The World Cup is the world’s biggest football tournament and the 2014 competition hosted by Brazil is underway at the time of writing. 32 teams have qualified and they will be pitting their skills against each other to see who can lift and hold the coveted FIFA World Cup for the next four years. The World Cup has been running since 1930 and there have been some great teams down the years, but who can be called the most successful teams (countries) in World Cup History? Based mainly on the criteria of top four finishes, here are the ten teams that can truly be considered to be the most successful ever.
#10 – England
England are one of the two oldest national teams in football; alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world’s first international football match in 1872. They were World Cup hosts and winners in 1966 and semi-finalists in Italy in 1990, though it’s arguable whether they are still a top ten team in the world right now, even though they’re officially ranked at #10 in the FIFA World Rankings.
Most Capped Player: Peter Shilton, 125 (1970 – 1990)
Top Goal Scorer: Bobby Charlton, 49 (1968 – 1970)