Ranking the 10 best teams that failed to reach the World Cup finals

The 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Thursday June 12th, just mere days away from now. In preparation, our friends over at TheBigLead put together this incredible look back at the 10 best teams who fell short.

Now since I know all Guyism readers pride themselves on being the MOST INFORMED READERS ON THE INTERNET, you’ll want to know the fates & histories of these ten teams backwards and forwards. So head on over to TheBigLead by clicking the image above or the links below to read the FULL STORY.

#10: West Germany 1970

This was the precursor to the Beckenbauer/Muller West Germany teams that would win Euro 1972, the 1974 World Cup, and reach the 1976 Euro Final before losing on a cheeky Panenka penalty kick. They rolled through the group stages, winning all three games. They came back from 2-0 down in the second half to beat one of England’s best teams in the quarterfinals. They lost 4-3 to Italy in the semifinals, in a crazed finished that saw five goals scored in extra time. Gerd Muller led the tournament with 10 goals.

#9: Brazil 1982

This Brazil outfit won no silverware, but, led by stars such as Zico and Socrates, the 1982 team remains among its most memorable. They scored 15 goals over six matches, perhaps hitting the pinnacle of Brazil’s “joga bonito” style. But their run ended prematurely, in a “round-robin of death.” The 1982 format featured a second, three-team group stage. Brazil beat Maradona-led Argentina 3-1. But, needing a draw with Italy (eventual champion) to advance to the semifinals, they lost 3-2, with Paolo Rossi, fresh off a two-year ban for match-fixing, scoring a hat-trick.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT TEAMS 1 THROUGH 8 ON THE BIG LEAD.