Top 5 FIFA World Cup finals of all time
The 2022 World Cup is fast approaching and we’re going to take a look back at the top 5 FIFA World Cup finals of all time. As the World Cup final only comes around every four years, betting on the final is always popular. So if you’re looking for the best World Cup betting apps to use during the tournament, betting sites have you sorted with quality apps available to make the betting process quick and easy. Here are the top 5 FIFA World Cup finals of all time.
#5 Brazil 0-3 France (1998)
There was immense pressure on the host nation in the 1998 World Cup. Firstly, the French had never won a World Cup and were taking on the all-mighty Brazilians. But it was also an even tougher challenge as the host nation. It’s very rare for a home country to win the World Cup on its home soil. However, France produced a brilliant performance in the 3-0 victory. Zidane scored a first-half double, giving France a 2-0 lead at half-time. Their defence held strong in the second half and Petit added a consolation goal in the 93rd minute.
#4 Italy 1-1 France (2006)
The 2006 World Cup will be mainly remembered for one reason – Zidane’s headbutt and send-off. Zidane had put the French in front during the early stages via a penalty goal. But the Italians countered through Materazzi. The pair would then be involved in a confrontation that led to Zidane headbutting his opponent and the referee had no choice but to give him the dreaded red card. Ultimately, it gave the Italians a massive advantage and they went on to win the final in a penalty shootout. After the Cup defeat, Zidane announced his retirement from International football.
#3 Germany 0-2 Brazil (2002)
After an embarrassing 3-0 World Cup defeat in 1998, the Brazilians responded in the 2002 Cup with a famous 2-0 victory over the Germans. Brazilian striker Ronaldo had a bit of a shocker in the 1998 Cup as he struggled to play through illness. But he redeemed himself in the 2002 Final by scoring both goals. This is Brazil’s last World Cup victory but they have high hopes of winning the 2022 World Cup as they’re one of the top favourites to lift the trophy.
#2 Brazil 4-1 Italy (1970)
The 1970 World Cup was a matchup between two countries that had previously won the final in back-to-back years. The Italians achieved the feat in the 1930s and Brazil followed in 1958/62. The Brazilians had a major advantage in the final due to the familiar South American climate in Mexico and it showed in the end.
Brazil scored first through Pele in the 18th minute but Italy equalised in the 37th minute to go into half-time with a 1-1 scoreline. However, Brazil finished the stronger side as they scored 3 unanswered goals in the second half on their way to a crushing 4-1 victory. One of the great moments in this Cup final was a record third World Cup title for Pele and this was his last World Cup appearance after retiring in 1971.
#1 England 4-2 West Germany (1966)
In 1966, England and West Germany played in arguably the most thrilling World Cup final thus far in history. Both sides scored in the first half and headed to half-time locked at 1-1. It was a similar story in the second half as England pushed ahead 2-1 in the 78th minute but West Germany responded in the 89th minute. With the scoreline locked at 2-2, the two sides headed to extra time.
Geoff Hurst scored his second goal of the game in the 101st minute to give England a 3-2 advantage and then in the 120th minute, he sealed up England’s first World Cup title with a hat-trick. He’s the only player in World Cup history to score a hat-trick. This is also the last time that the men’s English football team has featured in a final.
