The 5️⃣ best World Cup finals 🔥

The 5️⃣ best World Cup finals 🔥 Not all good memories...  On Sunday night (9 p.m.), Spain and Argentina face off in the 2026 World Cup final. The European champions against the defending champions and South American champions. A hugely promising matchup, one that gives plenty of reason to hope for a great final, despite the absence of our Les Bleus.  To whet the appetite, here’s a look back at what we consider the 5 best World Cup finals. 2022: Argentina - France (3-3, 4-2 on penalties) Had to start with this one. It still hurts all Les Bleus supporters, who sometimes still have nightmares about Martinez’s save from Kolo Muani’s shot right at the end of the match. But even if France did not end up on the right side of it, they played a leading role in one of the greatest finals in history in terms of storyline.  It was Messi’s crowning moment as he claimed his first World Cup, after a brace that allowed Argentina to lead 2-0 until ten minutes from the end, before the Mbappé prodigy’s comeback (he ultimately scored a hat-trick), and then the two teams had to be separated by a penalty shootout. Suspense and emotion were there throughout: a spectacular final.   1966: England - West Germany (4-2 a.e.t.) Another team eliminated in the semifinals this year, England are still chasing a second star, 60 years after the first. The English had earned it the hard way at the end of a crazy match, carried by Geoff Hurst, who scored twice in extra time (the first player to score a hat-trick in a final, since matched by Mbappé), including one highly controversial goal: had the ball really crossed the line after hitting the crossbar? A final full of drama, which set the entire English people free. 1970: Brazil - Italy (4-1) Brazil 1970 is still considered by many to be the greatest team in World Cup history. Led by Pelé, the Brazilians produced spectacular football and steamrolled the competition. In the final, they dazzled once again against Italy, the other two-star nation, becoming the first team to win the tournament three times. Featuring, in particular, one of the most beautiful goals in the history of the competition. 1954: West Germany - Hungary (3-2) Let’s go back a little further in time. It’s a final that very few, if any, of us have seen. But there are plenty of videos and reports that reflect the legendary nature of this final, nicknamed “The Miracle of Bern.” Because the Germans managed to bring down the mythical Hungary side, unbeaten for four years at that point, led by their striker Puskas (who gave his name to the trophy for the best goal of the year). In pouring rain, the Hungarians, who had crushed the Germans 8-3 in the group stage, were 2-0 up after eight minutes, suggesting the match would be the bloodbath everyone expected. And despite two shots off the post as well as a disallowed goal for Puskas, it was the Germans who scored the next goals and won, pulling off the greatest upset in the history of the competition in a final.  2006: Italy - France (1-1, 5-3 on penalties) Impossible not to include it. Because in terms of drama, with the Panenka and then Zidane’s headbutt, it was immense. This too is a scar for France, not our best memory, but there is nothing more dramatic and romantic than Zidane’s last match in blue, in a final packed with stars that would also be decided on penalties. Painful but mythical. We could have included others too, like the 1950 final when Uruguay stunned Brazil like never before by winning in front of the 200,000 (!) spectators at the Maracana (“Brazil is dead,” ran the headline in the country’s biggest newspaper), or Maradona’s masterclass in 1986 to beat West Germany (3-2). Do you think Sunday’s final is going to be mythical?  This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.