Which do you think is better as a competition? In your opinion, which tournament brings all of what footy really is about. The action on the pitch, the atmosphere, the quality on display.

At work we have been having this debate for about a week now. We all watch and play (or have played) before so we know the game well. We all follow the leagues and the players so the debate is rather interesting. For me, the top two competitions are the World Cup and the Champions League. The Euros are a very close 3rd.

The World Cup needs no introduction. It is on a global scale that no other major tournament can match. It bring in fans from all over the world and "usually" has the best national teams show what they can do at the highest international level. As a fan of the sport and for the entertainment value, the World Cup is un-matched. The quality on the pitch is very good for a number of teams and it carries a count of stories that will hold the world captive for it's run of the month.

What the World Cup lacks that the Champions League has is overall quality. To be fair, there is a big difference in a major Club team level and a major National Team level for a few reasons. The main reason is how much time they get to play together. National sides supposedly carry the best their nation has to offer so individually, you would consider the team to be better on paper. Given time, they would be better of course, but they don't get that time. Club teams practice day in and day out, then play so many games together that it takes the player relationships to another level.

For quality and being a pure fan of the game, the Champions League is the best in the world. For the show of the game and the entertainment on a mass scale, the World Cup is best.

I could go deeper but I ask what your thoughts are on this.

Champions League has the best football on show. Quite simply, players are more comfortable and more used to playing alongside their clubmates rather than their countrymen because they just spend more time with their clubmates. There's more fluidity in the quality of football, and the tactics are far more complex. Moreover, there's always much more at stake. Some clubs may have already been knocked out of their domestic title race and are just hoping to win the CL as salvation. Sometimes the manager's job is at stake depending on the CL performance. The ties are also played over two legs, so a team can't just rely on a 'fluke' victory - they have to win over both ties.

The WC is the stuff of legends though. Puskas, Pele, Maradona, Garrincha, Ronaldo, Zidane, Cruyff, Beckenbauer... these names have graced the stage of the World Cup. Not all of these have also graced the CL though or experienced any success there (e.g. Ronaldo, Pele, and Maradona). Since the WC is also more infrequent, it is also more memorable. The WC has a way of bringing together the people of a country - regardless of whether they watch football or not. Even if your country isn't playing in the WC (Canada), your people always watch it because it's such a massive event.

I do, however, disagree with the opinion that the WC is more important than the CL. It is more memorable because it is so infrequent and because it is easier to identify with a nation rather than a club. But true talent is shown on the CL stage where the opponents are more difficult and where the quality of a team isn't dependent on how fortunate you were that you were born in Germany or Brazil, etc. Messi winning the CL 4 times tops Pele's 3 WCs for me.

tl;dr CL > WC. Euros don't even come close.

P.S.

If you're wondering why I think this way it's because Pele was bloody fortunate that his countrymen during his era were also some of the greatest players of their generation (and in some cases, greatest of all time). Messi's Barcelona has also been stacked with talent, but it was talent that was assembled. Somebody decided to sit down and think about which direction the club should go in the near future, and that meticulous planning led to the likes of Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi. Moreover, Messi had to hurdle bigger challenges than Sweden in the final. All you have to do to win the WC in today's game is just win 7 games in a row (or even 6/7 victories is enough to win the competition). If you're looking to win the CL, there's a lot more you have to do in order to win.

Brazil's, and Pele's, 3 WCs were thanks to sheer luck that their squad happened to have some of the best players in their era, but Messi's 4 CLs are a result of long-term planning and hard work.

I will always prefer the World Cup. While fans unite behind teams in the CL, and nations in the Euros, there is really nothing like the national pride that comes with a world cup. It's what matters. 50, 100, 200 years from now, no one will care that Barcelona won the CL last year. No one will care that Spain won the Euros. But Germany will remember 2014. Spain will remember 2010. Italy will remember 2006. Even without victory, fans remember great performances. Personally, I never saw Forlan play a club game in his life, but I remember in vivid detail his world cup goals in 2010. I remember Suarez on the line, and the nuts goal from the Dutch that kicked the Uruguayans out of the competition. I'm not even a Uruguay fan. But I remember greatness. And that's what happens at the world cup.

In the end, looking back, there are many examples of this in individual players. Outside of Barcelona, no one cares too much about Cryuff's club accomplishments. But everyone I've ever spoken to can tell be about the Dutch total football from those two world cups.

Fact is, in the long run, the only tournament that matters to the world at large is the world's competition, the world cup. Clubs care about the CL, Europe cares (somewhat) about the Euros, but EVERYONE cares about the world cup.

The best players, the top players, they see this stage, and recognize it for what it is. It brings out the very best, Ronaldo, Henry, Villa, Buffon...and the very worst, Pepe, Suarez, De Jong. There are players who had average club careers, yet always showed up for world cups, and they are counted among the best. There are also players who had amazing club careers, and underwhelming world cups, who are counted as among the "meh"

How differently would we view Wayne Rooney if he had played good world cups? What about Landon Donovan if he'd played bad ones?

The scale of the world cup is untouchable. The reputation of players, countries even, live and die based on their performance in the world cup. This produces the most breathtaking soccer any of us will ever see, and for me, that makes it the highest quality, most entertaining, and best fan experience in the sport.

Nothing else even comes close.

Champions league. World cup is a better achievement but the national tems dont have as much chemistry..., ...or is it just Argentina????

The amount of people that I know who think that the only soccer that ever happens is the World Cup is CRAZY!! This shows that the world cup is not just big for soccer fans, it is big for everyone. It also causes much more political debate than the UCL which demonstrates that it affects more people and is a bigger competition.

World cup, always :)

Depends the way people enjoy football.

UCL for me is a world class talent show that makes you forget in which country you were born and cheer with the fans of your team and enjoy football at its higher level.

World Cup on the other hand makes you forget rivalries such as Chelsea vs Arsenal and unite with each other for your nation but I never liked the racism that gets out of people due to historic wars. In terms of quality it lacks the UCL quality because players are much more attached in their teams tactics and in general they spend much more time with their club than country.

So basically I am happy we have both and I can enjoy them but I will have to go with World Cup because most of you never seen people bleeding for team rivalries that is actually pointless, same can be said for national level but here in Greece people get stabbed, they get rocks at their face and we even have dead people from that silly rivalry.

Personally i'd rather watch WC every year.

I actually agree with dynast, World Cup being played in 3 weeks at the end of a long season and with teammates that you only play with 5 times a year can't be compared with Cl in term of football quality, only if we judge on quality.
But the fact it's more attractive for people not really interested in football clubs in general, girls and kids all involved, that creates a big party and an incomparable atmosphere but yet in term of players understanding and chemistry it can't be compared to Cl.
However, it's a '' you have only one chance '' competition, doesn't have the right to make a mistake and second chance does not exist, and it depends highly on the country form at the instant T, Some Legend got lucky on it and some not at all...
As dynast said its a seven games competition at most, but also all Footballers know it's a ticket for glory, and people recognition. I'm glad we have both and I wish Wc changes its actual format, playing withing 3 days is not the best way to prepare a game while you have 2 month to prepare a CL game a group stage with 2 legs would also be better imo.
As I'm wishing a Europeen league format with 2 divisions relegation etc....

Being cynical Cl is the best in term of quality, but I will go a bit romantic and choose World Cup :) the 4 years waiting makes it even greater.

"Which do you think is better as a competition? In your opinion, which tournament brings all of what footy really is about."

Definitely WC, no doubt.

" The action on the pitch, the atmosphere, the quality on display."

Well.. probably CL. But no feeling can be compared to that of having your home country play a WC. Still CL may have better teams and thus better football people can enjoy watching..

It depends where your roots are. A German Kaiserslautern fan would love having a WC every year whereas a Sammarinese Barcelona fan would enjoy the CL a lot more. We need to stop joking about San Marino :P

Real football is where the Champions league lies. Anyone who's never heard of football and wants to witness the top level of the sport can watch a Champions league game.

WC is all about the pride, thus I tend to be in favor of the WC much more than CL. Nothing feels better when you're united with your fellow peers, who support your rival club for example, watching your home country do the impossible in the World Cup games, especially one that makes giant killings. That stuff will live with you until you die. Clubs can also do this, but national pride is where it's at!

Not many things are more exciting than this competition :-)

I would go for World Cup. There's nothing like WC, You can't transfer to another country like in club competition. You have only 1 chance in 4 years. And yet a lot of great teams will not even go through the qualifying rounds. World Cup is a feast, the whole world stops while watching it. Not taking anything a way from Champions League but for me WC > CL. EURO is not even close to these competitions..