Greatest World Cup Matches.

[gigi riva]

Now that Qatar  is over  and we witnessed a great final   and probably the greatest game of all time  I am wondering what other people thinks which is the best World Cup games of all time , Here is my Top 5.

 

France v Argentina 2023

Brazil V France  1986

Italy V Brazil    1982

Italy v Germany  2006

Italy v West Germany 1970

[RJB]

I haven't seen every game ever, but I have to admit I feel a strike against the France Argentina final is that it went to penalties.  

I can only go with games I've seen, but Italy Germany 2006 is up there.  Off the top of my head I'll pick that one, but maybe because of watching it with my Italian dad, so there's some bias there. 

[narduch]

4 hours ago, RJB said:

I haven't seen every game ever, but I have to admit I feel a strike against the France Argentina final is that it went to penalties.  

 

It was also a bit boring for a bit.

In the 2nd half I kept thinking I would probably just turn it off if Argentina scored a 3rd.

Glad I stuck around though. It got way better later.

[gigi riva]

Other great games I would include 

 

Argentina v France  WC 1978

USSR v Belguim WC 1986

Brazil v England WC 1970

France v Argentina WC 2018

[Free kick]

How can we not have 

Fra vs West Ger from 1982

That's the only game that i saw that can rival this year's Arg-Fra final.   When FIFA ran similar poll earlier this year,  that game topped this list as the best game ever.  

I would also add Ita-Bra in 82 to any list.    The 1982 WC,  by the way, was a great World cup with a lot of entertaining games.   I think it was also the first one televised in Canada.  So it was a great show case to sell the game.  I think, ultimately,  it did miracles for launching the popularity of the sport in Canada.  

[BearcatSA]

3 hours ago, Free kick said:

How can we not have 

Fra vs West Ger from 1982

That's the only game that i saw that can rival this year's Arg-Fra final.   When FIFA ran similar poll earlier this year,  that game topped this list as the best game ever.  

I would also add Ita-Bra in 82 to any list.    The 1982 WC,  by the way, was a great World cup with a lot of entertaining games.   I think it was also the first one televised in Canada.  So it was a great show case to sell the game.  I think, ultimately,  it did miracles for launching the popularity of the sport in Canada.  

West Germany vs France in 82 had everything, including a great villain (Schumacher). 

Prior to 82, you had to go to closed circuit theatre/arena events to watch.  Even on tape delay, as long as you kept the local radio off, you could enjoy the match on CBC, with Graham, Geoff, and Steve on the call (not at the stadium, iirc), with Ernie Afaghanis and Sir Stanley Matthews doing the half time and post game. 

Some of early round matches in 82 were pretty mind numbing, but the Brazil-Italy and the West Germany-France ones were gripping affairs.

[gigi riva]

16 hours ago, Free kick said:

How can we not have 

Fra vs West Ger from 1982

That's the only game that i saw that can rival this year's Arg-Fra final.   When FIFA ran similar poll earlier this year,  that game topped this list as the best game ever.  

I would also add Ita-Bra in 82 to any list.    The 1982 WC,  by the way, was a great World cup with a lot of entertaining games.   I think it was also the first one televised in Canada.  So it was a great show case to sell the game.  I think, ultimately,  it did miracles for launching the popularity of the sport in Canada.  

I totally forgot about that game . I was only 13 back in 1982 and I remember being so pissed at the final outcome  especially with Shumacher getting away with that elbow ala Scott Stevens on Battiston 

[Unnamed Trialist]

On 12/29/2022 at 5:29 PM, Free kick said:

How can we not have 

Fra vs West Ger from 1982

That's the only game that i saw that can rival this year's Arg-Fra final.   When FIFA ran similar poll earlier this year,  that game topped this list as the best game ever.  

I would also add Ita-Bra in 82 to any list.    The 1982 WC,  by the way, was a great World cup with a lot of entertaining games.   I think it was also the first one televised in Canada.  So it was a great show case to sell the game.  I think, ultimately,  it did miracles for launching the popularity of the sport in Canada.  

Both great matches, I'd say my favourite of all time was that France - Germany in Seville.

It has a powerful narrative, heroics, of course at that time France was just emerging. 

Watching the 1982 World Cup had an influence on me going to Spain.

[BearcatSA]

This year's final frankly wasn't a contest for first 75-80 minutes so that's why I st first didn't rate it as nighly as some of the other matches suggested.  But that final stretch was absolutely mesmerizng and for that it gets popped up quite a bit for me.