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The reigning African champions appeared in the World Cup on two occasions, in 2002 where they reached the quarterfinals, and in 2018.
The Azzurri are Europe's most successful team in the World Cup, trailing only Brazil with four wins. Decade after decade, they're always in the mix of the best teams.
Ukraine only appeared in the 2006 World Cup, where they reached the quarterfinals. However, prior to 1996, some of its players played for the Soviet Union and CIS national teams.
Japanese soccer has been on the rise in the last few years, making some big splashes internationally. They will make their seventh appearance at the finals during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Spain has gone through a golden era of soccer over the last couple of decades, becoming a major team in virtually every international tournament. They earned their first and so far only World Cup in 2010.
Not everyone is convinced that the US cares about soccer like the rest of the world, but it's growing in popularity. They have also produced some world-class players, like Landon Donovan (pictured) and Michael Bradley.
Chile is often in the shadows when it comes to South American soccer. However, they have appeared in nine World Cups. Their best performance was in 1962, where they finished in third place.
Colombian soccer can sometimes get overlooked in South America thanks to the likes of Brazil and Argentina. However, they've been a pretty consistent player over the years, despite never making it past the quarterfinals in the World Cup.
Uruguay won and hosted the first ever World Cup in 1930. They then won again in 1950, and have since made it to the semifinals in 2010.
Mexico has competed in the tournament since the inaugural 1930 World Cup, and has appeared ever since, for a total of 16 tournaments. But they have only made the quarterfinals twice, and lost both times.
Having won a total of four World Cups, Germany is historically one of the best national teams at international competitions. They also have some of the most consistent performers, which has helped in their success.
A surprising run to the 2018 World Cup finals solidified Croatia’s position as one of the best soccer countries in the world. They might be a small country, but they've showed that they're big players.
Having won the World Cup twice, Argentina has come out as one of soccer's strongest proponents. This is largely credited to legends such as Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.
Morocco have qualified for the final stages of the FIFA World Cup on six occasions. Their best performance was in 1986, where they reached the round of 16.
Belgium has been a frequent entrant at the World Cup, and continue at the top of world soccer. Known as the Red Devils, they finished third place at the 2018 World Cup.
The North African country has participated in five World Cups, and will make their sixth appearance in Qatar. So far, Tunisia has never been able to get out of the group stage on all occasions.
South Korea has appeared in the FIFA World Cup on 10 occasions. The team made their debut in 1954, and have appeared consecutively in every edition since 1986.
With more than 50 World Cup matches under their belt, the Three Lions are true veterans that are consistently high in the rankings. They have won the top prize once, in 1966.
The reigning World Cup champions have plenty of bragging to do, thanks to tons of top players, including Kylian Mbappé. The team also won the whole thing in 1998.
Sweden has been one of the more successful national teams of the World Cup, having reached four semifinals, and becoming runners-up in 1958. They had been present at 12 out of 21 World Cups by 2018.
With a consistent squad, Switzerland surprised a lot of people when they made it to the round of 16 in the 2018 World Cup. With players in some of the top European leagues, the small nation has come a long way in soccer.
Having finished runners-up in 1974, 1978, and 2010, no other team has played as many finals without ever taking home the golden trophy. But despite this, the Oranje have proven to be one of the most historically solid teams in the game.
Poland was a world force in soccer during the '70s and '80s, but have since dipped a bit. They have qualified for nine World Cups in total, including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Iran has qualified six times for the FIFA World Cup, but never progressed beyond the group stages. They only won two matches, against the US in 1998 and Morocco in 2018.
The Serbian national team has done a good job in their short history of turning into a solid power in Europe. However, a bit of credit must go to what some of their players accomplished when playing for the Yugoslav national team.
Peru participated in the first ever World Cup in 1930, but lost both of their games. After that, they only appeared at the 1970, 1978, 1982, and 2018 World Cups.
Denmark often gets overlooked by many other European countries, but they have held their own despite being relatively small. Most recently, their 2018 World Cup team had an excellent showing before being eliminated by Croatia.
The furthest Portugal ever came at the World Cup was third place in 1966. Even so, they're considered to be one of the best teams, with top players over the years like Eusébio, Luís Figo, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Wales has qualified for the FIFA World Cup twice, in 1958 and 2022. In 1958, they reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions Brazil.
Even if it's been a while since Brazil last won, they're still on top as the best team in the history of the World Cup. With five wins, they've been present at every single World Cup since Uruguay in 1930.
Sources: (FIFA) (SoccerPrime)
Soccer is a huge sport around the world, with several excellent national teams. It's therefore no surprise that so many different countries are extremely excited about being around the sport. And with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar around the corner, FIFA has announced their ranking of the best teams in the world. With big champions like Brazil and Germany on the list, you might be surprised by some of the other teams in the ranking.
Curious to see who made the top 30? Then check out the following gallery.
The best men's national teams in the world, according to FIFA
These are the top 30 national teams
LIFESTYLE Sports
Soccer is a huge sport around the world, with several excellent national teams. It's therefore no surprise that so many different countries are extremely excited about being around the sport. And with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar around the corner, FIFA has announced their ranking of the best teams in the world. With big champions like Brazil and Germany on the list, you might be surprised by some of the other teams in the ranking.
Curious to see who made the top 30? Then check out the following gallery.