The last World Cup won by a non-European country was Brazil (2002). Since then it's been...
2006: Italy
2010: Spain
2014: Germany
2018: France
Will we see another champion from Europe? Or will Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, or Uruguay (the most likely four) break the European streak?
Argentina or Brazil this time could win!
shareBoth countries have so much talent, but in the WC it often seems like luck (luck of the draw, a lucky call here and there) is even more important than talent.
Europe also has the numerical advantage of qualifying countries:
Europe: 12
Africa: 5
South America: 4
Asia: 4
North America: 3
It's significantly easier for Sth American teams to qualify though.
share2022: England
shareLol. I would love it but seen too many of these tournaments come and go.
Gonna be a European team cos S American teams are spent at this stage. Brazil 1-Germany 7 was no flash in the pan.
I would like to see an African team win. We have never had it before. It would be a true breakthrough.
shareThe odds of African team winning are probably about the same as Leicester City winning the Premiere League again. Anything is possible, but it's a longshot.
shareI remember in 2018 a big YoutTube channel covering the semi finals and when it was announced all four semi finalists were European one German host of the show said "That's so sad". I'm like why is it sad if all four semi finalists are European? Do you think if all four semi finalists were Latin American countries, any Latin American would be saying that that is sad? No, every single Latin American would be proud of that just like every African would be proud if all four semi finalists were African or every Arab wold be proud of all four were Arab countries. It symbolizes the mentality that Europeans were indoctrinated in that being sad when they are the best instead of being proud. It is something unique to only Europeans.
shareI think it would be better if we had teams from South America, Europe and Africa in the semi-finals.
shareBut why not Asia?
shareWell, ideally Asia also, but I doubt an Asian team will ever make the semi-finals.
shareIt happened already , South Korea reached the semi-finals in 2002 , but we all know how they did it.
shareDouglas Murray's "The Strange Death of Europe" goes into detail about this strange phenomenon.
shareThe fact that Italy recently bested England in the Euro but didn't make the WC (again!) still baffles me.
Soccer is a beautiful, crazy game.
It’s going to be incredibly hard going playing in that heat. I wouldn’t be surprised if Brazil won it.
shareAgreed. Such a terrible spot for a WC. But when it comes to FIFA, bribe money always beats common sense.
Would be so much nicer if the WC location rotated between Europe, North America, & Japan/South Korea.
Mexico?? no chance lol , it will be Brazil if France doesn't win.
shareMexico is currently #9 in the FIFA world rankings, but I agree that they're a longshot behind Brazil, Argentina, and the European heavyweights (France, Belgium, England, Spain).
sharePlease, get serious.
Mexico may be #9 in that worthless ranking, but in real life Mexico would not even qualify in front of Poland, Ukraine or Serbia, let alone Portugal, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, England, Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Croatia, Denmark.
I doubt Mexico is even in the top 15 of teams in this competition. The number 1 country from that qualification ended up being Canada...
Agree that it's a flawed ranking system. Would be better if it focused on strength of opponents instead of just match results, but the Top 5 are usually accurate.
shareYeah that’s why they say winning the Euros is harder than winning the World Cup.
Brazil are no longer the force they used to be. I remember when I was younger being blown away by the skill levels of the Brazilians at tournaments; they had players like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo. The closest they've come since is the overrated Neymar. A lot of their players these days who come to mind tend to be average, as if no better than your standard English player e.g. Richarlison and Fred. No doubt they still produce good players but they seem to be less the flair players they were once associated with. It's funny to think back in the day, their goalkeepers were their weak points, and today they are one of their strongest, with Ederson and Alisson.
I would fancy Argentina over Brazil if it came to a team outside Europe, but I still would expect a European team to win.
Those Brazil teams you mention were a joy to watch. Such beautiful, free-flowing passes. In the 2002 WC, Ronaldinho scored a free kick against England that was one of the most perfect goals I've ever seen.
Alas, the tactics of the game changed and, unfortunately, that style of play doesn't result in as many wins as it used to.
I'm interested to see how Vinicius Jr. performs. Love watching him because he's a bit of a throwback to those earlier Brazilian players.
Yes and there was even debate about whether he meant that free kick. I mean it's Ronaldinho, a player more than capable of doing that or anything else on a pitch, of course he meant it!
Vinicius Jr. looks a good prospect. Young and already doing good things with Real Madrid, and is clearly a skilful player. There will always be players like him coming out of Brazil as with any other big footballing country, but I don't think they are in a strong generation of footballers right now, which is why it's so long since they've come close to winning a World Cup.
I only watch to see the violence in the stands from those morons
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