There have been 21 FIFA World Cups played since 1930.
Some have been utterly unforgettable. Filled with amazing goals, moments and players.
Some others have been, well, not so good.
So with that in mind, we at 90min have decided to try and rank every FIFA World Cup ever.
The first one, and probably the worst one. It’s not to say this was a disaster of a tournament, because if it had been, we wouldn’t be looking forward to the 2022 World Cup in December.
However, with only 13 teams competing across 18 days and – let’s face it – none of these games or teams being widely recognised as some of the best ever, it’s fair to say that the 1930 tournament was a bit dire.
The 1962 World Cup was explicitly Mane Garrincha’s tournament, but very little else.
Rather than being remembered for its incredible goals and games, this was a tournament largely remembered for what could have been.
Pele was at the peak of his powers in 1962, but the world was robbed of seeing the greatest player of all time during the greatest period of his career by a freak injury during a group game against Czechoslovakia.
Had Pele been fit, the 1962 World Cup might be a bit higher on this list.
The main reason this tournament has been placed ahead of the 1962 tournament is the intrigue in the political clout which shrouded Italy’s first World Cup win.
Under the guidance of Vittorio Pozzo – and unconfirmed under the table help from Benito Mussolini’s regime – Italy were crowned world champions in the Stadio Nazionale in Rome on 10 June 1934.
However, the football played during this tournament isn’t what makes it historically significant. Rather, it’s the fact that the 1934 World Cup was the first explicit permeation of politics into the sport on a global scale.
Hosted by an Il Duce ruled Italy, the 1934 World Cup proved to be a precursor for what the world would witness just two years later at the 1936 Summer Olympics: a country utilising a sports tournament as a propaganda tool.
“We’ve created the most spherical ball ever.”
“The ball is a sphere – a perfect sphere!”
“Name a more spherical ball – we’ll wait.”
Big shout out to adidas for creating the most spherical ball ever and ruining the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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