Argentina has had some great teams in the FIFA World Cup. Having lifted the trophy three times and reached finals, alongside Brazil, they have usually had the best teams from South America. These are a few of the great Argentina games in the World Cup finals.
One of the best FIFA World Cup finals played was the 1986 final. In this final, Argentina played West Germany at the Azteca Stadium. Argentina opened the scoring in the first half and led 1-0 at the interval. They doubled their lead in the second half, and Germany seemed all but beaten.
However, the game was far from over as Germany began to press forward more. Within the final 20 minutes, they pulled one back, with Rummenigge prodding in a West Germany corner kick. Less than 10 minutes later, another German corner kick was whipped in and headed home to level the game. It was a fine comeback from the Germans, but minutes later, Argentina sealed their victory as an incisive Maradona pass put Burruchaga through on goal to score Argentina’s third goal. It was the winning goal as the game ended 3-2.
Another classic match in the 1986 FIFA World Cup was Argentina vs England. A couple of years after the Falklands War, England came up against Argentina in the quarter-finals. Argentina had the outstanding player in the match, Maradona, who once again inspired his side to victory. This victory was won with a ridiculous goal in which Maradona handled the ball over Shilton before opening the scoring. As the referee gave the goal, Argentina took the lead early in the second half.
Minutes later, Maradona dribbled his way past much of the England team to score one of the greatest goals in the FIFA World Cup. Maradona’s second goal was later voted FIFA Goal of the Century. That goal clinched victory for Argentina, even though England did pull one back within the final 10 minutes. The final scoreline was Argentina 2 – England 1.
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was one Argentina hosted. Before this game, they had never won a FIFA World Cup and had to defeat Holland in the final. In this match, Kempes opened the scoring in the first half to put Argentina one up. They retained the lead until the final 10 minutes when Nanninga headed in a cross to level the scoring.
As such, the game went to extra time. During this period, Kempes put Argentina back in front as he dribbled his way into the Dutch penalty box, around their goalkeeper before putting the ball in the back of Holland’s net as their defenders closed in around Kempes. Argentina required one more goal to ensure victory, and Bertoni scored a few minutes before the end of the extra period. This goal ensured Argentina won the FIFA World Cup for the first time as the match ended Argentina 3 – Holland 1.
On their way to World Cup glory, Argentina first had to top their second-round group. In the 1978 FIFA World Cup, the top finishing teams in the second-round group stage made it to the final, and both Brazil and Argentina were level on points after two games. Brazil had a small goal difference advantage, which Argentina had to eclipse with victory against Peru in the penultimate match.
However, Argentina was leading by two goals at the interval. In the second half, Peru collapsed with Argentina scoring a further four goals to run out six-goal winners. The victory ensured that they topped the table and made the FIFA World Cup final. Some suggested that Peru may have been bribed to chuck the game, but the final score still stood Argentina 6 – Peru 0.
The Argentina vs France 2022 final was one of the most epic finales ever seen in the FIFA World Cup. Messi and Di Maria put Argentina 2-0 ahead in the first half. The South Americans seemed to be coasting to victory until about the 80th minute of this final when a Mbappe penalty turned the game on its head. Mbappe volleyed the ball into the back of the net about a minute later to make the score 2-2 and take the match into extra-time.
The extra-time period was an exhilarating extension to the game. Messi put Argentina back in front in the 108th minute. The referee awarded a late penalty to France for handball that Mbappe duly converted to seal his final hat-trick. Consequently, the game ended 3-3, but Argentina won the match 4-2 in the penalty shootout to win the FIFA World Cup for a third time.
Those great Argentina games in 1978, 1986, and 2022 were among their finest. They were Argentina’s best World Cups to date. Argentina played some great flowing soccer in those World Cups, with stars such as Kempes, Messi, and, Maradona ensuring glory for their teams. It will be interesting to see if Argentina can emulate those triumphant campaigns in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Messi seemingly close to international retirement.
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