Top 10 Best National Soccer Teams

Which country has the best soccer squad? Don't just base your choices on the World Cup. Please consider other factors as well.
The Top Ten
1 Brazil

Brazil won the Confederations Cup in 2013. When Spain won the Confederations Cup in South Africa, they went on to win the World Cup in 2010. Furthermore, the teams are playing in Brazil. Perhaps the players will be inspired by their giant audience. I'm pretty sure it's the biggest in the world. Neymar, Oscar, and Fred have shone in the Confederations Cup. Probably Neymar is one of the top 10 best players in the world. The world's greatest football legend, Pele, said that Neymar is better than Messi, who has more experience. Brazil won 5 World Cups. They will win the 6th this year. They are the best. Germany is the worst.

Brazil is obviously the most successful football country of all time. There is no doubt. Just look at these stats:

- 5 FIFA World Cups (more than anybody else)
- 4 FIFA Confederations Cups (more than anybody else)
- 8 Copa Américas
- 1 Olympic Gold medal

Also, Brazil is placed number 1 in the All-time table of the World Cup with more victories and fewer losses than any other team: 104 Matches, 70 Wins, 17 Draws, and only 17 Losses. That means: 227 points achieved (more than any other team), which represents an average of 2.18 points per match (more than any other team). So, historically, Brazil is the best team for sure. Although their current team may not be the best, there is no other nation with more achievements in the world.

2 Germany

Germany is historically one of the three most successful national teams at international competitions, having won a total of three World Cups and three European Championships. They have also been runners-up three times in the European Championships, four times in the World Cup, and have further won four third places. East Germany won Olympic Gold in 1976. Germany is the only nation to have won both the men's and women's World Cups. Germany's rivals include England, the Netherlands, and Argentina.

Okay, this is some topic here at the moment. Spain is out of their league at the moment, I guess. And Brazil, I think there is nothing to say about that. But what has always been a topic is that, after a World Cup, almost every other team copies their methods of playing, except teams who don't have such individual strength in their team. So, Germany was almost at every WC Tournament a team that other teams looked up to because they are, in an average view, the best "teams" of all time. This nation is the most constant of all nations ever, and it is hard to doubt that.

After WW2, they were a little shy and played too fair, in my opinion. This time, they were playing fair but hard though, and it shows Germany is back to a pride it was missing. It also should be said that this is the time, after 1/4 of the team is more or less German in blood, and it was one of the best teams I've ever seen. And it wasn't even a topic?! I think the world can learn from this open-minded country and shall!

3 Spain

Euro Cup tournaments are probably more competitive than Confederations Cups.

Spain is the only team ever to win three major tournaments in a row.

Historically, Spain does not match Brazil, but that does not mean the current Spanish team isn't better than any team Brazil ever had. If Spain wins another World Cup, it will be impossible to deny that Spain is the best international team of all time. That says how much they've accomplished already.

Spain, having won both the World and European Cup in the last couple of years, is proving they are the best team ever. Yes, this is certainly a golden age for Spanish football. But some of the players they have will be all-time legends, not just in Spain but in history (Casillas, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol). People, we're talking about the best team ever! Not the number of cups won. I hope they win Euro 2012. That'll put the nail in the coffin!

Spain really has a lot to fix after these last two World Cups. But the team that won one World Cup and two Euro Cups back to back was most likely the strongest team the world has ever seen. Spain could've destroyed in Russia, but the fact that Florentino Perez fired Spain's great trainer just days before the cup hurt the team a lot. But now that the team has a new trainer, they're back, hungrier than before, and ready to win.

4 Argentina

Maradona, the best player of the 20th century, was from Argentina. Messi, the best current player, is from Argentina. That says it all. Argentina has the most entertaining football ever, and they have some of the best players too. The reason they are not achieving top-level success right now is they don't have a high-quality coach.

Argentina is a better team than Brazil even without Messi. They have Aguero and Angel Di Maria, plus Javier Pastore has fair speed. They also have Otamendi, who is okay. All he needs to be better at is his passing. Sometimes he never passes the ball. But he has fair speed. And Lavezzi is fast, and he is a left winger, and that's pretty fast for a left winger. So Argentina should be at least 3rd, maybe even 2nd.

I am from India. Here, people mostly support Brazil, with Germany and Argentina tied for the second position. Definitely, Argentina is not the best right now, but I feel a special bonding with their team. The attack of Argentina is by far the best. Argentina has shown good defense in the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and its goalkeeper is not bad. He showed his skills against the Netherlands in the semifinal. Go Argentina! Forever Argentina in the hearts of millions of Indians.

5 Italy

They have been excellent throughout football history, from winning two World Cups in a row in 1934 and 1938 to winning the European Championship in 1968, then winning the World Cup again in 1982 and again in 2006, along with several other World Cup and European finals dotted around. They play like no other team with their unique style, which makes their football so beautiful to watch.

The only exceptions to say they're not the best is if you say Brazil or Germany, but Italy is still better. They have 4 World Cups and some of the best players in the world. Their defensemen are arguably the best defense on current national teams. They only conceded 2 goals in the 2006 World Cup, and 1 was an own goal and a penalty.

They have the best tactical sense. They changed football with their vision of the game, allowing libero or regista players to exist. They have world-class defenders. They have won 4 World Cups, tied with Germany after Brazil. And all in very different periods of time, and not just with one generation like Spain.

6 France

I cannot understand why France is not in the top 5, placed behind Portugal, the Netherlands, England, and even Spain. France has a better record: 1 World Cup (including 2 Finals, 5 semi-finals), 2 Confederation Cups, 2 Euro Cups, and 1 Olympic gold. Additionally, the Zidane-Henry generation was one of the best teams of all time, with 4 titles (1 WC, 1 Euro, 2 Confederation Cups) and 1 World Cup final.

France are much more successful than England. How come they are so low? They are a one-time world champion, two-time European champions, and one-time World Cup runners-up. They should be placed after Brazil, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Argentina. For me, France is the sixth most successful country in the world.

Well, it's simple why France should be ahead of England.
France's European Championships: 2. England's European Championships: 0.
France's Confederations Cup: 2. England's Confederations Cup: 0.
France's World Cup: 1. England's World Cup: 1.

I think this already says a lot, so why is France 8 and England 7?

7 England

A lot of people are talking about the history of teams and old players who don't play anymore, etc. But I'm going to be talking about this team with recent talent. Starting off, England has one of the youngest starting squads in most international competitions, while being able to play with experience and team effort. The young players are developed extremely well and likewise perform exceptionally, with an example being Harry Kane getting the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup while only being 24/25.

Second of all, England is starting to perform consistently again. Starting at the World Cup, nobody expected England to perform, yet we made it all the way to the Semis. Some may say that we had an easy run and we should've beaten Croatia, so let's pick a different example. The European Nations Cup. In this competition, England didn't start off great but they should've drawn with Spain, as Welbeck's goal was disallowed by that dive from De Gea. After that match, though, England started to snowball, defeating Spain and Croatia and eventually ended up topping the group and making it further into the competition. In that somewhat short space of time, England performed beautifully and really showed that they were back. England's back.

8 Netherlands

The Netherlands should be at least number 4 because they're not like Brazil, Italy, or Germany, but they're better than everybody else. I'm not Dutch, but I still think they have the best players. PS: I'm Greek, Italian, Armenian, and Irish. But look at their past players like Johan Cruyff and Marco Van Basten. Also, they could win both the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. So it won't take long for the Netherlands to win the World Cup.

The Netherlands is one of the best nations in the world at football. They have a great team with friendship and compassion for the sport. They have a great attack with Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben, and Huntelaar. And they have a great manager. Obviously, from the Netherlands and good at what they do, they should at least be in front of Italy.

Completely agree with you. I'm Brazilian, and I've seen the Netherlands playing in these last World Cups. It's always a great event when the Netherlands plays, even with Brazil. I always support the Netherlands because they are the champions without a trophy.

9 Portugal

One of the most decorated teams ever, this team is famous for Cristiano Ronaldo. They have never won a World Cup, they were runners-up in 1966 but lost to England 2-1, and they were runners-up in the 2004 Euro Cup where they lost to Greece. But in the 2010 World Cup, they smashed North Korea 7-0 in a match where Cristiano Ronaldo scored 3 or 4 goals, and it could be one of Portugal's best performances.

Portugal may be a small country, with very few football players compared to other top national squads, but despite all of that, they still face the big ones in outstanding matches. Portugal may have never won a major competition, but they already have a title: the most underrated team.

One of the most decorated teams ever, this team is very famous because Cristiano Ronaldo is in it. They have been runners-up in 1966 but lost to England 2-1. But we will not lose this World Cup. Have a drink for you, baby, because we did not need a drink. Portugal wins the World Cup 2014, and on Monday, 14 July, at 12:00 AM, FIFA said that the winner is Portugal.

10 Belgium

The Belgium team is the best! They have one of the best goalies in the world and super good professional players. On the Nintendo Switch FIFA 19, Belgium is my favorite team. Also, I always beat my brother with Belgium when he uses any team, such as Brazil, Argentina, and so on. I believe Belgium should be at least in the top 3.

They have been number one for the past two years, and I love the Belgium soccer team. They could have easily won against France at the Russia World Cup, but it was 1-0. If they had won, they would have easily beaten Croatia in the Finals. Overall, Belgium is an awesome team. Just saying, my favorite sport is SOCCER!

Belgium is definitely the best national team of this generation. Not only do they have some of the best players such as Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, but when they work together, they can achieve something that no one has ever seen.

The Contenders
11 Uruguay

Uruguay should've been rated in the top 5 teams. But their bright history has been influenced by a whole bunch of disappointing performances over the past few years. Yet, they have won Copa America 15 times, taking the lead from Argentina with 14 championships. I'll definitely vote for them.

Uruguay is a very underrated team. They can play football, they showed one of the best efforts at the 2010 World Cup, and have won the World Cup itself three times. A good effort.

Respect from Romania! You're an amazing team, and I hope you will win the World Cup in 2014!

12 Mexico

Mexico is playing at a much better level. They have beaten the US almost half the time with four or more goals, and they have beaten Brazil over the past years more times than any other country. I think they deserve to be higher in the rank.

I love Mexico. I didn't pick Mexico just because I love it. I picked it because they have great players such as Giovanni Dos Santos, Chicharito, and the rest of the team too.

I think they should pay more attention to Mexico and put them in championships or something. They are really good. The only reason they didn't win the World Cup in 2014 was that the Netherlands cheated.

Mexico has never won a World Cup, but they have 10 Gold Cups and 1 Confederation Cup. In 2014, Mexico was playing awesomely and they were playing better than the USA, the Netherlands, France, and others. The USA beats Mexico like 27 times, I think, and Mexico beats the USA 35 times. I think they are better than the USA. I say that Mexico is going to win the World Cup one day.

13 Colombia

Colombia has some of the best players in the world right now. Brazil may have had its moments, but it's not as good as it was before. Spain won one World Cup and then it all went downhill. Spain lost its first game in the World Cup 2014 right after it had won the World Cup 2010. Spain is not bad, but is not that good. Its chance at the Euro Cup right now got lost somewhere. Sure, Colombia has not won a World Cup before, but it's really possible they will. They were a comeback and definitely a star team in the World Cup 2014. Argentina isn't that good either. Just because it made the final in the Copa America Centenario 2016, doesn't even mean it would win. In fact, I was surprised it didn't win. Anyway, Colombia has a lot of potential and it is young, while other teams aren't.

Have you seen what this amazing team has done in the World Cup so far? It's simply amazing! Today, they eliminated Uruguay 2-0 with two incredible goals by James Rodriguez (the first one was a masterpiece of individual talent, the second one was a brilliant team effort). Juan Cuadrado, David Ospina, Mario Yepes, Jackson Martinez, Pablo Armero, Adrian Ramos, etc. - what a match they gave to Uruguay! This team should be in the first three spots, simply amazing!

14 United States

First of all, it's not all about men's soccer. The women's national team is in first place. Also, the Men's National Team always beats Mexico. We beat Italy, tied Argentina, tied Colombia, tied England, and beat Spain when they were undefeated 2-0.

The United States are underrated, and you shouldn't underestimate their ability to play soccer. They have been runners-up in the World Cup, their biggest win was 11-0, and they have won the Gold Cup four times.

Although the men's team for the United States is somewhat incompetent, the women's team is stellar. The first Women's World Cup was held in 1991, and since then, the USWNT has managed to win 4 of the World Cups. If you compare this to Brazil's men's team, which has won 5 World Cups since 1930, this means that the USWNT is either playing against worse opponents or they are the best team in the world (I'd go for the latter because in 2018, they smashed Thailand 13-0 in the first game).

15 Croatia

I reckon Croatia should at least be close to Australia and Russia. Having Croatia as the 104th national team in the world is not right. They should be at least 23rd. And as most people may have seen in the World Cup, Croatia actually made it into the second round while Spain did not. Croatia also has quite a few good midfielders like Modric and Rakitic. In the end, Croatia should be close to Australia and Russia.

Come on, Croatia should be in the top 15. They have amazing players, and they could have made it to the second round, but the referee was terrible and made calls that should have let Croatia win 3-2.

Croatia was second in the World Cup 2018! Even though they were robbed in the finals by referees, their player Luka Modric was declared as the best soccer/football player in the world in 2018. Enough said.

16 Greece

Greece won a Euro in the 21st century. England hasn't won anything in 57 years. That's back when games were black and white, the game was played with a brown ball, and North Korea was making runs.

Greece beat Ronaldo, Zidane, Henry, Nedved, Costa, Deco, Pauleta, and a million others.

Greece has been one of the teams to take seriously. They could win it one day, but it is not going to be easy. Plus, the team is improving a lot. Also, Greece should have been kicked out by Ivory Coast because Samaras just flopped.

Greece has never won a World Cup but has won a Euro Cup. When Greece is on their best day, you better watch out for this team. They have a lot of talent to give.

17 Japan

Japan stinks, let's be honest. Good votes because of their sneaky, biased support doesn't mean they're actually good.

Statistically, Japan is way worse than other Asian countries, like Korea, who actually has pretty good statistical values. Plus, Japan has really sneaky and unfair ways to put down other countries to make themselves look good.

Take a look at Japan's history book to see what I mean.

Japan has improved over the past few years, creating legends such as Keisuke Honda and Shunsuke Nakamura. We are definitely in the right spot and are the best Asian team of all.

The Japanese soccer team has a lot of good players and they are a beast soccer team.

18 Chile

Chile is simply the best team in the world as of today. They have the worst history of any other team, but they are in a golden age. They beat Argentina in the Copa America final and recently defeated Brazil 2-0.

Their key players - Alexis Sanchez, Charles Aranguiz, Eduardo Vargas, Arturo Vidal, and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo - create the greatest team in the world, at least as of 2015. They are now unstoppable, as they are still growing, and will hopefully maintain this level at the 2018 World Cup. They have the potential to beat the best, which they have done several times in the past couple of months.

Make way, Chile is coming through.

Chile is better than Nigeria, Turkey, Russia, Japan, Greece, Mexico, and at the same level as the Netherlands, Colombia, and Belgium. The people of this page clearly don't know about football. The matches that Chile played against England, Germany, Spain, Brazil, etc., show they controlled every second. The pressing is constant and amazing, and the power of the midfield is incredible. How dangerous is a counter-attack with the pace of Vargas and Alexis Sanchez? Chile is going to do some amazing stuff in the World Cup.

19 Costa Rica

Costa Rica has a good team. As you saw in the World Cup qualifying, they beat the US and Mexico. I think they beat Honduras too, some of the best teams in North America.

Costa Rica is the most underrated national team in the world. They got into the quarterfinals in 2014 and it is only 19? Come on, people.

How is Japan higher than Costa Rica? Costa Rica is the way better team.

20 Sweden

Their present is not their best, I'll give you that. However, even though they didn't make it to the last World Cup, they have a good place in world football with Zlatan Ibrahimovic as their leading figure. There are nine "Greats" in football history: the eight champions plus the Netherlands. After that, Sweden has the best record and presence throughout the years. Sweden played in a World Cup Final (even if it was theirs), got in third place twice. It should be way higher on this list.

Sweden has soccer defensive players with a very intellectual style. Of course, Sweden is not here as a legend, but our young, speedy players are excellent in attack.

Sweden has a much better record than many of the teams above on this list. What are people thinking?

21 Switzerland

Bad luck for the Swiss. I hope that England and Switzerland will meet in the 2022 World Cup. Can't wait to see. My favourite team is alongside England.

I'm very surprised with a lot of countries that aren't even in the top 20! Switzerland is easily a top 20 team!

22 Australia

Australia has only been in the World Cup a few times. In 2006, they made national history by making it into the finals for the first time.

2006 was Australia's best year at the World Cup.

They have won the OFC Championship 4 times.

Their biggest win was against American Samoa, 31 - 0.

Australia is a good team. Their biggest win was against American Samoa, 31-0.

Australia is a good team. We know that their team could do better at soccer.

23 Ghana

Ghana has won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) several times and are only one title less than Egypt.

They are also one of the most successful African teams ever.

They were the first African team to reach the quarter-finals at the World Cup and reached the farthest in 2010.

They have numerous players that are on several UEFA teams, from KP Boateng to SAM (Sulley Ali Muntari) to Michael Essien to Stephen Appiah to Anthony Yeboah to Abedi Pele, and so many others.

They are much better than most of the teams above them, Nigeria included, if you compare them.

Ghana played 2-2 against Germany in the World Cup of 2014 and lost 2-1 to Portugal too. But I would overlook that last goal because it was made by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 5th minute of overtime! They've got great players, and on a good day, they can play with some of the best!

Ghana is too low down. They should be in the top 10. They have great players like Asamoah, Essien, and Prince.

24 Cameroon
25 Hungary

In the early fifties, Hungary's national team was the best. They destroyed the self-confident English team twice (6-3 and 7-1), and they lost the only (but the most important) match in the final of the World Cup 54. After winning against Brazil and Uruguay in the quarter-final and semi-final, they could not win against the West Germany team, which did not miss the help of the English referee (Mr. Ling).

Hungary was undefeated in 100 friendly and championship matches in the early 50's. How many national teams can boast about that? None.

Please do your research. Hungary, under Puskas, was the best national team ever.

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