In 1930, the FIFA World Cup debuted. Except for 1942 and 1946, when the Second World War forced its cancellation, the event has always been held every four years. In the most recent World Cup, France defeated Croatia 4-2, earning the title.
Seventeen nations have hosted the event out of the 20 football world cups. Brazil, Germany, Italy, France, and Mexico have all hosted twice. The inauguration of the World Cup took place in Uruguay. The World Cup in 2018 was in Russia. The 2022 World Cup will take place in Qatar.
Brazil won the five championships in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002. Germany and Italy have each won four titles. France, Uruguay, and Argentina all have two victories. Once each, England and Spain won the world championship. Six Hosts won the competition. Eight teams, five from Europe and three from South America, have won the Football World Cup. South American teams have won 9 titles, compared to 12 for European teams.
Two world cup final matches were won in a penalty shootout, and five were won in extra time. After 120 minutes of play, no goals were scored in the 1994 final between Brazil and Italy.
The same teams, Argentina and Germany, competed in the final matches in 1986, 1990, and 1994. Brazil and Italy faced off in the finals in 1970 and 1994.
The world cup finals have included 13 different teams. The final games played by the Netherlands, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Croatia, and Sweden were all losses. Argentina and the Netherlands have finished second three times, with Germany coming in second place four times. Italy, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and others have all lost two World Cup finals. Sweden, Croatia, and France all finished second once.
Forty-two teams have entered the quarterfinals, while 24 teams have advanced to the semifinals. Brazil has competed in 12 semifinals, while Germany has participated in 13. Italy has been in 8 football world cup semifinals. Brazil appeared in the quarterfinals 18 times, while Germany did so 17 times.
The following is a list of each former World Cup champion:
1930 Uruguay: Uruguay hosted the first World Cup and won it, defeating Argentina in the championship match.
Italy in 1934 – In 1934, Italy won the first of its four World Cups.
1938 Italy – Italy won the final World Cup before World War II suspended it for 12 years.
In the 1950 World Cup final at the Maracana, Uruguay – La Celeste memorably overcame Brazil to capture their second title.
West Germany won the 1954 World Cup, which was held in Switzerland.
1958 Brazil – Pele, then 17 years old, led Brazil to their first World Cup victory with six goals.
1962 Brazil – After Italy, Brazil is the second team to defend a World Cup title successfully.
1966 England – In 1966, when England won the World Cup at Wembley, football “came home” for the first and only time thus far.
1970 Brazil – Pele won the trophy for a record-tying third time that year. He has won more World Cups than any other player in history.
West Germany won their second World Cup in 1974 under Gerd Müller.
1978 Argentina – In the 1978 World Cup final, Argentina defeated the Netherlands to claim their first title.
Italy won the 1982 competition with the help of Paulo Rossi.
1986 Argentina – Diego Maradona’s legend was written at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where the mercurial genius nearly single-handedly guided Argentina to victory.
1990 West Germany – Maradona’s Argentina made it to the final in 1990, but West Germany defeated them.
1994 Brazil – Brazil won the first World Cup in North America, claiming their fourth championship.
1998 France – The Les Blues team won the competition at home with players like Patrick Viera, Theirry Henry, and ZinedineZidane.
2002 Brazil – Brazil defeated Germany to win the World Cup for a record fifth time.
2006 Italy – Italy has shown incredible tenacity to win the 2006 edition of Serie A despite match-fixing charges.
2010 Spain – Spain won their first World Cup in history in 2010 in South Africa thanks to their possession-based style of play.
2014 Germany – Germany finally won the trophy in 2014 after reaching the semifinals in the previous two competitions.
2018 France – Didier Deschamps, who led France to victory in 1998, led France to a second World Cup victory in 2018.
