Cybereagles

Most common matches in FIFA World Cup historyStar post
(This is an anecdotical post. It was made purely for statistical purposes)

I made a list of what matches were played the most in the tournament. Former teams are included in the current team statistics, so for instance, Serbia includes Yugoslavia, Germany includes West Germany, etc. The order of the matches, and the order of the teams in a given match, are in alphabetical order.

For the three most common matches, I also list every match in that number. Enjoy.

Teams Matches played
Brazil vs. Sweden 7
Argentina vs. Germany 7
Germany vs. Serbia 7
Argentina vs. England 5
Argentina vs. Italy 5
Argentina vs. Netherlands 5
Belgium vs. Russia 5
Brazil vs. Czech Republic 5
Brazil vs. Italy 5
Brazil vs. Netherlands 5
Brazil vs. Spain 5
England vs. Germany 5
France vs. Italy 5
Germany vs. Italy 5
Argentina vs. Brazil 4
Argentina vs. Nigeria 4
Austria vs. Germany 4
Austria vs. Italy 4
Brazil vs. Chile 4
Brazil vs. England 4
Brazil vs. France 4
Brazil vs. Mexico 4
Brazil vs. Poland 4
Brazil vs. Scotland 4
Brazil vs. Serbia 4
France vs. Germany 4
France vs. Mexico 4
Germany vs. Spain 4
Germany vs. Sweden 4
Germany vs. Switzerland 4
Germany vs. Uruguay 4
Brazil vs. Sweden (Brazil leads 5-2-0)

1938, Third-place match. Brazil 4-2 Sweden

1950, Final round. Brazil 7-1 Sweden

1958, Final. Brazil 5-2 Sweden

1978, Group 3. Brazil 1-1 Sweden

1990, Group C. Brazil 2-1 Sweden

1994, Group B. Brazil 1-1 Sweden

1994, Semi-finals. Brazil 1-0 Sweden

Argentina vs. Germany (Germany leads 4-2-1)

1958, Group 1. Argentina 1-3 West Germany

1966, Group 2. Argentina 0-0 West Germany

1986, Final. Argentina 3-2 West Germany

1990, Final. Argentina 0-1 West Germany

2006, Quarter-finals. Argentina 1-1 Germany

2010, Quarter-finals. Argentina 0-4 Germany

2014, Final. Argentina 0-1 Germany

Germany vs. Serbia (Germany leads 4-1-2)

1954, Quarter-finals. West Germany 2-0 Yugoslavia

1958, Quarter-finals. West Germany 1-0 Yugoslavia

1962, Quarter-finals. West Germany 0-1 Yugoslavia

1974, Second Round, group B. West Germany 2-0 Yugoslavia

1990, Group D. West Germany 4-1 Yugoslavia

1998, Group F. Germany 2-2 FR Yugoslavia

2010, Group D. Germany 0-1 Serbia

And some bonus facts:

In Russia, Argentina and Nigeria will share group D, Brazil and Serbia will be on group E, and Germany and Sweden will play on group F.

Also, we could have again a Brazil-Sweden or Germany-Serbia on Round of 16.

If we only count matches on the first round of the tournament, the table would look like this:

Teams Matches played
Argentina vs. Nigeria 4+
Brazil vs. Serbia 4+
Brazil vs. Mexico 4
Brazil vs. Scotland 4
Brazil vs. Spain 4
Brazil vs. Sweden 4
France vs. Mexico 4
Germany vs. Switzerland 4

Benedict Iroha wrote: Argentina vs. Nigeria 4

Two things ....

First, please include a source link for the article. Seems like an interesting topic, so I'd hate for it to get locked for that reason.

Secondly, we've played the Argentines 5 times .... 1994, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018. I wish I could say it was a rivalry.

It was from Reddit....This was done prior to the world cup and they made a reference to it.

What makes the Argentina, Nigeria one crazy is the amount of times we have qualified, when we first qualified etc.

You might even look at it from % of matches played against a particular country.

Considering Nigeria has only played in 6 World Cups (a lot for Africa) it’s strange how we’ve meet Argentina 4 times.

Eaglezbeak wrote:Considering Nigeria has only played in 6 World Cups (a lot for Africa) it’s strange how we’ve meet Argentina 4 times.

5 in 6 brother.

If we meet them in the next WC, FIFA need to tweak their seeding and grouping methods.

Tbite wrote:

Eaglezbeak wrote:Considering Nigeria has only played in 6 World Cups (a lot for Africa) it’s strange how we’ve meet Argentina 4 times.

5 in 6 brother.

If we meet them in the next WC, FIFA need to tweak their seeding and grouping methods.

Yes that’s true and furthers the point.

Eaglezbeak wrote:

Tbite wrote:

Eaglezbeak wrote:Considering Nigeria has only played in 6 World Cups (a lot for Africa) it’s strange how we’ve meet Argentina 4 times.

5 in 6 brother.

If we meet them in the next WC, FIFA need to tweak their seeding and grouping methods.

Yes that’s true and furthers the point.

Yes its beginning to sound like "Random with Bias", this Nigeria-Argentina thingy, what is also bad is the lob sided result...Ok i digress

akamoke wrote:

Eaglezbeak wrote:

Tbite wrote:

Eaglezbeak wrote:Considering Nigeria has only played in 6 World Cups (a lot for Africa) it’s strange how we’ve meet Argentina 4 times.

5 in 6 brother.

If we meet them in the next WC, FIFA need to tweak their seeding and grouping methods.

Yes that’s true and furthers the point.

Yes its beginning to sound like "Random with Bias", this Nigeria-Argentina thingy, what is also bad is the lob sided result...Ok i digress

There is nothing really wrong with it. The only real problem is we've never been strong enough to make it a true rivalry. Had it been that it had been six matches (instead of five), with two wins each, two losses each, and two draws .... and had one of the 6 matches been a World Cup semifinal rematch of an earlier group phase match, where the semifinal ended in a last-minute heartbreak for one of the teams .... well, then it would have been a storied rivalry.

Besides, it is not like we would necessarily have done better with a different South American team in our group. Brazil, as near as I can recall, beats African teams 3-0 at the World Cup, the same score by which we lost to them in our friendly (and the score of most of our matches against Kenya). And when we had Paraguay, well, you know what happened. That said .... I am rather keen on seeing us play the likes of Brazil and Colombia at the World Cup, even if we lose. The real fun of the World Cup is facing interesting teams you rarely have the chance to face in serious (i.e. non-friendly) matches.

Another thing that would be interesting is if two African teams qualified from their groups in such a way that we would witness the first Africa-versus-Africa match at the World Cup. Ideally, in the quarterfinals, so one African team is guaranteed a semifinal place, but the Second Round is a more realistic stage at which such a match could occur (and for now, I use "realistic" loosely). I have suffered the hypertension of watching Nigeria in loser-goes-home matches against Cameroun, Cote d'Ivoire, Algeria, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia .... but never at a World Cup.

Anyway .... what starting 11 and formation do you gentlemen think we should use against Argentina in 2022 in Qatar?

PS: Had we progressed from our group in 2018, it would have been France .... again ... and again in the Second Round.

The Eagle wrote:

akamoke wrote:

Eaglezbeak wrote:

Tbite wrote:

Eaglezbeak wrote:Considering Nigeria has only played in 6 World Cups (a lot for Africa) it’s strange how we’ve meet Argentina 4 times.

5 in 6 brother.

If we meet them in the next WC, FIFA need to tweak their seeding and grouping methods.

Yes that’s true and furthers the point.

Yes its beginning to sound like "Random with Bias", this Nigeria-Argentina thingy, what is also bad is the lob sided result...Ok i digress

There is nothing really wrong with it. The only real problem is we've never been strong enough to make it a true rivalry. Had it been that it had been six matches (instead of five), with two wins each, two losses each, and two draws .... and had one of the 6 matches been a World Cup semifinal rematch of an earlier group phase match, where the semifinal ended in a last-minute heartbreak for one of the teams .... well, then it would have been a storied rivalry.

Besides, it is not like we would necessarily have done better with a different South American team in our group. Brazil, as near as I can recall, beats African teams 3-0 at the World Cup, the same score by which we lost to them in our friendly (and the score of most of our matches against Kenya). And when we had Paraguay, well, you know what happened. That said .... I am rather keen on seeing us play the likes of Brazil and Colombia at the World Cup, even if we lose. The real fun of the World Cup is facing interesting teams you rarely have the chance to face in serious (i.e. non-friendly) matches.

Another thing that would be interesting is if two African teams qualified from their groups in such a way that we would witness the first Africa-versus-Africa match at the World Cup. Ideally, in the quarterfinals, so one African team is guaranteed a semifinal place, but the Second Round is a more realistic stage at which such a match could occur (and for now, I use "realistic" loosely). I have suffered the hypertension of watching Nigeria in loser-goes-home matches against Cameroun, Cote d'Ivoire, Algeria, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia .... but never at a World Cup.

Anyway .... what starting 11 and formation do you gentlemen think we should use against Argentina in 2022 in Qatar?

PS: Had we progressed from our group in 2018, it would have been France .... again ... and again in the Second Round.

I need a break from the Nigeria football team. Rohr shouldn't lead us to 2022 - he should go whatever the outcome of AFCON 2019 - assuming we qualify. And the NFF should be grooming his successor NOW as part of the coaching team. I've seen and heard enough of Rohr to realise he's a man of limited ambition.

TheEagle I get your point and I knew someone would make it.

BUT personally I prefer Nigeria be yanshed by different folk than the same every time.

It is like a cruel repetitive nightmare. At least if we must lose, let it APPEAR to be different, even if it is not.

The Eagle wrote:

Benedict Iroha wrote: Argentina vs. Nigeria 4

Two things ....

First, please include a source link for the article. Seems like an interesting topic, so I'd hate for it to get locked for that reason.

Secondly, we've played the Argentines 5 times .... 1994, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018. I wish I could say it was a rivalry.

I think this might've been collated before this world cup.

The YeyeMan wrote:

The Eagle wrote:

akamoke wrote:

Eaglezbeak wrote:

Tbite wrote:

Eaglezbeak wrote:Considering Nigeria has only played in 6 World Cups (a lot for Africa) it’s strange how we’ve meet Argentina 4 times.

5 in 6 brother.

If we meet them in the next WC, FIFA need to tweak their seeding and grouping methods.

Yes that’s true and furthers the point.

Yes its beginning to sound like "Random with Bias", this Nigeria-Argentina thingy, what is also bad is the lob sided result...Ok i digress

There is nothing really wrong with it. The only real problem is we've never been strong enough to make it a true rivalry. Had it been that it had been six matches (instead of five), with two wins each, two losses each, and two draws .... and had one of the 6 matches been a World Cup semifinal rematch of an earlier group phase match, where the semifinal ended in a last-minute heartbreak for one of the teams .... well, then it would have been a storied rivalry.

Besides, it is not like we would necessarily have done better with a different South American team in our group. Brazil, as near as I can recall, beats African teams 3-0 at the World Cup, the same score by which we lost to them in our friendly (and the score of most of our matches against Kenya). And when we had Paraguay, well, you know what happened. That said .... I am rather keen on seeing us play the likes of Brazil and Colombia at the World Cup, even if we lose. The real fun of the World Cup is facing interesting teams you rarely have the chance to face in serious (i.e. non-friendly) matches.

Another thing that would be interesting is if two African teams qualified from their groups in such a way that we would witness the first Africa-versus-Africa match at the World Cup. Ideally, in the quarterfinals, so one African team is guaranteed a semifinal place, but the Second Round is a more realistic stage at which such a match could occur (and for now, I use "realistic" loosely). I have suffered the hypertension of watching Nigeria in loser-goes-home matches against Cameroun, Cote d'Ivoire, Algeria, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia .... but never at a World Cup.

Anyway .... what starting 11 and formation do you gentlemen think we should use against Argentina in 2022 in Qatar?

PS: Had we progressed from our group in 2018, it would have been France .... again ... and again in the Second Round.

I need a break from the Nigeria football team. Rohr shouldn't lead us to 2022 - he should go whatever the outcome of AFCON 2019 - assuming we qualify. And the NFF should be grooming his successor NOW as part of the coaching team. I've seen and heard enough of Rohr to realise he's a man of limited ambition.

The NFF have limited ambition and won't be grooming any successor or will they pay any Nigerian in time and things will go back to way they where until the next World Cup qualifiers are on the way thus the cycle will continue.Failing to prepare and preparing to fail but in Nigeria they try to get lucky without even trying.

Ghana vs Uganda nko?

That was back in the stone age