Topic: Name the best and the worst World Cup so far

[oojason]

Spot on mate. Best header I've ever seen too, goes over Mullery' s head but Pele manages to head it down!?

With Banks almost scooping the ball up from behind him too. Still baffles me to this day


If you can set your VPN to the USA, this is a pretty good watch on the Brazil '70 team (with members of the actual team and some great cleaned-up match footage too):-

'When The World Watched: Brazil 1970': https://tubitv.com/series/300009501/when-the-world-watched (4 episodes in total)


This was the trailer for it (or rather 3/4 trailers for it - edited all together)...

'Brazil 1970 World Cup Film Trailer | When The World Watched':-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/4WfyCsxM1sw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/4WfyCsxM1sw</a>

^ or click here to watch - www.youtube.com/v/4WfyCsxM1sw

[Iska]

I can access the trailer here fine in the UK



Lovely job on that footage.  It just led me into a pleasant few mins watching grainier stuff of Rivellino. Not someone I know much about but he looks an absolute joy.

[darragh85]

I can access the trailer here fine in the UK



Lovely job on that footage.  It just led me into a pleasant few mins watching grainier stuff of Rivellino. Not someone I know much about but he looks an absolute joy.

they say he invented the flip flap which ronaldinho was renowned for. He said he himself that he didnt though, he learned it from a former Japanese team mate who he played with at club level in Brazil.

France 98 was probably the best one i remember in terms of quality. 94 was the one i recall with most fondness though because it was the fitrst one i really watched.. 2010 also. 2002 was a bit bizarre  but entertaining nonetheless. i remember trying to convince people beforehand that Argentina wouldnt win it and that Brazil will. they were unbelievably hyped up. DIdnt expect them to flop as badly as they did though.

anything after 2010 just all blurs into one for me.

[Runehammer]

The Brazil Team of 1970 was the best ever, a magnificent team which, considering who was in it, was actually greater than the sum of its parts.  Some teams retire shirt numbers when a "great" player packs in....similarly, in my opinion, the world cup should have just stopped after 1970 'cause nothing was going to top it.   

So 1970 was the best.  Can't comment on a worst one as I haven't really watched one since, got better things to so.  Looking forward to the season starting again though.

Yeah this all day long. Gotta go with this one as the worst tho'!

[afc tukrish]

As far as '82 is concerned, important to remember the horrible corruption between Germany and Austria, augmented by Schumacher's murderous assault on Patrick Battiston in the semi.

Italy's victory in the final had a great deal of poetic justice in support of it.

Even the narratives in '82 were better... 

[Crosby Nick]

Best is tricky. Earliest one I can remember is Mexico 86 but think the only England game I watched was the Argentina game and the only others I remember are a Brilliant Brazil v France QF and the final. All great games but didn’t watch loads of it.

Italia 90 I had full World Cup fever so might be my favourite in terms of memories but don’t think there were many great games.

Best therefore are either France 98 or Germany 06. Good kick off times, quite open tournaments, and entertaining knock out matches.

Worst? From 2010 onwards they’ve felt quite uneventful. Might just be me getting older and more cynical.

[Crosby Nick]

And that Hungary 1954 team not winning it was fairly incredible. They were unbeaten for 5 years coming into the tournament (although ‘only’ 32 games, comparable to Argentina before this tournament) and in the final itself were 2 up in 8 minutes! Sort of stuff that must haunt you for years if you were part of the team.

[thejbs]

Best (subjectively): Italia 90. I was 10 years old and Ireland were in it.
Best (objectively): 1998
Worst: haven’t watched a minute of the current shitefest.

[rob1966]

As far as '82 is concerned, important to remember the horrible corruption between Germany and Austria, augmented by Schumacher's murderous assault on Patrick Battiston in the semi.

Italy's victory in the final had a great deal of poetic justice in support of it.

Even the narratives in '82 were better... 

Still the worst thing I've ever seen on a football pitch

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/tGq7VcaHoqo&amp;t=16s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/tGq7VcaHoqo&amp;t=16s</a>

[24/7]

Still the worst thing I've ever seen on a football pitch

Same. Most shameful, egregious act. I'm so surprised he wan't fuckin killed in that. Still sends shivers. I remember seeing the game live on telly and even at 12 years old knowing it was about as bad as it gets

[Ravishing Rick Dude]

Still the worst thing I've ever seen on a football pitch

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/tGq7VcaHoqo&amp;t=16s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/tGq7VcaHoqo&amp;t=16s</a>

Uh that was nasty

[rob1966]

Same. Most shameful, egregious act. I'm so surprised he wan't fuckin killed in that. Still sends shivers. I remember seeing the game live on telly and even at 12 years old knowing it was about as bad as it gets

The ref gave a goalkick too as everybody missed the assault. Both the ref and linesman followed the ball and didn't see the incident. Battiston lost two teeth, broke 3 ribs and suffered damage to his vertebrae that meant he still suffers back pain and headaches from the clash. Platini thought he was dead at one point.

[afc tukrish]

The ref gave a goalkick too as everybody missed the assault. Both the ref and linesman followed the ball and didn't see the incident. Battiston lost two teeth, broke 3 ribs and suffered damage to his vertebrae that meant he still suffers back pain and headaches from the clash. Platini thought he was dead at one point.

Loved him as a player, but as a 13 year-old watching, I thought Michel was a pussy for not throwing a punch at Schumacher.

Which, given his behavior as a football exec, wasn't really all that far off as a character assessment...

[Statto Red]

Best, a bit tricky

Mexico 86, but only remember it for a couple of England matches though, then the final, i do remember the late night kickoffs UK time & communications being quite awful, think some of the commentary was done on the phone,.

Brazil 14 was quite fun, although Brazil were awful, & with help from the refs spawned their way to the a semis, before that hilarious meltdown against Germany

Worst

Italia 90, most games were snooze fests, FIFA brought in the backpass ruling soon afterwards

South Africa 2010, another snooze fest of a world cup, not helped by the awful match ball.

[Flaccido Dongingo]

Best - Mexico '86
Worst - South Africa' 10, those fucking vuvuzelas, the ball that was like one of those 50p balls you bought that bent every way and direction after a toepoke for fuck sake.

[The North Bank]

 I don’t remember Mexico 86 but from the footage looks incredible. If I could get a time machine and choose any wc to go to, it would have to be 1986 or 1970... both in Mexico... the home of the world cups!
Next World Cup is in USA Canada and Mexico, definitely interested in the Mexico section of it, would love to watch a game there.

[Tobelius]

Still the worst thing I've ever seen on a football pitch

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/tGq7VcaHoqo&amp;t=16s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/tGq7VcaHoqo&amp;t=16s</a>

Horrible assault that,was watching with my dad as a 9 year old and one of the only memories i still remember from that WC was feeling ill after i saw it.

[Fromola]

For me the best was 98, and the worst got to be 2010

What's your take?

International football definitely peaked in 98. So many good players and teams.

World Cups since have been a bit up and down but I'd say 2010 was the one that was just bad. This one might pick up more once teams get some cohesion after no preparation time. Usually in the summer players are running on empty into the knockouts.

It's also forgotten just how bad Italia 90 was from a footballing perspective but there's a lot of nostalgia for Ireland, England, Cameroon, Maradona and Pavarotti. Although Jack Charlton made Pulis look like a purist and he had good players. England also played badly (with top players) until the semi final.

[Solomon Grundy]

1990 was the best WC for me. Not so much for the games, but for everything else that surrounded it. I loved Mexico 1986 too.

The worst for me has been USA 1994 and South Africa 2010.

[Fromola]

I don’t remember Mexico 86 but from the footage looks incredible. If I could get a time machine and choose any wc to go to, it would have to be 1986 or 1970... both in Mexico... the home of the world cups!
Next World Cup is in USA Canada and Mexico, definitely interested in the Mexico section of it, would love to watch a game there.

The World Cup I think peaked from that 1970 to 1986 period. Television was really taking off, 1970 the first in colour, and watching live football on TV was a novelty (like the FA Cup finals at the time). You simply weren't able to watch Pele, Zico, Cruyff or Maradona every week (or pretty much ever) and the best players often took their best level to the World Cup. There's not much footage of World Cups before 1966.

A lot of great nostalgia and moments from the two Mexico World Cups but they'd put a lot games on in the stifling heat in the middle of the day. The games were basically at walking pace there and the game was a lot slower in general with the back pass etc.

[The North Bank]

The World Cup I think peaked from that 1970 to 1986 period. Television was really taking off, 1970 the first in colour, and watching live football on TV was a novelty (like the FA Cup finals at the time). You simply weren't able to watch Pele, Zico, Cruyff or Maradona every week (or pretty much ever) and the best players often took their best level to the World Cup. There's not much footage of World Cups before 1966.

A lot of great nostalgia and moments from the two Mexico World Cups but they'd put a lot games on in the stifling heat in the middle of the day. The games were basically at walking pace there and the game was a lot slower in general with the back pass etc.

I know but there’s something mystical about them. Seeing maradona dazzle or the Brazilian team play their samba stuff. I do agree about that golden period. Certainly from 98 onwards the World Cup felt like a regular tournament for me, all that time the premier league  and CL were getting bigger.

[Iska]

It's also forgotten just how bad Italia 90 was from a footballing perspective

It was, but that tournament really mattered.  You can forgive almost any amount of terrible football when the outcome feels like it’s important.

The ones since mostly haven’t had that, for various reasons - not being in football countries, the rise of club football, top players obviously wearing themselves out beforehand and turning up injured, the presentation becoming ever-slicker and blander, the fact that you know most of the players already, the settling on a universal style so you rarely get big civilizational clashes.  I still think that Spain side were death to football, risk averse and super efficient, turning the game into a series of controlled experiments.  Impressive but so boring.

One overlooked factor is I reckon the rise of easy foreign travel has harmed it too - the older world cups were fascinating cultural events in themselves, it felt like your team were emissaries hacking their way through the jungle, you didn’t quite know how it was going to go.  Not so when you’ve been there yourself, and they’re headquartered in a lush resort and jetting in bubbles from game to game.

[Fromola]

I know but there’s something mystical about them. Seeing maradona dazzle or the Brazilian team play their samba stuff. I do agree about that golden period. Certainly from 98 onwards the World Cup felt like a regular tournament for me, all that time the premier league  and CL were getting bigger.

Yeah 98 was the first tournament when there was no surprises anymore in terms of players. In 94 you'd probably seen the likes of Baggio and Baresi a fair bit already on channel 4 Serie A but you might have never seen Romario, Cafu or Bebeto before (Romario probably once in the CL final that year). Between 94 and 98 you had La Liga now on Sky, Serie A on channel 4 and CL/UEFA Cup was regularly on terrestrial tv throughout the season. Plus the PL was now attracting the likes of Bergkamp, Juninho, Desailly and Zola rather than packed out with just British/Irish players.

[Fromola]

It was, but that tournament really mattered.  You can forgive almost any amount of terrible football when the outcome feels like it’s important.

The ones since mostly haven’t had that, for various reasons - not being in football countries, the rise of club football, top players obviously wearing themselves out beforehand and turning up injured, the presentation becoming ever-slicker and blander, the fact that you know most of the players already, the settling on a universal style so you rarely get big civilizational clashes.  I still think that Spain side were death to football, risk averse and super efficient, turning the game into a series of controlled experiments.  Impressive but so boring.

One overlooked factor is I reckon the rise of easy foreign travel has harmed it too - the older world cups were fascinating cultural events in themselves, it felt like your team were emissaries hacking their way through the jungle, you didn’t quite know how it was going to go.  Not so when you’ve been there yourself, and they’re headquartered in a lush resort and jetting in bubbles from game to game.

Yeah, I said from a football perspective, but that's not to say the tournament was bad. A lot of changes came about because of the product on the pitch in that tournament. Particularly the backpass rule which was a gamechanger in speeding up the game. The game had got so slow around that time, it's no wonder players could get away with binge drinking and smoking.

[Nitramdorf]

Got me thinking back to Zico, Socrates and the rest of that Brazil team - best team ever to NOT win a WC Tournament?

I only found out the other day that Careca got injured just before the tournament. Maybe he would have made the difference.

[Lycan]

USA '94 was a horrific World Cup. Mexico '86 was good. Italia '90 was good for everything else but the majority of the games. Roger Milla, Toto Schillaci, Nessun Dorma, Ireland beating Romania on pens, Gazza crying etc... France '98, as mentioned by others in here was where the good World Cups ended.

[Fromola]

I only found out the other day that Careca got injured just before the tournament. Maybe he would have made the difference.

Sad thing about them not winning that is they were never really cavalier after that, they changed the way they play and have largely had more physical, defensive minded midfielders than the mavericks. They never got over that Italy defeat.

[The North Bank]

Yeah 98 was the first tournament when there was no surprises anymore in terms of players. In 94 you'd probably seen the likes of Baggio and Baresi a fair bit already on channel 4 Serie A but you might have never seen Romario, Cafu or Bebeto before (Romario probably once in the CL final that year). Between 94 and 98 you had La Liga now on Sky, Serie A on channel 4 and CL/UEFA Cup was regularly on terrestrial tv throughout the season. Plus the PL was now attracting the likes of Bergkamp, Juninho, Desailly and Zola rather than packed out with just British/Irish players.

Agreed. Nowadays we dont want Brazilians getting picked at the world cup so they can come back fresh to our teams, in the old days it wouldve been the first time we see them.

[The North Bank]

USA '94 was a horrific World Cup. Mexico '86 was good. Italia '90 was good for everything else but the majority of the games. Roger Milla, Toto Schillaci, Nessun Dorma, Ireland beating Romania on pens, Gazza crying etc... France '98, as mentioned by others in here was where the good World Cups ended.

Usa 94 was brilliant, Maradona starting on fire then drug banned, Romania and Bulgaria ripping it up with Hagi and Stoichkov, Sweden having a great tournament, the irish, Romario vs Baggio , some cracking goals and big upsets. England werent there too, which made the coverage much more even. The only disappointment was the final, but they all are.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Best one

The USA 1994 - I was in Dublin for over a week and Ireland were doing great and got to the knockout stages. Had a blast


Can't really say this one is the worst as I haven't watched it, but the World Cup is dead to me now. I know I'll never watch it again. It can get to fuck

[Nitramdorf]

My first was '78, I was 10 and my mum used to let me stay up. The abiding memory is the long range goals. There was a Dutch one which seemed about a mile out and took ages to get in the net, Arie Haan I think against Italy.

Also Nelinho for Brazil in the 3rd place play off. Curled it in from the right wing with his right foot. Never seen it's like again. Can still get a bit of a thrill seeing Archie Gemills brilliant goal, although I hated him because of Forest being our rivals. Cubillas scored a cracking free kick against the Scots also. I remember Alan Rough standing around looking bewildered with the ball in the net quite a few times.

I think '78 just shades '82 for me. I did love Eder in '82, him and Socrates goals against the USSR were amazing. Also '82 had a rarely seen Alan Hansen mistake against Brazil.

Hardly watch football now so hard to pick a worst. I did once support England then something changed to make me support whoever they were playing. I remember laughing out loud when the Germans thrashed them in South Africa.

Since then they all seem to blend into one so for me they've all been a bit shit since '98.

[I've been a good boy]

Best World Cup for me was France 98 as it's the first one I remember watching properly and getting really into it as a kid. Ronaldo and Zidane are still my favourite players because of that tournament.

Weirdly I just can't remember any of 2014 apart from when Argentina got dicked by Germany. Was a very forgettable tournament. 2018 I wasn't here so only thing I remember is Twitter videos of Ingurland going crazy all Summer with "it's coming home"

This one's been alright so far. The football has been of such a poor quality though, England v USA was horrendous. I'm annoyed because I could've watched something else.

[oldman]

anyone of a certain age will surely say 1970

the Brazil team of 82 was wonderful too - couldn't believe when they lost 3 - 2 to Italy and that Rossi hat trick - one of the great World Cup games

worst was South Africa

this ones not very good either although I havnt seen much of it

[oldman]

 I did once support England then something changed to make me support whoever they were playing. I remember laughing out loud when the Germans thrashed them in South Africa.

same here - I went to the euros in Italy 1980 to watch England - surrounded by absolute dickheads it was the complete opposite of supporting Liverpool  - gave up on England then

[wampa1]

Usa 94 was brilliant, Maradona starting on fire then drug banned, Romania and Bulgaria ripping it up with Hagi and Stoichkov, Sweden having a great tournament, the irish, Romario vs Baggio , some cracking goals and big upsets. England werent there too, which made the coverage much more even. The only disappointment was the final, but they all are.

Yeah, '94 for me as well, for all the reasons above.  As for worst, maybe 2014 as I can't remember any of it (Was that were Iceland beat England?).

[Crosby Nick]

Yeah, '94 for me as well, for all the reasons above.  As for worst, maybe 2014 as I can't remember any of it (Was that were Iceland beat England?).

That was Euro 2016. With your avatar in charge! He was also the boss in 2014 when England were I think the first team to be knocked out! After just two games.

[Iska]

How on earth did he survive that?! Could you imagine Graham Taylor getting knocked out of something after two games.

The last two World Cups have actually been really good.  2014 ran out of puff late on, but having said that they did produce the greatest game of them all so how fair is that really.  2010 was just dismal, boring safety first football by everyone.  Yet even then Suarez managed to give us another of the greatest moments, so.

[Stubbins]

anyone of a certain age will surely say 1970

I agree. Guess I'm an oldman too.

[gerrardisgod]

Usa 94 was brilliant, Maradona starting on fire then drug banned, Romania and Bulgaria ripping it up with Hagi and Stoichkov, Sweden having a great tournament, the irish, Romario vs Baggio , some cracking goals and big upsets. England werent there too, which made the coverage much more even. The only disappointment was the final, but they all are.

And Diana Ross.

[disgraced cake]

If you're solely considering the football I can't imagine the 2010 one will ever be beaten - Fucking awful throughout. The Qatar one hasn't been a pretty watch on the field but it's not been quite as bad as South Africa was football wise. In general though obviously it's the worst ever.