Best Teams to Never Win the FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is the ultimate stage in football. You see glory, heartbreak, skill, and passion all at once. For every team that lifts the trophy, there are others that come agonizingly close but never reach the pinnacle. These teams have dazzled fans with talent, strategy, and charisma, yet for one reason or another, the World Cup trophy eluded them. Their stories of near-misses continue to captivate fans, showing that greatness isn’t always measured in titles.

Best Teams to Never Win the FIFA World Cup

Netherlands

The Netherlands have been a beacon of imagination and tactical innovations in football. They made it to the World Cup final thrice, in 1974, 1978, and 2010.

The 1974 squad composed of Rinus Michels, invented “Total Football,” where the players could change places with one another, with Johan Cruyff the playmaker. Although they had gone the distance defeating 2-0 through the semi-finals, the Dutch lost 2-1 to West Germany in the finals.

In 1978 again they made it to the final but were defeated by Argentina 3-1 in extra time with the hostility of Buenos Aires around them.

The final in 2010 against Spain also resulted in a close 1-0 loss in extra time, thus confirming the Netherlands as one of the greatest teams having never been able to lay their hands on the trophy.

Hungary

The early 1950s “Golden Team” of Hungary is among the best and most powerful sides ever in the history of football. By Ferenc Puskás leading Hungary introduced innovative tactics and dominated the others with their technical skills and speed.

Their performance in England was phenomenal as they beat the team 6-3 at Wembley and the German team 8-3 at the group stage of the 1954 World Cup. However, the same West German side toppled Hungary in the final by 3-2, which incidentally became known as “the Miracle of Bern.”

Hungary’s position in football during the 50s was temporarily overshadowed by this tragic loss, but their impact on the game has continued to be felt all the way to the present day.

Brazil 1982

Brazil’s 1982 national team is frequently mentioned as the finest team never to lift the World Cup trophy. The coach Tabs Santana, the team was enriched with Zico, Sócrates, and Falcão as the main players. Their offensive tactics, elegant ball distribution, and unceasing inventiveness won the hearts of the public all over the world.

They were in command of the ball and outsmarted many rivals, but in an epic second-round game against Italy, Paolo Rossi’s hat-trick caused a 3-2 loss. The team of Brazil 1982 is associated with its aesthetic football, though they lost the ultimate prize.

Portugal 1966

Portugal stepped onto the World Cup stage in 1966 with Eusébio, who was one of the finest strikers of all time, leading the charge. The team knocked out Brazil in the group stage and then powered their way through North Korea in an exciting 5-3 comeback, where Eusébio netted four times.

Nonetheless, Portugal’s journey came to an end in the semifinals against the home team England, who managed to neutralize Eusébio and secured a 2-1 victory. Portugal went on to take the third spot, but the 1966 team continues to be a brilliant example of gifted and stylish players who never reached the top.

Argentina 1994

The World Cup campaign of Argentina in 1994 was full of scandals and promises never fulfilled. The return of Diego Maradona to the squad led to high expectations.

The team possessed the necessary qualities, and Maradona’s disqualification due to failing a doping test became a turning point for the team’s performance. Argentina lost to Romania in the Round of 16, which ended their participation in the tournament.

Nevertheless, the setback in the tournament helped players like Gabriel Batistuta to come out with enormous talent, hence making the tournament for Argentina a classic “what could have been” story.

England 1990

The World Cup of 1990 for England, managed by Bobby Robson was a competition full of hardships and disappointments. The team reached the semifinals mainly due to the midfield player Paul Gascoigne, whose tears after the penalty shootout loss to West Germany became another famous football memory.

The team did not win but its spirit and determination were so strong that they built goodwill among young fans and also provided English football with a fresh start full of hopes.

Belgium 2018

The 2018 World Cup in Russia began with Belgium being the number one team in the world, which had players like Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku among their ranks. They had a great show, the most notable ones being 3-2 comeback win over Japan and a 2-1 triumph over Brazil in the quarter-finals.

Unfortunately, they were beaten 1-0 by France in the semi-finals, which kept them away from their first final. Belgium’s golden period was marked by a great display of skill and talent, yet the ultimate prize remained elusive.

France 1982 and 2006

France has indeed gone through the wringer a couple of times regarding the World Cup. In 1982, a penalty shootout condemned a thrilling semi-final match in which a stylish French side led by Michel Platini was eliminated by West Germany.

The 2006 team with Zinedine Zidane was the other one who, after eliminating the likes of Spain, Brazil, and Portugal, eventually made it to the final but lost when the Frenchman’s red card during extra time coincided with Italy’s victory in the shootout, hence the agony of brilliance.

England 2002

The “Golden Generation” of England in 2002 seemed to be the rightful heirs of the World Cup. The trio of Michael Owen, David Beckham, and Steven Gerrard led the way to the quarter-finals.

Having knocked out Argentina in the group stage and beaten Brazil impressively in the quarter-finals, England lost to Brazil 2-1 in a match made famous by Ronaldinho’s lob over goalkeeper David Seaman. Promise has, once more, gone unfulfilled.

West Germany 1986

Lothar Matthäus and Rudi Völler were among the stars of West Germany’s 1986 squad that had the strength to reach the final with a victory over France in a thrilling semi-final but eventually suffered defeat by Diego Maradona’s Argentina 3-2.

This resilient and skillful team was merely a shadow of the German footballing ethos that boasted of “close but occasionally missing out on glory” after all.

                                               

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