The FIFA World Cup got under way last Thursday and is of course being hosted in North America, split between the USA, Mexico and Canada, with the USMNT getting off to a roaring start, beating Paraguay 4-1 in their first game.

I thought it would be fun to compare the most successful NFL teams (your Green Bay Packers, for example) to the most successful national soccer teams in World Cup history, with the best teams defined by a combination of winning percentage and titles won in both sports.

Starting with the Packers, the most similar nation historically is probably Germany. Green Bay has won four Super Bowl titles (of course, they won a whole host of NFL championships before the Super Bowl era), while the Germans have won four World Cups.

Like Green Bay, Germany’s last title came in the 2010s, as they triumphed in 2014 in the final over Argentina, and their most recent win previous to that came in the 90s, as they won it all in 1990.

The Packers have the best win percentage in NFL history, while Germany has the second-most points accumulated in World Cup history.

Another key similarity is that like Green Bay, Germany is regularly in contention to go all the way, but does not have the most World Cup titles. They have made it to the final four more than any other country, 13 times in all.

Few pundits are picking Germany to win this tournament, but they will always be in the mix and are not to be written off lightly.

The most successful national soccer team is Brazil, who have won an unrivalled five World Cup titles and amassed more points during the tournament than any team throughout history.

However, they have not won the tournament since 2002, and if they do not win this year, it will mean their longest ever gap between titles. They were once the envy of international football, but for all the hype around them, are not special on the pitch any more. They are the Dallas Cowboys.

A good comp for the New England Patriots is Italy, who have won four World Cups, but have failed to qualify for the tournament at all in each of their last three opportunities. The Patriots had their dynasty under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, but have also endured very forgettable periods.

Spain are the Ravens, mostly due to the fact their only World Cup/Super Bowl titles have come recently. The Ravens were only established in 1996, winning two titles since then, while Spain delivered their first and only World Cup title in 2010. They are a favorite to go all the way this time.

On a similar note, France are the Chiefs, as both countries have had most of their success in relatively recent times, with France winning the World Cup in 1998 and 2018, and the Chiefs winning three Super Bowls since 2019.

It is not a perfect match, but Argentina and the 49ers fit quite well as two historic teams who won multiple titles decades ago.

Argentina finally got over the hump to win their first World Cup since the 80s when they beat France in the 2022 final, while the Niners are still trying to get over the final hurdle.

Casual viewers may not know Uruguay has actually won two World Cups, one in 1930 and one in 1950, but they have not been anything like a powerhouse in the modern era, making the semi-finals just once since 1970. The Dolphins feel like a good match.

Unfortunately for this English Packers fan, England are the Bears. For all their history and notoriety, England have been to only one World Cup final, winning all the way back in 1966 over West Germany, and have made the semi-finals only twice since.

Like Green Bay, Chicago were massively successful in the pre-Super Bowl era, but have won only one title in what we know as the NFL today, lifting the trophy in 1985.

Finally, the Netherlands are the Vikings. Both teams have strong winning percentages over their history, but neither has ever won the World Cup or Super Bowl respectively, and both were runners-up multiple times back in the 70s.