Franklin Foer of The New Republic applies political analysis to the results of past World Cups and concludes that, as a general rule, teams from social democratic countries are most successful:
Social democracy celebrates individualism, while relentlessly patting itself on the back for its sense of solidarity–a coherent team with room for stars.
…..
[F]ascism beats communism; military junta beats fascism; social democracy beats military junta…
(Note: To avoid pointless transatlantic quibbling, I will, for the duration of the World Cup, use the term “football” instead of “soccer.”)