Argentina beats West Germany in 1986 World Cup final
In the final game of the 1986 World Cup, hosted by Mexico, the German team presented an outstanding performance, but finally lost 2-3 to Argentina. The tournament saw the brilliant skills of the Argentine star Maradona, who is seen by many as the best football player in history.
West Germany wins third World Cup title in 1990
In the final game of the 1990 World Cup, held in Italy, West Germany avenged its last defeat against Argentina. The Mannschaft won their third World Cup title after Andreas Brehme scored from the penalty spot. That tournament saw the participation of Egypt and the UAE.
The Pharaohs presented decent performances in the tournament, drawing 1-1 with Netherlands, 0-0 with Ireland, and losing 0-1 to England. The UAE presented a poor performance and lost all three matches of the group stage; 0-2 to Colombia, 0-5 to Germany, and 1-4 to Yugoslavia.
Al-Owairan scores brilliant goal in 1994 World Cup
Brazil deservedly won the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Two Arab teams, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, participated in the tournament. In their first appearance at the World Cup, the Saudi team, known as the Greens, presented a strong performance, beating Belgium 1-0.
Midfielder Saeed Al-Owairan scored the Saudi goal against Belgium, which is considered one of the greatest World Cup goals of all time. He brilliantly sprinted across the field for about 80 metres to score the unforgettable goal.
Saudi Arabia qualified for the Round of 16, but it was knocked out at the hands of Sweden.
Zidane leads France to win 1998 World Cup
The French star of Algerian origin Zinedine Zidane led the French team to win the 1998 World Cup held in France.
That championship saw the participation of three Arab teams, namely Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Tunisia. The undisputed star of the tournament was Zidane, who succeeded in helping his team win its first World Cup title.
The Brazilians came second in the championship. Four years later, they managed to win the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan.
Italy wins 2006 World Cup in Germany
The 2006 World Cup, hosted by Germany, was one of the most successful championships. Despite the strong performance of the Germans, especially against Argentina in the quarter-finals, they failed to qualify for the final match after they lost in the semi-final to the Italians 0-2.
In the final game, Italy clashed with France. It was a fierce match and the Azzurri managed to win the precious title through the penalty shootout.
This game witnessed the famous incident of Zidane, when he (playing in the last match of his career) was sent off for headbutting Materazzi in the chest after a verbal exchange.
Spain finds luck in 2010 World Cup
The 19th edition of the FIFA World Cup was held in South Africa in 2010, the first time it was held in Africa.
The tournament was held in 10 stadiums across nine cities and the final game was held at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. Spain managed to win the title for the first time in its history after beating the Netherlands. Spain became the eighth country to be crowned a World Cup winner and the first European team to win the World Cup outside the continent. Host South Africa could not qualify for the Round of 16, marking the first time the host nation left the World Cup in the group stage. That championship also saw the defending champion Italy and the runner-up France’s failures to go beyond the first round.
Germany wins last edition of World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th edition of the championship. It was the first time that FIFA set the intercontinental rotation system of selecting host countries. South America was chosen to host the tournament. No country but Brazil asked to host the tournament.
It was the second time that Brazil hosted the World Cup after the 1950 edition. Hence, Brazil became the fifth country to host the tournament twice (after Mexico, France, Italy, and Germany).
It was the first time that the South American continent hosted the World Cup since the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. It was also the first time that two consecutive World Cups were held outside Europe.
The tournament witnessed FIFA’s use of new technologies for the first time in the history of the World Cup, such as goal-line technology. This technology was implemented in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Germany, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands qualified for the semi-finals. Germany won its fourth title after beating Argentina 1-0. Germany became the first European team to win the World Cup in Latin America. It also marked the first time that three teams from one continent won three World Cups.
