The FIFA World Cup has a gift for producing moments of collective brilliance that outlast any individual performance. Certain tournament sides achieved something beyond mere victory — they redefined what was possible and left an indelible impression on the sport. These are the ten greatest World Cup squads in the competition's history, judged on the quality of football produced, the manner of their triumph and the lasting influence they exercised on the game.

1. 1

   Brazil 1970

   Mexico World Cup winners · Pelé, Jairzinho, Rivelino, Tostão

   The universal consensus holds Brazil's 1970 side as the greatest World Cup team in history, and the evidence is overwhelming. Winning every match, scoring nineteen goals and conceding just seven, they played a form of attacking football so complete and joyous that it has never been equalled on the world stage. Pelé, at thirty, delivered a tournament masterclass that served as the definitive farewell of football's greatest player.

2. 2

   Hungary 1954

   World Cup finalists · The Mighty Magyars

   Ferenc Puskás's Hungary arrived at the 1954 tournament in Switzerland having gone four years without defeat, and they played football of a quality that made them overwhelming favourites. Scoring twenty-seven goals in five matches and defeating West Germany 8–3 in the group stage, their shock final defeat to the same opponents remains one of the sport's most staggering reversals and has only deepened admiration for a side of extraordinary class.

3. 3

   West Germany 1974

   World Cup winners · Beckenbauer, Müller, Overath

   On home soil, Helmut Schön's West Germany produced a tournament of mounting authority, overcoming a Dutch side many considered superior to lift the trophy in Munich. Franz Beckenbauer's composed leadership from libero and Gerd Müller's fourteen World Cup goals across two tournaments — four of which came in 1974 — were the defining contributions of a ruthlessly effective team built to win major tournaments.

4. 4

   Brazil 1958

   World Cup winners · The debut of seventeen-year-old Pelé

   Brazil's 1958 World Cup campaign in Sweden introduced Pelé to the world at seventeen and delivered the nation's first global triumph, playing a 4-2-4 formation that was revolutionary in its attacking ambition. Didí, Garrincha, Vavá and Pelé formed an attacking unit of breathtaking quality, and their 5–2 victory over the hosts in the final remains one of the most complete performances in World Cup history.

5. 5

   Argentina 1986

   World Cup winners · Maradona's tournament

   No single player has dominated a World Cup as completely as Diego Maradona did in Mexico in 1986, scoring five goals and providing five assists in a tournament that he essentially carried on his own. Carlos Bilardo's side were organised and resilient, but it was Maradona's transcendent brilliance — most memorably against England in the quarter-final — that elevated this squad into the highest rank of World Cup history.

6. 6

   France 1998

   World Cup winners · Zidane, Desailly, Henry

   Aimé Jacquet's France were clinical and assured throughout the 1998 tournament on home soil, conceding only twice in seven matches before a 3–0 dismantling of reigning champions Brazil in the final. Zinedine Zidane's two headers in that final captured the imagination of a nation, but the collective quality of a squad that included Thierry Henry, Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps and Patrick Vieira was the true foundation of their triumph.

7. 7

   Spain 2010

   World Cup winners · First ever triumph

   Vicente del Bosque's Spain became the first European nation to win a World Cup held outside Europe, claiming the trophy in South Africa with a style of football that emphasised possession and patience above all else. Built around the core of a dominant Barcelona side, with Xavi and Andrés Iniesta controlling tempo throughout, they conceded only two goals in seven matches and won the final courtesy of Iniesta's extra-time strike.

8. 8

   Italy 1982

   World Cup winners · Paolo Rossi's remarkable revival

   Enzo Bearzot's Italy arrived in Spain as unconvincing group-stage qualifiers and departed as world champions, with Paolo Rossi — returning from a two-year ban — emerging as the tournament's decisive figure by scoring six goals in the knockout rounds. The manner of their victories against Argentina and Brazil in the second group stage, combined with their composed final victory over West Germany, marked them out as genuine champions of the highest order.

9. 9

   Netherlands 1974

   World Cup finalists · Johan Cruyff's Total Football

   Rinus Michels's Netherlands conceded just one goal in their path to the 1974 final and produced some of the most aesthetically compelling football the World Cup had ever witnessed, their concept of Total Football making it appear as though the game had been reinvented before the watching world's eyes. The fact that they lost the final to West Germany — taking the lead after just ninety seconds from the penalty spot before conceding twice — remains one of the tournament's great tragedies.

10. 10

    Brazil 2002

    World Cup winners · Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho

    Luiz Felipe Scolari's Brazil went through the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan without losing a single match, with Ronaldo redeeming himself from the trauma of 1998 by scoring eight goals including both in the final victory over Germany. The attacking triumvirate of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho was the most devastating combination in that tournament, and Brazil's fifth World Cup triumph was claimed with the authority befitting the sport's most decorated nation.

A LeaguePaper editorial ranking — opinion, offered for argument.