Bally

World Cup Soccer

Pinside Rating

This game received 616 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.090 _/10

8.09

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #70 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.424

Artwork: 7.417

Sounds/Music: 7.591

Other Aspects: 8.36

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 9 of us have rated this game.

7.65

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Found 299 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 299 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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8.084/10

10 years ago

GPS

onetaste

Pinside member

Adelaide Hills

10y 63,650 142 23 114

I'd like a bit more depth from this one.

UPDATE: now we have one at work I have put some decent time into it and I like it. There are a couple of different approaches you can take, the artwork is colourful and classy (although I don't like the mascot). The game is extremely popular with beginners, they love shooting goals, but it is also a great challenge for good players. I am increasing my rating on this one.

onetaste edited previous rating on September 30, 2017.

8.066/10

10 years ago

DAB

Pinfidel

Pinside member

10y 99,800 3,924 9 51

First off, I don't really care for soccer. I liked playing it, but don't care to watch it all. That said, I played WCS-94 when it first came out and I didn't like it. I thought the spinning soccer ball was dumb and took up far too much playfield space for what little it added to the game play.

Fast forward 30 years...I played this game a bunch since I first played it and first reviewed it and I've really come to enjoy this machine. So much so in fact, that I added it to my wishlist and hope to buy one someday.

I love trying to score goals. I absolutely love the call outs and dmd animations. They did a fantastic job with that. The playfield lighting is great with the purple and teal colors. The ramps are awesome. The playfield artwork is bright, colorful and hits the theme. It has 2 magnets with 1 for multiball and the other for the "Magna-Save". How awesome is that!? Overall, it's just great, fun for the whole family pin to play.

That all said, I do still however admit that the giant soccer ball leaves much to be desired. It's still a great theme add and cool that it rotates in either direction, but I just wish it were more effective with adding to the game play and would genuinely throw the pinball around more.

The cabinet artwork sucks. I absolutely love the black, teal and purple colors, but they could've done far far better than the outstretched goalie. They could've used the dog scoring a goal past the outstretched goalie in a cartoon like fashion with players on the field and fans in some stands. This game deserved something like that. Not the last minute, thrown together, idk what to do, let's just throw something up to take up the whole side of the cabinet, oh well artwork they came up with.

Overall, I've really changed my mind from my original thoughts and opinion on this machine and simply had to re-review it. Congrats to all who own one and I hope to join the club one day. = )

Pinfidel edited previous rating on May 02, 2022.
Pinfidel has this game on the wishlist.

8.943/10

10 years ago

JCL

wmsrocks

Pinside+ Frequent

Penrose, NC

11y 34,150 15 6 6

Of the 17 games I've owned this is squarely in the top 3. This is also the game that guests who are not pinheads will gravitate to even over the almost perfect TZ I have. Now I'm not saying this is a better game than TZ but there are many times when I prefer to play this game as it's a much lighter, more optimistic and just plain fun game than TZ (or most other games). It's not a ball drainer. I've beaten the German team! OK, only once but I've had TZ for over 10 years and I've yet to do better than the 300M in lost in zone - and even getting to the zone only happens in a very blue moon - impossibly hard.

The game play is deep but not complicated. It makes sense. Two shots to collect tickets than hit the spinner to travel to the next city. Get into multiball, beat the teams by kicking a goal, then hit a ramp to go to the next team. Just goal after goal doesn't do much you have to do goal, ramp, goal, ramp, etc without losing the multiball. And the announcer calls are best I've heard in a game. Realistic, but excited, and yet not annoying no matter how many times you hear him. Even fireworks - very exciting. It's impossible to play this game and not have a great time, even if the ball isn't cooperating.

I love this game. I can't for the life of me understand why this isn't way higher in the rankings. This has got to be one of the best bang for the buck games out there.

Caveat: There are some tricky gadgets on this game that typically wear and are hard to find (goalie, spinning soccer ball). Those have to be right before you judge the game. Also, this one really needs LED lighting as you really need the inserts to guide the game play and incandescents really don't cut it here. This is particularly true on the rollovers to enable the goal shot.

wmsrocks currently owns this game.

7.057/10

10 years ago

DOG

Pindog

Pinside member

10y 41,300 128 2 27

Fun for the whole family.

7.855/10

10 years ago

ALG

frznpixel

Inactive member

San Francisco, CA

11y 22,150 10 22

Fun game with very high scores. It seems like a game that would be fun to play for a little while or very now and then but that could get very repetitive with the main target being the goal feature. The game is overall very easy too. Besides the replay ability problem, it's excellent and designed for lots of fun. The goal feature is fun and the spinning soccer ball is creative. The other features are necessary for gameplay but could be highlighted a bit more.

8.780/10

10 years ago

???

Hawkeyepin

Inactive member

Des Moines, IA

14y 41,650 776 41

Rating this after only owning it for two days. Normally I wait about a month but the sheer amount of time my family and I have been playing this pin, I have to say, it's absolutely fantastic. The theme is ok with us as a soccer family but even if this pin was rethemed, the playfield and flow is incredible. Rules are perfect.

I don't like the magnasave but it's a cool feature, just not very useable. It's also not the best looking pin but I don't care, I'm not an art collector.

If you want to step up to a pinball with rules and flow deep enough to keep you coming back for more...or thinking about it if you're not playing it...then this game might be for you!

8.372/10

10 years ago

DAN

BeaverBrewing

Pinside member

Beaver Falls, PA

11y 80,150 289 7 282

I hate soccer, yet I loved this game! Tons of fun, shots all over the board. Themed perfectly, love the goalie shot. Easy to understand ruleset even after one game. Want to own one now!

7.532/10

10 years ago

???

bluegoose

Pinside member

Unknown

11y 23,500 3 59

I've owned 2 World Cup pins over the years because my family is into soccer. Scoring on the goal is very entertaining, the assist saucer is a nice feature, and the ramps are well done. The multi-ball and wizard modes are also enjoyable. The flow is decent but I still prefer a faster and more challenging game along with a deeper rule set. Great game for the family - one of my kids favorite along with Monster Bash and No Good Gofers.

bluegoose has owned this game in the past.

5.643/10

10 years ago

BRC

HiLuxTrd

Inactive member

Central Coast

10y 6,750 1 6

very average

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

7.897/10

10 years ago

TAM

tamoore

Pinside member

Grayling, MI

11y 123K 6,661 37 58

Just added this one because I wanted a Jpop pin (SWEP1 doesn't count), and think the others are just outrageous in price these days.

It's a machine with good flow and decent long ramp shots (the ramps are HUGE). The goalie is super fun, and everyone knows what to do as soon as they see it. The spinning ball is a cool feature, and a fresh soccer ball really gets that pinball zipping around the field.

The magnasave is cool, but a lot harder to use than the way it has previously been implemented.

The skillshot mech is pure jpop.. How many other games made in the Williams DMD era have a plunger? Not many...

Things I don't care for too much, but might get used to:

The rules are pretty simple and aren't mode based pin and as a result the game is quite linear.

The outer loop when opened is clunky at the end. I would have much rather had a design that sent the ball to the flipper, rather the slingshot.

It's a good game, but I'm not sure yet if it is a great game. I'll give it the winter and see. :)

tamoore has owned this game in the past.

8.580/10

10 years ago

JJS

jonogo

Pinside member

12y 75,300 2,987 1 51

This game is very good. JP designed and it shows. My son and nephew had a riot playing it for the first time. It made the decisions easy to buy. It's not the most difficult game on factory settings, but its extremely fun and exciting to play for all skill levels.

jonogo has owned this game in the past.

8.280/10

10 years ago

???

scf

Pinside member

Eatontown, NJ

10y 33,800 39 3 16

Very fun. This pinball machine is probably the only time I actually enjoyed the game of soccer.

scf has owned this game in the past.

8.876/10

10 years ago

DAD

toddsolus

Pinside+ Frequent

Salt Lake City, UT

11y 73,300 1,137 3 32

This game is very fun. I got it for my 12 year old daughters but they have to fight me to play it now. The playfield has a nice flow(it is Jpop) and the ramp aesthetic reminds me of CV. The backglass is lame though.
not sure how often ill use the magnet save..seems to be just a gimmick.

toddsolus has owned this game in the past.

7.940/10

10 years ago

JIM

Captive_Ball

Pinside+ Frequent

Cypress, TX

11y 128K 7,186 17 86

Soccer! That's the reason this game was once a dog to many and has slowly worked its way up to being seen as a great pin. I am not a soccer fan, but after playing a handful of games on this machine, you really get into it. I have learned to really enjoy playing this game....as I was first turned off by the theme. Now that I have played many games and examples, I won't mind having one in my collection.

Some say it's the best JPOP game. The flowy ramps are nice, the right being deadly if not nailed. Hello SDTM drain! The ruleset is not complicated, but a challenge to work through.

The wizard mode, trying to defect Germany, is awesome....having to continually plunge the balls from the shooter lane manually adds to the hysteria.

This one was under the radar for a while, but collectors have found it and these have been increasing price because of the fact it is a solid player.

Captive_Ball edited previous rating on December 30, 2015.

8.784/10

10 years ago

LBH

Gerrard17

Inactive member

Woolloongabba

11y 58,900 564 2 53

This is a really great pin. I've owned it for a few weeks now and it's up there with my favorites. The goal is a really fun feature but there is so much to this machine that I wouldn't know where to start. Definitely one I'll keep in my collection!

Gerrard17 has owned this game in the past.

8.340/10

10 years ago

JLA

Jodester

Pinside Moderator

Lake Charles, LA

11y 121K 2,506 11 114

A pretty neat game with easy to pick up rules. Looks great with LEDs. It has some neat features (goalie & magnets) and a cool looking play field. I am not much of a soccer fan but the theme is still cool.

Jodester edited previous rating on August 22, 2013.

8.631/10

10 years ago

GOV

Gov

GOVS_Mods

Springfield, MO

11y 108K 5,768 10 28

I write up a full review later:

Love this game. A lot of fun for good players and new players alike. Has some great ramps that JPOP is known for. I think the theme keeps a lot of people from givng it a chance.

Gov has owned this game in the past.

7.792/10

10 years ago

EDH

TigerLaw

Pinside Moderator

Jennings, LA

14y 224K 20,099 24 240

Solid game. Under rated by many. I've only played one example of this and it was the brightest LED job I had ever seen. Almost had to get out the wielding helmet to play it. That said, I put about ten games on it (which I think is the minimum to rate a game) and found it to be a lot of fun.

A solid game to play; I would not add it to my personal collection though.

8.340/10

10 years ago

BCT

Nemesis041

Inactive member

Redmond, WA

10y 34,900 47 3 47

A good game. It may or may not seem fun to other players, but to me, this game is not bad at all. The goal mechanism is pretty nice, the ruleset isn't too deep nor too shallow, and the sounds are quite good. However, the flow just isn't there completely, but I don't feel that's what makes this game not fun. Another underrated game that should've done better than it did.

Nemesis041 edited previous rating on December 09, 2013.
Nemesis041 has this game on the wishlist.

8.488/10

11 years ago

TRP

fuseholder

Pinside+ Frequent

12y 97,800 911 70 1

Next to Dracula or Doctor Who, this pin is so underrated. I would put this as one of JP's finest designs.

fuseholder edited previous rating on May 02, 2018.

5.045/10

11 years ago

TIM

TurboTim

Inactive member

11y 27,650 89 1 12

I know a lot of guys like this game but I find it boring. I get sick of hearing "GOAL". It is a good game for the kids.

TurboTim has owned this game in the past.

8.556/10

11 years ago

JEF

Rengozu

Pinside member

Murfreesboro, TN

11y 27,900 80 1 11

Not a big soccer fan but this was always one of my favorite pins. Like shooting hole in ones in NGG, there's just something fun about shooting passed the goalie to make a goal. Only wish there was an NHL themed pin with a similar style. Great pin!

8.383/10

11 years ago

AMA

amalongi

Pinside member

Maplewood, MN

14y 54,150 237 2 7

WCS is my third machine in (what was) a one game collection. I am a BIG DMD fan and WCS does a great job of combining some old school stuff like the playfield rollovers and magnasave with the benefits of a DMD game. For some strange reason, shooting the goal and hearing GOAAAAAL! just never gets old. Yes the backglass isn't the greatest (I've seen worse), but this is a great game. Will only sell mine if I can upgrade significantly at a similar price level - isn't likely to happen anytime soon. Overall, a fun pin to play with enough challenge and lastability to find a home in many a collection. Would make a great first pin as well!

amalongi has owned this game in the past.

8.793/10

11 years ago

RSJ

juster

Inactive member

Van Nuys, CA

11y 27,650 23 5 12

Very, very fun game. The spinning soccer ball on the playfield is a bit useless (and generally broken if you're playing this outside of a friend's collection) - and the backglass is lame as hell (mostly that's Striker, the official mascot of the 1994 World Cup).

Loads of fun to play, easy to learn, semi-hard to master. Beating the game (winning the World Cup) is immensely satisfying.

juster currently owns this game.

4.878/10

11 years ago

GAJ

flipperG

Inactive member

Temecula, CA

11y 15,400 81 15 19

this was my first pinball machine, liked the sounds and the lighting is good w/ some nice smooth ramp shots but that's not enough to save it, if you want a machine that starts off fun but quickly becomes booring this one here just might be your GOALLLLL!!!

flipperG has owned this game in the past.

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