The winner of the World Cup final will be crowned on Monday morning Australian time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though only one team will raise the trophy, how might other sides still consider their tournament a success?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FIFA rankings have existed since 1992 and surprisingly, the number one team has never won the World Cup during this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So previous number one-ranked teams can be considered to have under-performed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But which sides have over-performed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lowest ranked team to win the World Cup was France (ranked 18th) in 1998.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to acknowledge France hosted that tournament and hosts often perform better than usual thanks to home ground advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Italy (13th) was the lowest ranked team to win the World Cup away from home (in Germany) in 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several other teams have also exceeded expectations over the years, despite not lifting the trophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although their 2026 campaigns were less successful, countries such as Croatia and Uruguay are considered consistent overachievers at World Cups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n