Last update May 22, 2026 by Javier Argudo
Choose the best team in World Cup history It's one of those discussions that never ends completely.. Every generation has its favorite team, each country defends its myths and each fan remembers a tournament that marked them forever. Even so, If there is a selection that usually appears above the rest in almost all debates, that is Brazil 1970.
The greatness of a World Cup team is not measured only by winning the title. The quality of their footballers also matters, Luka Modric, dominance over rivals, the subsequent influence and emotional weight it left in history. That is why this debate is not only about results: is legendary.
Brazil 1970, the great candidate for best selection in history
For many, Brazil 1970 It is the best team that has been seen in a World Cup. That team won the World Cup in Mexico with an almost perfect mix of individual talent, offensive football, personality and beauty. He not only lifted the trophy: He left an image of football that is still used as a reference today.
In that Brazil they were Skin, Jairzinho, Tostão, Rivelino, Gérson Y Charles Albert, among others. It was a concentration of talent that would be difficult to repeat.. Pelé was already a world legend, Jairzinho scored in every match of the tournament and Carlos Alberto scored one of the most famous team goals ever in the final..
Brazil 1970 He did not win by accident or by an isolated detail. He won all his matches and closed the tournament winning 4-1 to Italy in the final. The feeling was that of a superior team, alegre, powerful and modern. Because, when you ask who has been the best team in the history of the World Cups, the most common answer is still Brazil 70.
What the best World Cup team should have
To organize the debate, It is advisable to establish some criteria. A legendary selection should meet several conditions: win or compete until the end, have historical players, leave a tactical or aesthetic mark and resist the passage of time well.
There are champions who were very effective but did not fall in love. There are also teams that played wonderfully and did not win the World Cup.. That's why it's not enough to look at the record.. The best selection in history must combine victory, memory and football.
Holland 1974, the best team that did not win the World Cup
Yes Brazil 1970 She is the great champion of the debate, Holland 1974 It is probably the best team that did not win the World Cup. A Clockwork Orange Johan Cruyff It forever changed the way of understanding the game with its pressure, mobility, exchange of positions and collective dominance.
That team did not lift the Cup because they lost in the final against West Germany, but his influence was enormous. Many ideas that today seem normal in modern football were already in that Netherlands.. Cruyff was the face of a team that turned the World Cup into 1974 in a total football masterclass.
Your problem in this ranking is obvious: did not win. But if we talk about historical impact, aesthetics and legacy, Holland 74 is necessarily in the conversation.
Argentina 1986, the Maradona World Cup
Another inevitable candidate is Argentina 1986. It wasn't, maybe, a team as choral as Brazil 70 or as revolutionary as Holland 74, but had to Diego Armando Maradona in one of the greatest individual performances in memory at a World Cup.
Mexico 86 belongs to Maradona. His match against England, with the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century, sums up like few others the mixture of genius, controversy and greatness of football. Argentina also had important footballers like Jorge Valdano, Jorge Burruchaga, Oscar Ruggeri or Tata Brown, protagonist of an unforgettable story in that final that we tell when remembering the end of the World 1986.
If the main criterion is the influence of a player on an entire tournament, Argentina 86 has few rivals. It was a champion team built around a footballer in a state of grace.
Spain 2010, domain, patience and an unrepeatable generation
For Spanish football, the Spain world champion in 2010 occupies a sacred place. It was not a team of victories, but yes control. His strength was in possession, in patience, in technical quality and in an extraordinary generation of midfielders.
Casillas, Puyol, Pique, Ramos, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Torres, Pedro, Cesc and company formed a block that had just won the Euro Cup 2008 and that later he would also win the Euro Cup 2012. That is to say, Spain 2010 It was not an isolated flash, but the center of an era.
Their candidacy for best World Cup team is based on their mastery of the game. Few teams have had such a capacity to impose pace, minimize the rival and live with the ball at your feet.
France 1998 and Brazil 2002, talented champions
France 1998 also deserves a high place. played at home, had a very tough defense, a powerful midfield and Zinedine Zidane as a great figure in the final. That 3-0 against Brazil in Saint-Denis made France world champions for the first time and opened a golden era for French football.
Brazil 2002, meanwhile, meeting Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Cafu Y Roberto Carlos. Perhaps it did not have the mythical aura of Brazil 70, but his punch was enormous. Ronaldo finished as the tournament's top scorer and completed a historic redemption after what happened in the final of 1998.
Germany 2014 and Argentina 2022, modern champions
In the most recent football, Germany 2014 Y Argentina 2022 They also enter the debate, although from different places. Germany 2014 It was a collective selection, deep and very worked, especially remembered for the historic 1-7 to Brazil in the semifinals.
Argentina 2022, instead, was linked to the World Cup culmination of Lionel Messi. It was an emotional selection, Competitive and capable of overcoming very difficult moments. They did not dominate the tournament like Brazil 70, but it closed one of the most important individual stories in modern football.
So, What is the best team in the history of the World Cup??
If you have to choose one, the most solid answer is Brazil 1970. She was champion, won all his matches, He brought together a brutal amount of talent and left a way of playing that is still remembered as one of the purest expressions of offensive football..
However, the debate has nuances. If we talk about tactical influence, Holland 1974 it's unbeatable. If we talk about a player dominating a World Cup, Argentina 1986 It is a work of Maradona. If we talk about collective control, Spain 2010 He deserves a lot more recognition than he sometimes receives.. And if we talk about modern epic, Argentina 2022 it already has its place.
That's why the best answer may be this:: Brazil 1970 It is the best champion team in the history of the World Cups, and Holland 1974 the best that didn't win.
Ranking of the best teams in the history of the World Cups
- Brazil 1970: talent, show, title and eternal legacy.
- Holland 1974: the Clockwork Orange that changed football despite not winning.
- Argentina 1986: Maradona's World Cup at its best.
- Spain 2010: control, technique and the peak of a historic generation.
- France 1998: balance, defense and Zidane in the final.
- Brazil 2002: Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and a vintage forward.
- Germany 2014: collective power and an unforgettable semi-final.
- Argentina 2022: Messi, resilience and a final for history.
Frequently asked questions about the best World Cup teams
What was the best team in the history of the World Cup??
The most repeated answer is usually Brazil 1970, by its title, his offensive football and an unrepeatable generation with Pelé, Jairzinho, Tostão, Rivelino, Gerson and Carlos Alberto.
What is the best team that did not win a World Cup??
Holland 1974 is the great candidate. Did not win the final, but his total football greatly influenced the tactical evolution of the sport.
¿Spain 2010 It is among the best selections in history?
Yes. Spain 2010 It was not a team of great victories, but he dominated the games from possession and was part of a historic era along with the European Championships of 2008 Y 2012.
¿Argentina 1986 It was just Maradona?
Maradona was the absolute figure, but Argentina also had a competitive block with players like Valdano, Burruchaga, Roger Brown. Even so, Diego's weight in that World Cup was extraordinary.
¿Argentina 2022 enter the historical debate?
Yes, especially for the symbolic importance of the title for Messi and for the final against France. Its historical place is strong, although Brazil 1970 remains a superior reference in domain and legacy.
You can also review our guide with all the champions in the history of the World Cups to compare times, legendary finals and selections.
