Brazil 1950
The Brazilian public were so confident that their side would triumph on home soil in 1950 that Rio de Janeiro newspaper O Mondo published a commemorative edition emblazoned with the headline ‘These are the world champions’ on the morning of the Selecao’s final game against Uruguay. Only needing a draw to win the tournament, the hosts took the lead but suffered a dreadful last 25 minutes in which their opponents and neighbours scored twice to take the trophy back over the border.
The defeat haunted Brazil for decades, but this was still an excellent side. A team featuring the attacking talents Ademir and Zizinho had thrashed Sweden 7-1 and Spain 6-1 in their two previous outings, hence the expectation that they would complete the job against Uruguay at the Maracana.
Netherlands 1974
The Dutch produced some of the most glorious football the World Cup has ever seen in 1974. Johan Cruyff was the undoubted star, but talent ran all the way through this team – from Jan Jongbloed in goal and Arie Haan at the back, to Johan Neeskens in midfield and Johnny Rep on the wing.
After topping a group containing Uruguay, Sweden and Bulgaria, the Netherlands booked their place in the final thanks to victories over Argentina (4-0), East Germany (2-0) and Brazil (2-0). Neeskens’ penalty gave them the lead against hosts West Germany, but a failure to kill the game off proved costly and Rinus Michels’ men went on to lose 2-1.
Hungary 1954
Perhaps the greatest of all the great teams who were not able to land the trophy, Hungary’s 3-2 defeat by West Germany in the 1954 final came to be known as the “Miracle of Bern”. Nicknamed the “Magical Magyars” for their spell-bounding style of play, Gusztav Sebes’ side won 42, drew seven and lost just one of the 50 matches they contested between 1950 and 1956 – but that one reverse came at the worst time possible.
A team featuring Ferenc Puskas, Nandos Hidegkuti, Zoltan Czibor and Sandor Kocsis beat Brazil in the quarter-finals and defending champions Uruguay in the last four, before taking a 2-0 lead in the final. It was not to be, however, as West Germany mounted a stunning comeback to deny the Hungarians victory.
Portugal 1966
Only once since 1966 have Portugal made it to the quarter-finals (or equivalent stage) of a World Cup. The edition in England remains their best showing in the competition’s history, the Selecao finishing third after a play-off triumph over the Soviet Union at Wembley.Prior to that Otto Gloria’s side had topped Group 3 with maximum points thanks to victories over Hungary, Bulgaria and Brazil, and got the better of North Korea by five goals to three in the last eight. Blessed with the talents of Benfica duo Eusebio and Mario Coluna, Portugal battled hard against England but lost their semi-final against the host nation 2-1.
Brazil 1982
One of the most iconic teams in World Cup history, Brazil did not even make it as far as the final in 1982. Zico, Socrates, Falcao et al. played some magnificent stuff in Spain as the South American nation sought to win the competition for the fourth time in their history, but a 3-2 defeat by Italy sent them home at the end of the second group stage.
The Selecao had wowed the watching public with their beautiful brand of football earlier in the tournament, beating the Soviet Union (2-1), Scotland (4-1) and New Zealand (4-0) to advance to the second round. A 3-1 win against rivals Argentina meant Tele Santana’s side only needed a draw against Italy to reach the final, but Paolo Rossi’s hat-trick left Zico lamenting “the day football died”.
