Ranking every World Cup, from worst to best

Brazil 1950

Rating: 5/10

Champion: Uruguay 

After capturing the very first Jules Rimet trophy on home soil in 1930, Uruguay added a second 20 years later.  It was the first World Cup played since 1938, a 12-year hiatus due to World War II. Uruguay won the tournament after clinching the cup with a 2-1 win against Brazil in the deciding game of a four-team, round-robin final group. It was the only tournament not decided by a one-match final. Brazil’s loss is regarded as one of the most-shocking in soccer history and referred to as Maracanazo.

Host nation: Brazil

Brazil hosted their first World Cup that year. The tournament was almost never held, but was put on as planned when Brazil decided in 1946 to host it.

Best player: Ademir (Brazil)  

Ademir’s eight goals at the very first World Cup turned the Brazilian striker into one of the country’s first superstars. Playing as part of an outstanding trio that included Jair and Zizinho, Ademir, known for being agile as well as strong with both feet, consolidated his place as the tournament’s best player.

Iconic moment:

The tournament’s most indelible moment came in the last game when Alcides Ghiggia scored the winning goal against Brazil with 11 minutes left in the match. The goal stunned the crowd of nearly 200,000, plunging the country into mourning. “Only three people have silenced the Maracana,” Ghiggia once said of the goal. “The pope, Frank Sinatra and me.”

Quality of play:

This was the time of the “WM” formation (3-2-2-3) with three defenders, two halfbacks, three forwards and two wingers. Starting in the ’30s, a modified 2-3-5 formation was popular in Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Called the “Danubian school,” its main strategy was to distribute the ball through a short series of passes. The South Americans, however, played a different style. Uruguay and Brazil both played an offensive-minded 2-3-5. Both teams would eventually evolve that system into an attack-minded 4-2-4.

Kits:

The United States featured a white jersey with a red sash across the chest and blue shorts. It remains an iconic uniform. Uruguay’s sky blue shirts and black shorts were also among the best of the bunch. On the other side of the spectrum was Mexico. In the years before the Mexicans played in a green jersey, El Tri donned a not-so-appealing blue-and-white striped jersey and dark blue shorts.

Miscellaneous:  

The Americans pulled off what is still considered one of the biggest upsets in tournament history after posting a 1-0 victory against England. The goal by Haitian-born forward Joe Gaetjens remains one of the biggest in USMNT history.