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Favourite World Cup?

Not sure if this has been has been done before but thought it would be fun and bring us together.

What's your favourite World Cup and why? Could be the quality of the football, England or other teams' performances, individual moments of brilliance, underdog stories or just because it brings back memories of what you were doing at the time it was on and what you were doing in your life.

Me - Italia 90. First proper World Cup, first sticker album plus the Esso coin collection, Platt's last minute goal against Belgium,  Gazza's tears. Great memories and imagine this will be one shared by quite a few on here. Close runner up - Japan/South Korea 2002, mainly due to the early morning pub sessions.
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Comments

  • edited October 2022
    Russia 2018. Loads of incredible goals and games plus England doing well. Wasn’t the weather beautiful that summer as well? Certainly my favourite in my memory (98 being the first i properly watched)
  • 1966 we won it.

    1982  went there to Bilbao for the opening rounds, Robson after 12 seconds, right behind the goal
    when he scored, followed by the local old bill waiving batons!
  • I always get laughed at when this comes up but I loved USA 94. It was the first World Cup where I was properly into football and still have the sticker album! Obviously England didn't qualify so I just enjoyed the spectacle without particularly worrying about the outcome.



  • 1978. First WC I remember watching and loved Brazil, Argentina & Italy play sweeping football and all the ticker tape coming down after goals were scored.

    1990 next best....but soiled by getting knocked out in the semis. 

    Worst. USA 1994. The yanks still don't get it do they.  
  • 2002 is one I always remember. Beating Argentina and being given time off school to watch us against Brazil.
  • 1990 for me as well
  • 2002 is one I always remember. Beating Argentina and being given time off school to watch us against Brazil.
    Same here.

    Was the first one I was drinking age, and was om shift work so worked around a lot of the games and watched a load in the pub with mates, great summer.

    England did OK, the hosts were interesting countries and their fans really enthusiastic.

    I know in hindsight some of the refereeing was dodgy etc but I loved the tournament at the time.

    France 98 was really good too, and Brazil 14.
  • 1974 Holland were a joy to watch, first time Id heard the term total football.
  • 1974 & 1978 for me 
  • edited October 2022
    I know there's lots of argument why it wasn't a good world cup, but Italia '90 is my favourite. Mainly because it was the first I can remember being really into, but also England's heart breaking run, Jackie C's Irish underdogs, and dancing in the playground like Roger Milla.

    Loved France '98 as well. I was 16, football was so much fun (Charlton were flying under Curbs and it was that chaotic 90s era when money met unprofessionalism and before it all got too serious), and the real Ronaldo and Zidane (my two favourite non Charlton players) were in their pomp.
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  • edited October 2022
    1970 for me - hugely disappointing exit for England (who probably had a stronger side than in 1966) but that imperious Brazil side was a joy to watch.

    1990 next - the long hot summer, the Belgium game with Platt's winner, the Cameroon game when everyone was watching and had their windows open - the roars could be heard all down the street. Sir Bobby - so close, we should have won it.
    (Edit: and the Three Tenors!)
  • Italia 90 for me. 11 years old, watched pretty much every kick. Heartbroken when Germany knocked us out on pens on my 12th birthday. All the family round, went sour. 
    Lovely memories of a great tournament.
  • Italia 90

    World in Motion. All the ingredients. I remember the long summer evenings coming home from school to fill up my sticker album and watch the games. Brilliant. 
  • Nessun Dorma from Italia 90 as well.
  • edited October 2022
    1974 as it was one of my first football memories. I fell in love with that Dutch team, and Italia 90.
  • 1990 for me.  My first World Cup.  Enjoyed 2010 too as the Kiwis were in it (and the only team that finished unbeaten).
  • Mexico ‘86
    i was 10 and just getting in to watching football.  It was amazing to see all these players you’d not really heard of before.  

    but Italia ‘90, and Nessun Dorma will forever be special to me.  The music, the emotion and some of the iconic images are just so so special 
  • 86 - first world cup I was aware of even though I wasn't old enough to be allowed to stay up and watch all the games but the Likes of Lineker and shilton became boyhood heros. Plus becoming aware of Maradonna!

    90 - so much drama and would probably have to say my favourite.

    94 - like another poster said very enjoyable without having to worry about England and enjoyed watching some late night group games

    98 - early morning or lunch time on the piss with work watching Football, what's not to like? But does coincide when I started to loose the passion when I realized every player was a millionaire.

    Of course would love to see another England win but the way the game is now not been over excited about any WC since.
  • edited October 2022
    1998 - I’m convinced I had the best World Cup any pre-adolescent Charlton fan could have.

    I was 12 years old, so this is before discovering the sorts of things that lead teenage boys astray but I was old enough to really be into football. Charlton had been promoted to the Premier League a few weeks before which was unquestionably the greatest moment in my young life and it came just two years after Euro ‘96 so football was still on the massive high that tournament brought to the country. Basically everything was perfect in the footballing world. 

    The tournament was in France so the kick off times were great, there was a match just after I got home from School and then another in the evening. My family are Scottish and Scotland were there (little did I know that I would never see Scotland at another World Cup!) as were England. 

    Some of football was fantastic  and some of the players who lit up that tournament are considered all time greats. Just a wonderful summer that started with Charlton winning the playoff final at Wembley and finished with that brilliant French team led by Zinadine Zidane winning the World Cup in Paris.
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  • 1966 as we won it.
  • Italia 90.  Nothing comes close for me.  


  • Swisdom said:
    Mexico ‘86
    i was 10 and just getting in to watching football.  It was amazing to see all these players you’d not really heard of before.  

    but Italia ‘90, and Nessun Dorma will forever be special to me.  The music, the emotion and some of the iconic images are just so so special 
    This. And 2002 for the epic boozing sessions.
  • edited October 2022
    Have been doing a lot of rewatching of old tournaments on FIFA+ , which is a free streaming platform I’d highly recommend if you want to rewatch old highlights/games/documentaries.

    The first ever tournament I remember is USA 94, and so that will always be my favourite from a nostalgia perspective. The way it looked on television was glistening. Bright sunshine for all games, the US razzmatazz that went into the occasion. It just looked beautiful.

    From an enjoyment perspective I’d have to go 2018, for England’s run, and the hope it brought especially in those final couple of weeks. 
  • 1990. Nessun Dorma, Three Tenors, World in Motion, England doing well etc

    Football was in a grim state in the late 80s in this country, Italia 90 was a massive boost to the game.
  • 1978. First WC I remember watching and loved Brazil, Argentina & Italy play sweeping football and all the ticker tape coming down after goals were scored.

    1990 next best....but soiled by getting knocked out in the semis. 

    Worst. USA 1994. The yanks still don't get it do they.  
    Not sure why that suggestion would be made at USA based on the ‘94 tournament.

    Every single game was sold out, and to this day is still the highest attended World Cup of all time.
  • 1982 nearly 12 years old and watched so much of it , without doubt it was the dreamy silky Brazilian team with the names above that you wanted to be , gutted when Italy beat them .
    Bryan Robson against France after a few seconds , England undefeated and out aaaah , 2nd round was divisional as well ffs
    Pure and innocent and wanting the Jocks to do well and some Northern Ireland magic as well .

    1986 fuck my o-levels I’ve got footy to watch !!
    shit start “Lineker coming in on it now ….raining goals” 
    Hand of god heartbreak 

    1990 first one in the boozer “The Plough”in Lewisham   loopy loop with Platts goal and all before Stilton tried to be clever in the shootout and watched each German pen fly by .

    2002 went to Japan saw all our games and saw Class Jensen play against us .

    Tough but if I had to hang my hat on one it’s 1982 just for the pure joy of it all and that Brazil team❤️ Zico and co playing football like you dream of and then attempting to curl the ball and do the tricks like them in the school playground/garden etc 
    The innocence of youth 

  • 86 for me - first one that I really remember. 
  • Interesting that there's none or very few fond memories of 2006, 2010 or 2014. Maybe it's our age :)
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