There is no sporting event on Earth that delivers shock, beauty, awe, once-in-a-lifetime moments, and all-out history as the FIFA World Cup does. That's just what happens when the best teams in the world gather once every four years to crown one true champion.
Over 96 years of World Cup madness, the enormity of the FIFA World Cup has made it nigh-on impossible to pick out just ten of the most iconic moments. Think of the Battle of Nuremberg between Portugal and the Netherlands in 2006, Diana Ross missing a penalty in the opening of the 1994 World Cup, the Battle of Santiago between Uruguay and Italy in 1962, or Paul Gascoigne's tears after losing the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup against Germany?
To think that those are just honourable mentions is crazy, but that's what the FIFA World Cup is about. Flashscore takes you through the 10 most iconic moments in FIFA World Cup history.
The 10 most iconic moments in FIFA World Cup history
10: The 'Maracanaço' disaster (1950)
When the mighty Brazil turned up for the 'final' of the 1950 World Cup against Uruguay, no one thought it would be anything other than an exhibition game. Brazil had dominated the tournament, which had a very different format from the one it has now, with the four group winners advancing to a final round, where the winner of that group would be crowned world champions.
On July 16th, 1950, hosts Brazil and 1930 champions Uruguay faced off in a packed Maracaña stadium, where 200,000(!) spectators were waiting for their star-studded Seleção to win their first world championship. Brazil had beaten Sweden 7-1 and Spain 6-1 in the final round, while Uruguay drew against Sweden and scraped a 3-2 win over Spain.
But the unimaginable happened. Uruguay beat the almighty Brazil 2-1 in the Maracaña thanks to goals from Juan Alberto Schiaffino and Alcides Ghiggia, and the 200,000-man crowd fell into a "disturbing and traumatic absolute silence". The loss became a national disaster for Brazil, where, according to legends, a wave of suicides broke out. There's no proof for it now, but it's set in stone that the 1950 final, dubbed the 'Maracanaço', changed Brazilian football for eternity.
9: Geoff Hurst's phantom goal v West Germany (1966)
The year is 1966, and England is hosting a fantastic FIFA World Cup. The hosts are cruising, having eliminated the mighty Eusebio's Portugal in the semifinals, and are ready to face Franz Beckenbauer and West Germany in the final at Wembley.
Two early goals from Helmut Haller and Geoff Hurst lasted until the final 15 minutes, when Martin Peters thought he'd scored the winner. That was, until Wolfgang Weber scored an 89th-minute equaliser from a rebound. Extra time it was at Wembley, and no one knew they'd be witnesses to one of the most controversial 'goals' in football history.
Right-back George Cohen sent a low cross into the German box and found Geoff Hurst, who turned and fired at Hans Tilkowski's goal. The ball hit the crossbar and bounced out on the goal line, but to everyone's surprise, Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst and his assistant gave England the goal. It turned out to be a crucial turning point, with Hurst's phantom goal earning England their only major trophy to date.
8: Dennis Bergkamp's goal v Argentina (1998)
Marseille's Stade Velodrome was the venue of a cracking quarterfinal in 1998. The Netherlands, led by Dennis Bergkamp, Jaap Stam, and many of the golden Ajax generation that won the 1995 UEFA Champions League, were set to meet Argentina, led by Gabriel Batistuta, Juan Sebastian Veron, Diego Simeone, and Javier Zanetti.
The two sides were all square and were mentally preparing for extra time in the French heat when Dennis Bergkamp put the exclamation mark on a brilliant game. Frank de Boer launched the ball deep into Argentina's half, which Bergkamp controlled majestically. After his silky-smooth first touch, Bergkamp cut past Roberto Ayala, then curled it past goalkeeper Carlos Roa to send the Netherlands into the semifinals in the 90th minute, much to the excitement of Dutch announcer Jack van Gelder.
7: Pelé's swan song in Mexico (1970)
No matter how you experience the sport, Pelé is one of the biggest names it's ever known. After shocking the world in 1958 at age 17, the Brazilian phenom took to the global stage one last time at the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.
As part of what's considered the greatest football team of all time, Pelé played a stellar tournament. Despite that save from Gordon Banks being talked about a lot, Pelé's tournament with Brazil was one for the ages. O Rei was involved in 10 of Brazil's 19 goals at the tournament and took centre stage in the final against Italy with a goal and two assists in the dominant 4-1 win over Italy.
Pelé said goodbye to international in the only language he knew: with dancing feet that left the defenders lost in clear daylight. Inter great and Italy defender Tarcisio Burgnich, who was tasked with the thankless job of marking Pelé in the final, perhaps perfectly encapsulated Pelé's final World Cup: "I told myself before the game, he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else. But I was wrong."
6: Roberto Baggio's missed penalty v Brazil (1994)
Robert Baggio was one of the world's finest footballers in 1994. The Divine Ponytail was excellent at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States and reached the final in Pasadena as the man who would deliver Italy their fourth world championship.
Against a Brazil side led by Romário and Dunga, Baggio and Italy failed to score in 120 minutes, meaning the final at the Rose Bowl went to penalties. 94,194 people saw Italy fail during the penalty shootout, with Baggio, of all people, sending his penalty sky-high and losing Italy the final in dramatic fashion.
Years later, in an interview with The Athletic, Baggio, who was still dealing with the aftermath of his penalty, said that his miss made him go through the worst of emotional rollercoasters: "If I had had a knife at that moment, I would have stabbed myself. If I had had a gun, I would have shot myself. At that moment, I wanted to die. That’s how it was."
5: Germany beats Brazil 7-1 (2014)
Brazil lives, breathes, and loves football. So it was no surprise that in 2014, 64 years after the last edition held in Brazil ended in tragedy, the host country went all-in. A team led by FC Barcelona star Neymar made it all the way to the semifinals after eliminating Chile on penalties and tournament darlings Colombia, led by James Rodriguez, in the quarterfinals.
Germany were the opponents in the semifinal in Belo Horizonte. A tough win against Algeria in the round of 16 was followed by a win against France. Hit by an injury to Neymar and suspension for Thiago Silva, Brazil prepared for a tough matchup. What happened next would top anyone's dreams and nightmares.
After Thomas Müller opened the scoring from a corner, the floodgates opened. Miroslav Klose, Toni Kroos, Kroos again, and Sami Khedira all scored in a space of six minutes, putting the half-time score at an unbelievable 5-0. With young fans already in tears in the stands before the 30-minute mark, substitute André Schürrle added to the pain by making it 6-0 and 7-0 in the second half.
Oscar put a band-aid on Brazil's flesh wound in the 89th minute, but couldn't prevent another national disaster from happening. The game was dubbed the Mineiraço, or the Mineirao Smash.
4: Lionel Messi wins the World Cup (2022)
Lionel Messi had already etched his name in football history by the time the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar rolled around, but there was one glaring hole in his unbelievable trophy cabinet. Messi had still not delivered a World Cup to Argentina, unlike his legendary predecessor, Diego Maradona. Maradona was therefore still the greatest according to some, but Messi was on a mission to silence those critics.
36 years after Maradona's masterclass in Mexico, Messi's Argentina battled past Australia and the Netherlands before dismantling Croatia in the semifinals. Reigning world champions France were the final hurdle, and Messi, who'd scored five goals and assisted three more prior to the final, delivered when it mattered.
Lionel Messi scored twice, including one from the spot in extra time, before finishing his story in the penalty shootout. The boy who once promised had delivered, fulfilling his legacy once and for all.
3: Diego Maradona's 'Goal of the Century' (1986)
From one Argentine hero to another - Diego Maradona was the be-all and end-all for Argentina at the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The Mexican pitches were his playground, his training ground, his canvas, and Maradona left his greatest painting for the quarterfinals against England.
In the controversial matchup, which took place at the height of the Falklands War, Maradona showed the world why he would be considered one of the greatest of all time. Starting with the ball on his own half, the magisterial Maradona left Peter Beardsley, Peter Reid, Terry Fenwick, and Terry Butcher, who was beaten twice, for dust and tapped the ball into an empty net. It was an unbelievable sight.
The goal would be dubbed the ‘Goal of the Century’ and was described by Maradona as a "dream goal". And for very good reason.
2: Zinédine Zidane's head butt (2006)
The final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup was a last hurrah for one of the greatest footballers who has ever lived: Zinédine Zidane. France, led by the likes of Zidane, Thierry Henry, and Patrick Vieira, was awaiting a Mediterranean matchup against Italy, which had survived the semifinals against hosts Germany by the skin of their teeth.
Zidane had a dream start to his last game as a footballer by scoring a penalty in the seventh minute. An equaliser scored by Marco Materazzi 12 minutes later levelled things out for the remainder of the game, including extra time. But one of the scorers would not live to see the penalty shootout.
After a verbal altercation deep into extra time, Zidane head-butted Materazzi in a historically controversial World Cup moment. The legendary Frenchman was sent off, and the image of Zidane walking past the World Cup trophy that would be won by Italy would become one of the most iconic images in the sport's history.
1: Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' (1986)
In the same game as his goal of the century at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Diego Maradona did what he could like no other: divide the footballing world. Years before his drug controversy, Maradona had fans, critics, and players alike shaken by a goal that would determine the course of the sport's history.
Four minutes after his famous solo goal, Maradona embarked on another adventure deep into England's half. His pass was flicked up by striker Jorge Valdano and lobbed back to goalkeeper Peter Shilton by Glenn Hoddle, and Maradona rushed back to intercept it. High up in the sky, the small Maradona punched the ball in with his hand, but was shockingly not denied the goal.
After Argentina's 2-1 win, Maradona would go on to lift the World Cup trophy in Mexico City. The superstar was unapologetic for his controversial goal, dubbed the "Hand of God', at first, and confirmed in his 2000 autobiography that he scored with his hand: "Now I can say what I couldn't at that moment, what I defined at that time as The Hand of God. What hand of God? It was the hand of Diego!"
FAQ
What is officially considered the greatest goal in World Cup history?
Diego Maradona's first goal in the quarterfinal of the 1986 FIFA World Cup against England is widely regarded as the greatest goal in World Cup history.
Which World Cup match is known as the "Game of the Century"?
The 1970 FIFA World Cup semifinal between Italy and West Germany (4-3) is known as the 'Game of the Century'.
Has any player ever won three FIFA World Cup tournaments?
Yes. Brazil's Pelé won the FIFA World Cup in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
What is the biggest upset ever recorded in a World Cup final?
Uruguay's 2-1 win over Brazil at the 1950 FIFA World Cup is considered the biggest upset in a World Cup final.
Who holds the record for the most goals scored in World Cup history?
Germany's Miroslav Klose holds the record for most goals scored at the FIFA World Cup with 16.