Last update 7 June, 2026 by football hung
Choosing the best World Cup finals is opening an infinite conversation. There are finals that are remembered for football, others for the drama, others because of a figure that changes everything and some because they condense the complete spirit of an era.. The most perfect final does not always win; Many times the one who leaves an image that cannot be erased wins..
This selection seeks just that: matches that were much more than the last match of a FIFA World Cup. To order this ranking they weigh emotion, the context, the quality of the game, the historical relevance and the mark they left on the football imagination. If you want a broader look at complete tournaments, here is our review of the best World Cups in history.
| Position | Final | Result | Why is it historical? |
| 1 | Argentina – France 2022 | 3-3, Argentina 4-2 on penalties | The wildest modern finale: Messi, Mbappé, comebacks and round. |
| 2 | Brazil – Italia 1970 | 4-1 | Pelé's Brazil, Jairzinho, Gershon, Tostao, Rivelino and Carlos Alberto in their fullness. |
| 3 | Argentina – Federal Germany 1986 | 3-2 | Maradona, Burruchaga and Azteca in a final with comeback and immediate response. |
| 4 | Federal Germany – Hungary 1954 | 3-2 | The miracle of Bern changed the history of Germany and broke the logic of the tournament. |
| 5 | Spain – Netherlands 2010 | 1-0 | Iniesta's night and the first World Cup in Spain. |
1. Argentina – France 2022: the total final
Argentina and France played in Lusail in a final that seemed written by someone without fear of excess. Argentina dominated, France resurrected with Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi once again put the albiceleste ahead and Mbappé forced the shootout with another penalty in extra time. He 3-3 and the 4-2 Argentina on penalties left a final that already belongs to the first shelf in history.
own FIFA He presented it as an Argentine consecration on penalties after a historic final. For Messi it was the culmination of a career that was already among the greatest, something that connects directly with the debate about the best Argentine players in history. For Mbappé it was an almost impossible performance: 3 goals in a final and still defeat.
2. Brazil – Italia 1970: beauty turned champion
Brazil 4-1 Italy was not just a victory. It was the coronation of a team that is still used as an aesthetic measure of football. Pelé paved the way, Gérson sent, Jairzinho scored in every match of the tournament and Carlos Alberto closed the final with one of the most famous team goals in history.
The final of Mexico 1970 explains why that Brazil is still alive in any review of the best players in the history of Brazil. The Aztec, besides, became the largest stage of World Cup memory, an idea that FIFA recovers when remembering its iconic images of 1970 y 1986.
3. Argentina – Federal Germany 1986: Maradona and the last blow
Argentina reached the final in Mexico 1986 promoted by Diego Armando Maradona, but West Germany did not give up even 2-0 against. Rummenigge and Voller tied the game in the final minutes and forced Argentina to show that they also knew how to respond when the script broke.
Then the play that closed the story appeared: Maradona's pass and Jorge Burruchaga's definition for the 3-2. FIFA remembers that final within the iconography of the Azteca Stadium, with Maradona lifting the trophy in front of a packed stadium. It was not the final with the most control, but it is one of those that best explains the narrative power of a World Cup.
4. Federal Germany – Hungary 1954: the miracle of bern
Hungary was the great team of the time. They had beaten West Germany in the group stage and reached the final with Ferenc Puskás as the symbol of a team that seemed invincible. Logic said Hungary. Football chose something else.
West Germany came back and won 3-2 a final that changed the sporting self-esteem of a country and became a founding myth. The miracle of Bern was not just a surprise; It was one of those finals that explain how a World Cup can alter the emotional map of football.
5. Spain – Netherlands 2010: the goal that changed a story
Spain 1-0 Netherlands was not a wide score final, but a final of maximum tension. The game was tough, fear of losing, an eternal save from Casillas to Robben and a goal from Andrés Iniesta in extra time that forever changed Spain's place in world football.
The Johannesburg final also explains why South Africa 2010 It is among the most special tournaments on our list of the best World Cups. It was the night a game idea found its ultimate prize.
6. Italia – France 2006: Zidane, Materazzi and destiny from the 11 metros
The Berlin final had everything: Penalty from Zidane to Panenka, empate de Materazzi, header, expulsion and a round that crowned Italy. Fabio Grosso scored the decisive penalty and France was trapped between greatness and injury.
UEFA remembers that final as an Italian victory after a dramatic penalty shootout. Its strength is not only in the result, but in the image of Zidane walking towards the locker room next to the trophy. It is one of the hardest and most famous scenes in modern football.
7. England – Federal Germany 1966: Wembley and the ghost goal
England won 4-2 in extra time and won his only World Cup. The final was marked by Geoff Hurst's shot that hit the crossbar and bounced over the line. Goal conceded, eternal debate and a hat-trick that made Hurst a singular figure in World Cup history.
Few finals have mixed so much national pride, controversy and television memory. Wembley 1966 It keeps coming up every time technology is talked about., referee justice and ghost goals.
8. Brazil – Italia 1994: the first final decided by penalties
USA 1994 ended with Brazil champion after the 0-0 against Italy and a shootout that left Roberto Baggio looking at the sky after sending the decisive shot wide. It was the first World Cup final decided from the penalty spot and changed the relationship between finals and psychological drama.
Baggio's scene is so powerful that it also appears on any list of unforgettable moments of the World Cups, although there was no goal here. Sometimes history is written precisely with what does not fit.
9. Germany – Argentina 2014: Gotze and the edge of extra time
Germany and Argentina played a close final at Maracaná, tactical and full of details. Higuaín had a huge opportunity, Messi touched the goal and the match was decided with a very high quality action: control and volley by Mario Gotze in extra time.
It wasn't the most explosive final, but it is one of the most tense of the 21st century. Germany thus closed a cycle of growth that had begun years before and Argentina was one step away from giving Messi the title that would end up coming in 2022.
10. Argentina – Netherlands 1978: Kempes and a final under pressure
Argentina won 3-1 in extra time with Mario Kempes as a great figure. The end of 1978 It has a complex historical context, but also an indisputable football dimension: a Monumental lit, a local team pushed by its people and a Netherlands that once again remained at the gates of glory.
Kempes scored two goals and became a symbol of a night that still generates debate. There are endings that are remembered for their beauty; This is remembered for its intensity and for everything that surrounded it..
The final that was not final: Uruguay – Brazil 1950
The Maracanazo deserves a separate mention because technically it was not an eliminatory final. The World Cup 1950 It was decided in a final league and a draw against Uruguay was enough for Brazil. Uruguay won 2-1 and the silence of Maracaná became one of the most powerful images in the history of sports.
Due to emotional impact, Uruguay – Brazil 1950 compete with any ending. By format, is left out of the pure ranking. But no article on World Cup finals would be complete without remembering that gigantic exception.
Sources consulted
Sources: FIFA, Argentina-France 2022; FIFA, iconic images of the Azteca Stadium; FIFA+, end of 1970; FIFA, world champions 1982-2022; UEFA, final Italy-France 2006.
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