Greatest World Cup XI of All Time
Eleven shirts. Sixty years of World Cup football. Build your team and see how it ranks.
BUILD YOUR XI →Our shortlist for the all-time XI
Pick any eleven of these and you'd have a strong claim. This is one editor's greatest World Cup XI — your version is one game away.
- GKLev Yashin · USSR 196692
- RBCafu · Brazil 200292
- CBFranz Beckenbauer · West Germany 197494
- CBFranco Baresi · Italy 199093
- LBPaolo Maldini · Italy 199493
- CMLothar Matthäus · West Germany 199092
- CMZinedine Zidane · France 199895
- CMJohan Cruyff · Netherlands 197495
- RWLionel Messi · Argentina 201494
- STPelé · Brazil 197096
- LWDiego Maradona · Argentina 198696
How to build the greatest World Cup XI
- Spin the wheel to land on a real World Cup nation + tournament.
- Draft one player from that exact squad into your formation.
- Repeat eleven times until your XI is complete.
- Simulate the knockouts and chase the trophy.
Common debates
- ▸ Pelé or Maradona? Both fit — find a formation that takes them.
- ▸ Yashin or Buffon in goal? Different eras, same all-time stature.
- ▸ Where does Modrić sit in midfield against Zidane and Iniesta?
- ▸ Is there room for a 2026 player in an all-time XI?
Also play
- ▸ World Cup draft game — full rules and how the wheel works.
- ▸ Premier League draft game — name the greatest English top-flight XI.
- ▸ Top-rated XIs — see how your team ranks.