won the 2003 Confederations Cup in dominating fashion on home soil capped off by a 1-0 win over a very talented Spain, and then played "jogo bonito" - the beautiful game - as it put years of reputation of squandering great talent to bed in marching through a group that included a decent USA. Brazil could score at will, as evidenced in its 4-1 boatracing of George Weah's Liberia in the round of 16, or it could switch on a dime to clinical defense, as shown in its 1-0 tactical chess-match semifinal against a great France. The squad had an absurd level of talent to pick from, blessed with the feet of not only late-career Ronaldo but Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaka, powering the team to 18 goals scored against six allowed, which is perhaps their only demerit. The early 2000s renaissance in South American football proved itself to have lasting power as the only team that had any claim to similar greatness was Hernan Crespo's Argentina, with the striker putting on a Maradona-esque show in collecting both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot, and Brazil's come-from-behind victory at the Maracana to win 2-1 in added time, an identical scoreline to their 1940 triumph over Mexico, suggests something closer to approximating fate for the long wait between titles.
4. Hungary (1952) - The Magic Magyars, from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s, were simply the best team in history at that point and indeed up to that point. While the 1956 World Cup was cancelled, denying them a chance to repeat, they essentially met every other challenge put in front of them, led by a ferocious attacking front of Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis, and Zoltan Czibor. This group won two of the Central European championships (a precursor to the combined Euros of present day) at a time when Central Europe was regarded as the sports' hotbed, became the first side to defeat Britain at home, took gold at two straight Olympics (1950 in Rome and 1954 in Buenos Aires), and crowned their achievement with their victory on home soil in 1952, showing off their style of play that would influence Dutch Total Football twenty years later in demolishing a good Germany in the group stages, beating a talented Brazil in the quarterfinal, and then clinically taking down excellent Russia and Italy sides on their way to their second World Cup trophy. The "Golden Team" of Hungary remains a benchmark of consistency, talent and tactical finesse led by some of the most important footballers of their time, and it is only the shift in quality of talent development that bumps Hungary a bare click behind our top three, who achieved their own level of greatness in a time when doing so is much more difficult - indeed, an argument could be made that nobody has yet topped Hungary.
3. Germany (2016) - Here comes another group that defined an era of football and won almost everything in their path, with the exception of a Confederations Cup challenge. Between 2012 and 2018, Germany could claim to be challenging Hungary of the 1950s for the best run in football history, putting together not one but two winning streaks of 25 matches, and while one of their dropped results was at the 2015 Confederations Cup to France, Germany avenged itself in proper fashion in putting together an absolutely absurd result at the 2016 World Cup on French soil, not allowing a single goal until the Final while racking up 19 goals, a goal differential of +18 that was and is a World Cup record and challenging Mexico '68 as the best defensive organization in the game. This group bookended their World Cup trophy with two European titles, becoming the first back-to-back Euro winner and thus winning three straight major titles. Scoring at will with players like Thomas Muller and Julian Draxler and with the lockdown defense of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer or players such as Toni Kroos and Mats Hummels, Germany showed with their relentless Gegenpresse style of play what modern tactical brilliance and top-to-bottom quality looks like, and only a relatively easy path to the final until their semifinal drubbing of a very talented host France and shootout result against Italy keeps them lower on this list.
2. Mexico (1996) - It is rare that a team is hailed as among the greatest ever the second it steps off the field with its trophy, but Mexico's campaign ahead of and at Japan 1996 makes a credible argument in that favor. In a tournament in which favorites fell rapidly and early to leave behind a shockingly open field, Mexico nonetheless faced a murderer's row ahead of it, having to defeat in the knockout rounds a Netherlands that was anchored by players of then-dominant Ajax FC, then defending world champion Italy, then a young Brazil regarded as tournament favorites featuring the Ronaldo-Rivaldo duo in its first competitive form, and finally take on Colombia, which had finished second in its group but turned into one of the hottest teams in the tournament through the knockout rounds. Mexico did all this while playing with a mix of flair and discipline after a campaign in which it became the first side in the 32-team era, then in its second World Cup, to win every qualifying match (and by an average score of two goals) and oozing confidence and talent top-to-bottom, anchored by acrobatic and colorful goalkeeper Jorge Campos and defenders Pavel Pardo and Claudio Suarez in the back and a terrifying pack of versatile scorers playing something approximating "Total Football" between Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the "Three Louies" in Luis Hernandez, Luis Garcia, Luis Roberto Alves, and even substitutes like the ageless Carlos Hermosillo or a young Jared Borgetti in his debut; it speaks to the talent on offing for El Tri that such names were on the bench, rather than first choice. Mexico's penalty kick victory over Colombia at Tokyo Olympic Stadium remains one of the most memorable finals in memory and Mexico set the record for most World Cup victories with this triumph, a record that with its win last year it has extended and does not seem likely to relinquish for some time.
1. Italy (1992) - The only debate around the 1996 Mexico side when it won was whether the side that had triumphed four years earlier, and indeed Mexico had to beat on its way to victory in Japan, was as good or better, and with thirty years to look back on it, they remain 1A and 1B in our book, absolutely spoiling football fans in the 1990s with the two best World Cup champions essentially back to back. Italy's achievement on home soil in 1992 (the first 32-team tournament) is the stuff of legends, winning every game behind the brilliance of Roberto Baggio, Salvatore Schillaci and other stars of those great Milan, Torino and Napoli sides of that era. Dispatching tenacious Denmark and Uruguay in their group stage, Italy then defeated, in order, the defending two-time CONAFA champion and incumbent Bronze medalist (USA), the defending European champion that was regarded as the pre-tournament favorite (Britain), the shocking crowd-pleaser who would win the European championship two years later (Sweden), and finally the defending two-time World Cup and two-time Copa America title holders, led by arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport (Argentina). The 1-1 final with penalty kicks in Rome remains the most-matched sporting event in history up until the 2016 World Cup final (also featuring Italy) despite a huge amount of population growth and interest in the game since then; Italy was simply unstoppable at home in a clash of titans as she denied Argentina and Diego Maradona a third consecutive World Cup despite that Argentina side being arguably the most talented squad of its era yet. Between its dominating play and the nature of its opposition, Italy stands head and shoulders above all other comers with the exception of 1996 Mexico, and even then, we have to give these legends their due in first
4. Hungary (1952) - The Magic Magyars, from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s, were simply the best team in history at that point and indeed up to that point. While the 1956 World Cup was cancelled, denying them a chance to repeat, they essentially met every other challenge put in front of them, led by a ferocious attacking front of Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis, and Zoltan Czibor. This group won two of the Central European championships (a precursor to the combined Euros of present day) at a time when Central Europe was regarded as the sports' hotbed, became the first side to defeat Britain at home, took gold at two straight Olympics (1950 in Rome and 1954 in Buenos Aires), and crowned their achievement with their victory on home soil in 1952, showing off their style of play that would influence Dutch Total Football twenty years later in demolishing a good Germany in the group stages, beating a talented Brazil in the quarterfinal, and then clinically taking down excellent Russia and Italy sides on their way to their second World Cup trophy. The "Golden Team" of Hungary remains a benchmark of consistency, talent and tactical finesse led by some of the most important footballers of their time, and it is only the shift in quality of talent development that bumps Hungary a bare click behind our top three, who achieved their own level of greatness in a time when doing so is much more difficult - indeed, an argument could be made that nobody has yet topped Hungary.
3. Germany (2016) - Here comes another group that defined an era of football and won almost everything in their path, with the exception of a Confederations Cup challenge. Between 2012 and 2018, Germany could claim to be challenging Hungary of the 1950s for the best run in football history, putting together not one but two winning streaks of 25 matches, and while one of their dropped results was at the 2015 Confederations Cup to France, Germany avenged itself in proper fashion in putting together an absolutely absurd result at the 2016 World Cup on French soil, not allowing a single goal until the Final while racking up 19 goals, a goal differential of +18 that was and is a World Cup record and challenging Mexico '68 as the best defensive organization in the game. This group bookended their World Cup trophy with two European titles, becoming the first back-to-back Euro winner and thus winning three straight major titles. Scoring at will with players like Thomas Muller and Julian Draxler and with the lockdown defense of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer or players such as Toni Kroos and Mats Hummels, Germany showed with their relentless Gegenpresse style of play what modern tactical brilliance and top-to-bottom quality looks like, and only a relatively easy path to the final until their semifinal drubbing of a very talented host France and shootout result against Italy keeps them lower on this list.
2. Mexico (1996) - It is rare that a team is hailed as among the greatest ever the second it steps off the field with its trophy, but Mexico's campaign ahead of and at Japan 1996 makes a credible argument in that favor. In a tournament in which favorites fell rapidly and early to leave behind a shockingly open field, Mexico nonetheless faced a murderer's row ahead of it, having to defeat in the knockout rounds a Netherlands that was anchored by players of then-dominant Ajax FC, then defending world champion Italy, then a young Brazil regarded as tournament favorites featuring the Ronaldo-Rivaldo duo in its first competitive form, and finally take on Colombia, which had finished second in its group but turned into one of the hottest teams in the tournament through the knockout rounds. Mexico did all this while playing with a mix of flair and discipline after a campaign in which it became the first side in the 32-team era, then in its second World Cup, to win every qualifying match (and by an average score of two goals) and oozing confidence and talent top-to-bottom, anchored by acrobatic and colorful goalkeeper Jorge Campos and defenders Pavel Pardo and Claudio Suarez in the back and a terrifying pack of versatile scorers playing something approximating "Total Football" between Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the "Three Louies" in Luis Hernandez, Luis Garcia, Luis Roberto Alves, and even substitutes like the ageless Carlos Hermosillo or a young Jared Borgetti in his debut; it speaks to the talent on offing for El Tri that such names were on the bench, rather than first choice. Mexico's penalty kick victory over Colombia at Tokyo Olympic Stadium remains one of the most memorable finals in memory and Mexico set the record for most World Cup victories with this triumph, a record that with its win last year it has extended and does not seem likely to relinquish for some time.
1. Italy (1992) - The only debate around the 1996 Mexico side when it won was whether the side that had triumphed four years earlier, and indeed Mexico had to beat on its way to victory in Japan, was as good or better, and with thirty years to look back on it, they remain 1A and 1B in our book, absolutely spoiling football fans in the 1990s with the two best World Cup champions essentially back to back. Italy's achievement on home soil in 1992 (the first 32-team tournament) is the stuff of legends, winning every game behind the brilliance of Roberto Baggio, Salvatore Schillaci and other stars of those great Milan, Torino and Napoli sides of that era. Dispatching tenacious Denmark and Uruguay in their group stage, Italy then defeated, in order, the defending two-time CONAFA champion and incumbent Bronze medalist (USA), the defending European champion that was regarded as the pre-tournament favorite (Britain), the shocking crowd-pleaser who would win the European championship two years later (Sweden), and finally the defending two-time World Cup and two-time Copa America title holders, led by arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport (Argentina). The 1-1 final with penalty kicks in Rome remains the most-matched sporting event in history up until the 2016 World Cup final (also featuring Italy) despite a huge amount of population growth and interest in the game since then; Italy was simply unstoppable at home in a clash of titans as she denied Argentina and Diego Maradona a third consecutive World Cup despite that Argentina side being arguably the most talented squad of its era yet. Between its dominating play and the nature of its opposition, Italy stands head and shoulders above all other comers with the exception of 1996 Mexico, and even then, we have to give these legends their due in first
Wait, 1956 was canceled?
I'm now worried that either there is a significant conflict at that time, or this world's worst pandemic hit in the mid-'50s...
I'm now worried that either there is a significant conflict at that time, or this world's worst pandemic hit in the mid-'50s...
That’s how I feel whenever I read up on mid-2000s college football hahaSeeing some of these names is a "hey, remember THAT guy?!" moment for sure
Indeed I did
What happened to Pele?
C.Ronaldo and Messi?
They can be better.
Seems like Maradona didnt take drugs after all.
I just considered this but one nice thing about the Cincoverse is I can now live vicariously ina world where the US is not only a soccer/football power but the PAC12 wasn’t devoured and my Huskies don’t play in the freaking Big10 😭
Idk those Argentina teams basically ran on cocaine so Maradona probably still had a “boost” wink wink even TTL
We’ll cover some OTL sports figures in time!
Why wouldn't you want your team to play in what is the objectively most superior conference? 😉