World Cup- 101 most memorable tournament moments

Over the span of 92 years and 21 tournaments, the World Cup has had so many memorable moments.

So every day until Qatar 2022, which will air exclusively on FOX networks starting Nov. 20, Jenny Taft and Doug McIntyre are counting down the 101 most memorable moments in World Cup history. Find out where your favorite moment ended up on our countdown.

101: Messi magic vs. Nigeria

Lionel Messi showed Nigeria goalkeeper Francis Uzoho that his right foot is just as lethal as his left, and reminded the world why he's considered by many as the greatest of all time.

100: Wynalda's colossal curler

It would have been hard for Eric Wynalda to place his free kick more perfectly than he did; it helped that it came at the perfect time, too.

99: Jürgen's famous flick

Long before he coached the United States men's national team at the 2014 World Cup, Jürgen Klinsmann scored a ton of goals for Germany, including this stunner against South Korea.

98: Cuauhtémoc's arrival

South Korea's defenders didn't know what to do when Cuauhtémoc Blanco broke out the Cuauhtemiña at the 1998 World Cup. 

97: Laudrup's sneaky scoop

A no-look scoop pass over the top of the defense with the outside of the boot? Michael Laudrup didn't play fair.

96: Chilavert makes history

José Luis Chilavert didn't convert his free kick against Bulgaria at the 1998 World Cup, but he came as close as any keeper has since.

95: Japan's thoughtful fans

Who do you think appreciated the support of Japan's fans more in 2018: Japan's men's national team or the stadium staff in Russia?

94: Oh my, Oliseh

The power and precision of Sunday Oliseh's shot stunned the Spanish giants of 1998. I mean, how do you stop that?

93: Matthäus' individual brilliance

Yugoslavia paid the price of giving Lothar Matthäus ample space to operate in the midfield, and his German teammates watched him collect.

92: El Tri tops Die Mannschaft

Mexico's fans were hoping for a draw against Germany; what they got was arguably El Tri's most surprising result on the World Cup stage.

91: Pelé's magical miss

It's safe to say this would have landed higher on our countdown had Pelé stuck the landing.

 90: Letchkov's heroic header

West Germany were the favorites to repeat as world champions in 1994 … until Yordan Letchkov decided they weren't.

89: No era penal

This one's pretty self-explanatory for Mexico fans: It wasn't a penalty.

88: Bebeto rocks the baby

In 1994, Brazil's Bebeto gave his newborn son the best birthday present ever: a celebration at the World Cup.

87. First goal wins

There have been two golden goals in World Cup history; Laurent Blanc's sent his team to the quarterfinals, where they'd win en route to their first-ever World Cup trophy.

86. Italy goes back-to-back

Pelé's Brazil teams are the most famous to win back-to-back World Cups, but they weren't the first.

85. Salenko's five-goal frenzy

Oleg Salenko already had the golden boot secured when Russia were eliminated in the group stage of the 1994 World Cup.

84. The Secretary of Defense

Tim Howard did everything he could to save the United States from elimination at the 2014 World Cup, and his record-setting performance in the USMNT's loss to Belgium earned him the nickname "Secretary of Defense."

83. Record scoreline set

Hungary showed no mercy for El Salvador in their record-setting 10-1 win at the 1982 World Cup. 

82. USMNT robbed of semifinals

The United States men's team would have had a fair chance of making their first World Cup semifinal appearance since 1930 had it not been for a missed call.

81. England come back in extra time

Cameroon nearly became the first African men's team to advance to a World Cup semifinal, but they couldn't stop England's comeback.

80. Van Bronckhorst's blast

Giovanni van Bronckhorst went from uncertain roster selection to national hero at the 2010 World Cup.

79. South Korea play spoiler

South Korea's win over Germany wasn't enough to push them through to the knockout stage, but it did eliminate the then-reigning champions of the world.

78. England hold off Colombia

England's misfortune with penalty shootouts took a brief break at the 2018 World Cup.

77. Iran's gesture of peace

Although Iran beat the United States on the pitch, their gesture was the talking point of the game after the final whistle.

76. Just Fontaine's 13 goals

Just Fontaine scored 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup, as many as the last two World Cup Golden Boot winners scored combined.

75. Rivaldo's shameful dive

How did the sideline referee miss this one?

74. The Flying Dutchman

With the flick of his neck, Robin Van Persie helped the Netherlands get a consolation prize against Spain, who beat them in the 2010 World Cup Final.

73. Maradona bests Brazil

Even when Maradona wasn't scoring, he controlled the tempo of the match.

72. Three yellow cards?

Josip Šimunić was able to stay on the pitch after his second yellow due to a mental lapse by the referee.

71. Luis Hernández comes through

Mexico needed every minute of stoppage time to upset the Dutch.

70. Scotland vs. Germany '78

Scotland couldn't stop the Netherlands from scoring at Argentina '78.

69. De Jong's high kick

How did Xabi Alonso manage to stay on the pitch after this nasty challenge from Nigel de Jong?

68. Schillaci's surprise scoring tear

Salvatore Schillaci is considered the most unlikely Golden Boot winner in World Cup history.

67. Kuwait's princely protest

Kuwait's last World Cup appearance was a memorable one and not for anything the players did.

66. France's heated locker room

There were no winners in the fight between French striker Nicolas Anelka and coach Raymond Domenech.

65. Argentina fall short of back-to-back

Argentina were heavily criticized for not being more aggressive with their attack vs. West Germany.

64. Red Devils rally

Japan thought they had punched their ticket to the World Cup semifinals, but Beglium had other plans.

63. Baggio's divine dribbling

Czechoslovakia's couldn't take the ball away from Roberto Baggio, and the keeper couldn't stop him from putting it in the back of the net.

62. Best World Cup quarterfinal ever?

Before the 1998 World Cup Final, this was the most memorable matchup between Brazil and France.

61. Maxi's magical volley

This should have been named goal of the tournament the moment it left his foot.

60. Garrincha leads Brazil to glory

59. Maradona's inglorious goodbye

One of the greatest soccer players of all time didn't get to leave his last World Cup on his terms.

58. Zaire time-waste for safety

Win or go home was't an option for Zaire.

57. Brazil make opening statement

Not one, but two beautiful goals in one game.

56. Michael Owen does it himself

An 18-year-old Michael Owen stole the show against Argentina.

55. Luis Suárez stops history

Ghana would have been the firs African country to make a World Cup semifinal if Suárez didn't intentionally block the ball with his hand.

54. Senegal stun France

No one could have guessed that Senegal would be the reigning world champions.

53. Cambiasso finishes it off

Argentina practically passed the ball into the back of Serbia's net.

52. A storybook start in South Africa

Tshabalala's strike found the top corner of Mexico's net.

51. Ronaldo comes through again

Spain learned to never count out Cristiano Ronaldo.

50. Donovan delivers

At the peak of his powers, Landon Donovan lived up to his U.S. soccer legend with a critical goal.

49. Pavard volleys from distance

It takes some luck to score a worldie like this, and France had all of it in 2018.

48. Croatia's Cinderella story

Croatia went from a nice story to a powerhouse at Russia 2018.

47. Negrete's sensational scissor kick

Mexico is home to one of the greatest goals in World Cup history.

46. A howler from James

James Rodríguez made this masterfully skillful goal look easy.

45. Ronaldinho's perfect mistake

Intentional or not, Ronaldinho's free-kick got the job done for Brazil.

44. Argentina create controversy

Things went almost a little too well for Argentina when they needed to win by at least four against Peru.

43. Rijkaard spits at Voller

Emotions were high when Germany and the Netherlands faced off at the 1990 World Cup.

42. North Korea make history

North Korea didn't just beat one of the best teams in the world — they also made history during the process.

41. England's penalty shootout curse is born

England's now long history of misfortune with penalty shootouts began in their semifinal match against West Germany at the 1990 World Cup.

40. David Beckham sees red vs. Argentina

Did Beckham's completely avoidable red card cost England a trip to the World Cup final in 1998?

39. Fabio Grosso bends it vs. Germany

German keeper Jens Lehmann had no choice but to watch Fabio Grosso's shot curl past him.

38. The first-ever World Cup

Uruguay won the first-ever World Cup in 1930 after coming back from a 2-1 halftime deficit.

37. The Saudi Maradona

Saeed Al-Owairan's goal against Belgium at the 1994 World Cup was Maradona-esque.

36. Dos a Cero

What's better than beating your arch rival 2-0? Doing it at the World Cup.

35. Jorge Burruchaga wins it for Argentina

Maradona was the player of the tournament at the 1986 World Cup, but it was Jorge Burruchaga's that won it all for Argentina.

34. Eusebio carries Portugal in comeback win

Eusébio was unstoppable in Portugal's monumental comeback win vs. North Korea at the 1966 World Cup.

33. Müller seals second title for Germany

Gerd Müller's final goal for Germany was the biggest of his illustrious international career.

32. The fantastic France-Croatia Final

The 2018 World Cup Final was a goal-fest, something that's a rarity for a Final.

31. England robbed of Frank Lampard goal

VAR would have shown Lampard's ball was over the line, but it didn't exist in 2010.

30. Ronaldo returns for 1998 Final

Ronaldo had a health scare before the 1998 World Cup Final, but he was cleared to play just in time.

29. Paolo Rossi scores hat-trick vs. Brazil

Paolo Rossi broke his cold streak for Italy with a hat-trick vs. Brazil.

28. The Disgrace of Gijón

Germany and Austria got exactly the result they needed to advance to the knockout stages. Coincidence?

27. South Korea's controversial win vs. Italy

Did South Korea have the refs on their side, or was Italy just unlucky?

26. Schumacher’s careless tackle

Schumacher wasn't given a card for what many consider the dirtiest tackle in World Cup history.

25. Götze denies Messi of trophy

Mario Götze's goal won the World Cup for Germanny against Argentina.

24. 'El Matador' shines for Argentina

Mario Kempes is Argentina's lesser-known World Cup hero.

23. Ronaldo's 2002 redemption

After experiencing adversity in 1998, Ronaldo dominated the 2002 World Cup Final.

22. Suárez bites Chiellini

 Luis Suárez dug his teeth into Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder.

21. Roger Milla turns back clock

Age was just a number for Roger Milla at the 1990 World Cup.

20. USA hosts for first time

Who's excited for 2026?

19. Bergkamp settles it vs. Argentina

Dennis Bergkamp scored a sensational match-winner against Argentina.

18. Germany upsets Hungary

It's hard to imagine a time when Germany were underdogs at the World Cup, but that was the case in 1954.

17. U.S. pull off massive upset vs. England

The U.S. will be hoping for a repeat come Nov. 25. 

16. The birth of total football

The Netherlands didn't invent total football, but they perfected it at the 1974 World Cup.

15. Andres Escobar's tragedy

Andres Escobar was just 27 years old when he was slain.

14. Game of the century

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better World Cup semifinal than the one between Germany and Argentina in 1970.

13. Gordon Banks robs Pelé

Everyone but English goalkeeper Gordon Banks thought Pele's header would cross the goal line.

12. Roberto Baggio skies it

Baggio's missed penalty defined his otherwise great career.

11. The Maracanazo

Uruguay came back from down 2-1 to win the 1950 World Cup.

10. Iniesta seals Spain's first

Andres Iniesta's goal won Spain their first World Cup and second consecutive international trophy.

9. Zidane wows in 1998 Final

8. Marco Tardelli's iconic celebration

Tardelli couldn't fight back his tears after scoring the eventual match-winner for Italy.

7. Phantom goal at Wembley

England's lone World Cup triumph came with a great deal of controversy.

6. Germany 7, Brazil 1

 Brazil was humiliated by Germany on home soil.

5. Zidane headbutts Materazzi

Materazzi made an off-color remark about Zidane's sister.

4. Pelé's legend begins

Pelé became a global icon at the 1958 World Cup.

3. The 'Hand of God'

Maradona scored two goals in the 1986 World Cup  quarterfinals — the first was with his fist.

2. Maradona's 'Goal of the Century'

This was the other.

1. Brazil plays the beautiful game

Nine Brazilian players touched the ball in the buildup to the decisive goal vs. Italy. Brazil's post-match celebration is considered the most iconic moment in World Cup history.

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