Dutch '74, Brazil '82: The 5 greatest football teams to never win the FIFA World Cup
Every four years, a standout squad manages to click perfectly, delivering on the biggest stage to win the ultimate crown. However, a few stronger, more potent units fail in their attempt. We take a look at the five greatest football teams to have never won a FIFA World Cup.
Hungary - 1954
The Hungarian squad of the 1954 World Cup was perhaps the mightiest football team to have never won a FIFA World Cup. They were on a 32-game unbeaten run; they beat England 6-3 in the ‘Match of the Century’ at Wembley in 1953, defeated West Germany 8-3 in the group stage of the World Cup next year, only to stumble against the same German side (2-3). Their best player, Ferenc Puskás, played that final despite being injured.
The Netherlands – 1974
The Netherlands’ 1974 FIFA World Cup squad was filled with ballers. Be it Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Ruud Krol, or Johnny Rep, the top footballers of that time represented the same team and deserved to win the coveted prize. Against West Germany in the final, they scored a goal even before the opposition touched the ball, but failed to carry that momentum; as a result, they lost their best shot at the trophy (1-2). The tournament they dominated belonged to someone else at the final whistle.
Brazil – 1982
Touted as the best Brazilian team to have never won a FIFA World Cup, the 1982 squad had several sporting icons, including Zico, Sócrates, Roberto Falcão and Éder Aleixo. They were the most attacking unit assembled in World Cup history and yet failed to deliver. Brazil only needed a draw to advance to the next stage, but a shocking loss at the hands of the eventual champions, Italy, in the group stage (2-3) knocked them out of the World Cup.
Italy – 1994
The tables turned 12 years later, when Italy had the most complete squad at a FIFA World Cup, with legends like Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Costacurta and Demetrio Albertini. Yet, they failed to beat Brazil in the final for a World Cup crown. While Baresi missed the first penalty, Baggio missed the last, as this Italian unit lost the final 2-3.
Belgium – 2018
Belgium’s golden generation won nothing, no Euros and no FIFA World Cup. Ranked number one in the world for years, the team that had prime Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois lost to France in the semis of the 2018 edition in Russia, with the French side eventually winning the World Cup that year, their second in history.
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