Previously, we’ve looked at Uruguay in 1930, Italy in 1934 and again in 1938, Uruguay in 1950, West Germany in 1954, before a Brazilian double in 1958 and 1962.

Next came an England success in 1966, another Brazil win in 1970, a second West Germany triumph in 1974, Argentina’s first win in 1978, Italy’s third in 1982, Argentina’s second in 1986, West Germany’s third in 1990, Brazil’s fourth World Cup in 1994, before France joined the party on home soil in 1998.

In the 21st Century, Brazil celebrated an unprecedented fifth title in 2002, Italy won a fourth in 2006, and then Spain got involved in 2010.

Now, it’s time for Germany’s fourth victory — although its first as Germany, rather than West Germany.

Introduction

No European side had won the World Cup in the Americas before. Uruguay had triumphed on home soil in 1930, then in Brazil 20 years later. Brazil had won it in Chile in 1962 and then in Mexico in 1970. Argentina won it as hosts in 1978 and then in Mexico in 1986, before Brazil won it in the United States in 1994.

Meanwhile, West Germany won its previous three World Cups in Switzerland, West Germany and Italy. Following unification in 1990, Germany came close in South Africa in 2010, losing narrowly against Spain in the semi-finals. Now Spain’s golden generation was too old and exited at the group stage, so the path opened up for Germany.

But they would need to get past South America’s two giants in the semi-final and final.

The manager

Joachim ‘Jogi’ Low had a modest playing career, mainly as an attacking midfielder for Freiburg in the 1980s. His coaching career had been broadly successful, winning trophies in both Austria and Turkey, but he wasn’t an internationally famous coach.

Low rose to prominence when appointed Germany’s assistant manager to Jurgen Klinsmann in 2004. Klinsmann was the frontman, Low was the tactics guy. When Klinsmann departed after the World Cup 2006 run to the semi-finals, Low succeeded him, for a tenure that lasted fully 15 years.

Joachim Low managed Germany between 2006 and 2021 (Clive Mason/Getty Images)

It’s reasonable to suggest that, given seven tournaments with this outstanding generation of players, winning only one tournament was about par. In fairness, Low’s Germany reached the final of Euro 2008 with a middling squad. Their evolution for World Cup 2010, when they reached the semi-final, was enormous. Euro 2012 could have been theirs, but Low’s tactical surprise against Italy in the semi-final backfired. By 2014, it really felt like it was time for Germany, and Low, to deliver.

Tactics

Stylistically, this was a radically different side from the last German team to reach a World Cup final, back in 2002. Germany had developed a superb generation of talent, more technically gifted than they’d been able to count upon for many years. The likes of Mario Gotze, Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira, Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Manuel Neuer were heralded as future greats across Europe almost before they’d made their international debuts.

But it took Low a long time to work out how to arrange them and the side that started the tournament (a 4-0 win over a 10-man Portugal side) had little resemblance to the one that started the final.

Mesut Ozil was one of the stars of a talented generation of German footballers (Patrik Stollarz/AFP via Getty Images)

Low began with Jerome Boateng at right-back, Philipp Lahm in the holding role, and Thomas Muller up front. He ended it with Boateng at centre-back, Lahm at right-back, Muller moved to the right, and Miroslav Klose, an old-school No 9, coming into the side. Bastian Schweinsteiger — winger in 2006, classy playmaker in 2010 and midfield scrapper in the final here — returned to full fitness midway through the tournament and also played a key role.

Germany’s problem was down the left. Mesut Ozil was switched to that flank, where he never looked entirely comfortable. He spent much of his time drifting inside, but there was no threat from behind, as Benedikt Howedes was a cumbersome right-footed makeshift left-back. Germany always looked limited at full-back, particularly in a topsy-turvy 2-2 draw with Ghana and an attritional 1-0 win over the USA in the group stage. They were clearly better with captain Lahm back in his customary right-back position, rather than the midfield role Pep Guardiola had often used him in during their first season together at Bayern Munich.

Star man

Various players had very good tournaments. Boateng, Hummels, Lahm and Kroos were all amongst the best players in their position in this World Cup, while Muller did his usual trick of not appearing to play particularly well and yet scoring five goals, adding to the five he scored at World Cup 2010.

But the most eye-catching player was Neuer. He’d long been considered a brilliant shot-stopper and his sweeper-keeper tendencies were well known back in Germany, but his performance in the narrow 2-1 extra-time victory over Algeria in the round of 16 was remarkable, almost popularising the concept of touch maps across the world, because his were generally way outside the penalty box.

Neuer constantly sprinted forward to intercept through-balls in behind the Germany back line, booting or heading the ball clear. At one point, he seemed to get slightly caught out and ended up sprinting towards the corner flag before making a sliding tackle, in the manner of a recovering defender. He was genuinely more of a sweeper than a goalkeeper.

Twelve years later, Neuer is still going strong — man of the match in Bayern’s Champions League quarter-final first leg win over Real Madrid, then guilty of two poor errors in the return game in Munich. In truth, errors have crept into his game over the years, but at this point, he was both a spectacular and very reliable goalkeeper, a somewhat rare combination.

🇩🇪🧤🏆

The sweeper-keeper hero of Germany’s 2014 #WorldCup triumph turns 3⃣4⃣ today 🎂

Happy birthday, Manuel Neuer! 🥳#HBD | @Manuel_Neuer | @DFB_Team_EN pic.twitter.com/jgizpL5O4k

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 27, 2020

You might be surprised to learn…

Germany were not even the clear favourites going into the semi-final against Brazil.

The pre-match odds were around 7/4 for both Brazil and Germany to win the match in 90 minutes. Brazil hadn’t impressed, and they were without both Neymar and Thiago Silva, but they’d battered their way past opponents on home soil and many thought they might do the same to a Germany side who hadn’t yet convinced by that point.

The many flaws in Brazil were obvious by full-time, but the result was so shocking because it was so unexpected.

The defining moment

The third? The fourth? The fifth? Germany’s 7-1 victory over the hosts in the semi-final is certainly the most famous World Cup result this century, and probably in the entire history of the tournament, when you consider the scale of the modern World Cup and the extraordinary television audience around the world.

Even more shocking than the final scoreline was the fact that Germany were 5-0 up inside half an hour in Belo Horizonte. If Germany’s problem was their lack of natural left-sided width, they made sure they funnelled almost all their attacks down the right, breaking in behind Brazil left-back Marcelo repeatedly.

Thomas Muller starts the scoring for Germany against Brazil (Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

Muller opened the scoring from a corner won down that right flank. Then he drifted inside to assist Klose’s second with a neat backheel. Then Lahm overlapped and pulled the ball back for Kroos to fire home, before Kroos and Khedira pressed high from midfield and one-twoed their way through for the fourth. Ozil drifted infield from the left to join in the fun, and teed up Khedira for 5-0.

By this point, the game was done, and at half-time, Germany seemingly agreed in the dressing room that there was no point inflicting further damage on Brazil — they were better off saving their legs for the final. But then on came Andre Schurrle, a substitute keen to play his way into the starting XI for the final. He went off-message and smashed in two further goals. In stoppage time, Oscar scored the most meagre consolation goal in football history.

The scoreline ‘1-7’ will only ever mean one thing: Brazil versus Germany, 2014.

The most memorable #FIFAWorldCup match of all time? 😱#OTD in 2014, Germany emerged 7-1 victors over Brazil!

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 8, 2023

The final

Not a particularly memorable game compared to the semi-final, although by the standards of the previous few World Cup finals, it was enjoyable and open.

Argentina started strongly. Gonzalo Higuain scuffed wide after a disastrous Kroos back-header, then side-footed home from an offside position. Germany struggled to create in open play, although Howedes should have headed home, rather than against the post, when left unmarked at a corner.

The real ‘What if?’ moment came shortly after half-time, when Lionel Messi received a pass on the turn, raced in behind the Germany back line and, with time standing still, dragged a low shot a yard wide of Neuer’s left-hand post. That was his moment to win the World Cup. He’d have to wait another eight (and a half) years to finally do so.

At that point, as goalless finals often do, the game rather fizzled out. But Schurrle again came off the bench to great effect, dribbling down the left, somehow squeezing a cross between two Argentine opponents and over to fellow substitute Mario Gotze, the false nine who had replaced the proper nine, Klose. He produced a superb finish, controlling the ball with his chest and then smashing the ball home with his left foot, all in one movement, to bring Germany its fourth World Cup triumph.

13 July 2014: @MarioGoetze‘s moment.#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/mGp4AnzHXN

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 13, 2025

Were they definitely the best side?

The other contenders in this tournament were largely all about one man: Messi’s Argentina, Neymar’s Brazil, Arjen Robben’s Netherlands, and James Rodriguez’s Colombia.

Germany weren’t in that mould, although equally it’s difficult to make the case that they were an overwhelmingly cohesive side given Low’s tinkering throughout the first part of the tournament. Some of this is explained in retrospect as him easing back Schweinsteiger into the side, but as we have seen during this series, it’s very common for successful managers to stumble upon the right combination midway through a World Cup.

Philipp Lahm, future columnist for The Athletic, lifts the 2014 World Cup (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Ultimately, Germany won this tournament by having the best squad, and that owed to the country’s youth development, which seemed the model for other nations to replicate at this point. Previous German World Cup sides seemed stronger than the sum of their parts. In 2014, merely being the sum of its parts was enough.