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Ranking All Twenty World Cup Winners

By Josh Sippie

BERLIN, GERMANY - JULY 15: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Per Mertersacker, Manuel Neuer and Kevin Grosskreutz celebrate during the German team victory ceremony on July 15, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Germany won the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil match against Argentina in Rio de Janeiro on July 13. (Photo by Markus Gilliar - Pool /Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY - JULY 15: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Per Mertersacker, Manuel Neuer and Kevin Grosskreutz celebrate during the German team victory ceremony on July 15, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Germany won the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil match against Argentina in Rio de Janeiro on July 13. (Photo by Markus Gilliar - Pool /Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
(Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) /

Top World Cup Winners All-Time: Number Eighteen – Italy, 1934

The 1934 World Cup was held in Italy. In the same fashion that the inaugural Uruguayan World Cup was a deterrent to European teams that could not make the trip, the World Cup being held in Italy was a deterrent to South American teams that could not make the trip.

Only Brazil and Argentina crossed the Atlantic to Italy, meaning that the defending World Cup winners, Uruguay, were not even there to defend their title. The first World Cup may have looked more like a Gold Cup, but this second World Cup looked like a Euro Cup.

16 teams entered the competition, with 12 being from Europe. To make matters more interesting, the now set-in-stone group stages were done away with in favor of straight knock-out rounds.

Italy favorably landed the United States in the first round, winning 7-1 but it wasn’t easy from there. They needed a replay to topple Spain and could only squeak one goal past Austria in the semi-finals, though it proved to be enough.

From there, a gritty last minute comeback to take the match into extra time gave way to Italy scoring and taking home the win, making it two for two in host nations winning the World Cup.

Next: 17. Brazil before Brazil

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