Ranking the most thrilling Men's World Cups

Of the 16 teams in the field, 12 hailed from Europe. The tournament was considered a showcase for Benito Mussolini's fascist propaganda, and reigning champion Uruguay did not attend because only four European nations took part when it hosted in 1930. Italy rallied from 1-0 down late to beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 in the final.

Only 13 teams took part in the first World Cup, and interestingly, just four were from Europe (France, Yugoslavia, Romania and Belgium) as the cost of travel from that continent proved too high for most nations. Ten group matches featured games with at least two-goal margins while Uruguay and Argentina both won their semifinals 6-1. Uruguay topped the Argentines 4-2 in the inaugural final. 

Five of the seven first-round matches needed extra time, with two going to a replay. During unified Germany's replay against Switzerland, a hostile French crowd threw bottles on the field. Italy had little trouble disposing of Hungary, 4-2, for its second consecutive title.

The '62 tournament marked the first time the average goals per game dropped below three (2.8) and was marred by violence in the stands and on the pitch. The first-round match between Chile and Italy was dubbed the "Battle of Santiago" because there were two player ejections, punches thrown and police intervention on the field. Even with star Pele injured, Brazil beat Czechoslovakia 3-1 to repeat as World Cup champion.

Argentina prevailed 3-1 over the Netherlands in extra time on its home soil for the nation's first World Cup. Political turmoil within Argentina cast a shadow over the event, which was the last to feature the 16-team field.  

West Germany won its third World Cup and last before becoming a unified nation in 1990. The average of 2.2 goals scored is the lowest in tournament history, though both semifinal matches provided some drama by ending in shootouts. A total of 16 red cards were issued, and Argentina's Pedro Monzon became the first player in World Cup history to be sent off in a final.

It was the last time fewer than 100 goals (97) were scored and no games went into extra time. The Netherlands rode its impressive "Total Football" philosophy to the final, and upstart Poland stunned Argentina, Italy and Brazil to finish a surprising third. The host West Germans ended that Dutch run with a 2-1 victory in the final.

The World Cup returned for the first time since 1938 because of World War II. It's the only World Cup that did not have a final match. Instead, the winner was decided on points from a final group round. However, the last match proved to be one of the most thrilling and memorable contests in tournament history as Uruguay rallied to stun host and favorite Brazil 2-1 in front of almost 200,000 people in what was dubbed "El Maracanazo."

The 145 goals scored remain the lowest since 1998, but the last from Spanish legend Andres Iniesta came in the 116th minute and gave Spain a 1-0 win over the Netherlands for the country's first title in one of the most well-played finals in history. Better known as a biter, Uruguay's Luis Suarez's hand save kept a goal from Cinderella Ghana and ultimately allowed his team to win one of the more controversial quarterfinal matches in tournament history. Let's not forget the vuvuzelas.

Another low-scoring tournament (147 goals), the '06 installment will forever be remembered for Zinedine Zidane's headbutt to the chest of Italy's Marco Materazzi  in the final — and swan song of the French star's career. The incident tarnished a great tournament for Zidane, who scored earlier in the match. In a shootout, Italy would go on to win one of the most undisciplined World Cups (28 players sent off) ever.

England's run to its only World Cup title featured a dramatically entertaining final against West Germany in which the host broke an extra-time tie on Geoff Hurst's infamous goal that nobody is still sure actually crossed the line. Both semifinals were decided by 2-1 scorelines, and Portugal's Eusebio scored nine goals for one the better individual performances in World Cup history. 

Hollywood screenwriters could not have developed a better script than France winning its first World Cup, on its home soil, and routing favored Brazil 3-0 with a dominating final performance. Before he became a pariah, Zinedine Zidane was simply one of the world's best players who scored twice in the final. The 171 total goals tie for the most in World Cup history. France's thrilling shootout win over Italy remains one of the best quarterfinal matches of all time.

Diego Maradona made his World Cup debut, there was the "Disgrace of Gijon," a Sheikh from Kuwait somehow got a goal overturned, Northern Ireland stunned host Spain and West Germany's Harald Schumacher delivered a vicious tackle on France's Patrick Battiston. When it ended, 100 different players scored goals, and Italy downed West Germany 3-1 in a well-played final.

A 17-year-old Brazilian named Pele took the soccer world by storm with his speed, ability and playmaking. Pele scored six times in his World Cup debut to help Brazil win its first of five titles. This was the last tournament to average more than three goals (3.6) per match, and Frenchman Just Fontaine scored 13 for a World Cup record many believe will never be broken. 

The most recent installment equaled a World Cup record with 171 goals. Defending champion Spain failed to advance out of the group stage while host Brazil's run ended with an embarrassing 7-1 semifinal loss to the Germans. The world was introduced to young Colombian star James Rodriguez, and Luis Suarez took a bite out of another opponent. The event was capped with a technically thrilling final that Germany won 1-0 over Lionel Messi and Argentina in extra time.

With 140 goals, this was the highest-scoring World Cup until 1982 (146). Two of the tournament's all-time highest-scoring matches came in this event: Austria's 7-5 quarterfinal win over Switzerland, whose combined 12 goals are still a record, and Hungary's 8-3 victory over West Germany. However, West Germany would avenge that loss by rallying from a 2-0 hole to stun heavily favored Hungary 3-2 in a final known as the "Miracle of Bern."

The first World Cup hosted in Asia saw defending champion France and fellow world power Argentina both fail to make it out of the group stage. Upstart Turkey stunned co-host Japan and Senegal en route to a surprising third-place finish, while co-host South Korea upset Portugal in group play, and Italy and Spain, both controversially, to place fourth. Ronaldo scored twice as Brazil beat Germany 2-0 for its fifth title.   

The play of Diego Maradona alone made this one of the most memorable and exciting World Cups ever staged. Maradona scored five goals, with two of the most famous coming in a 2-1 semifinal win over rival England. Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal punch was followed by what's called the "Goal of the Century," as he dribbled some 50 yards through the English defense. Argentina blew a 2-0 lead in the final against West Germany, but Maradona set up Jorge Burruchaga for the 3-2 winner in the 84th minute.

The only time the United States hosted a World Cup was quite memorable with the host's 2-1 upset over Colombia in group play and the tragic murder of Colombian defender Andres Escobar days later. Bulgaria's underdog run to the semis included a win over Argentina, a victory over Mexico on penalties and a 2-1 upset of Germany. Roberto Baggio's penalty miss in the first final decided in a shootout gave Brazil its fourth World Cup in remarkable fashion. 

Considered the gold standard for all World Cups, defending champ England lost 3-2 to West Germany in a thrilling quarterfinal match that, ironically, saw a Geoff Hurst goal disallowed. The West and Italy combined for five extra-time goals in the Italians' 4-3 semifinal win that remains among the greatest World Cup games ever. Pele-led Brazil, meanwhile, overcame an early deficit to Uruguay in the other semifinal and proved too much for the Italians when a pair of two-time champs met in the final.