All Time FIFA World Cup Winners & Runner Up List. The highest level of football competition, the FIFA World Cup, takes place every four years. With the exception of the two competitions that had to be postponed because of World War II in 1942 and 1946, the tournament has taken place every four years since its debut in 1930. The first competition, which took place in 1930, was won by Uruguay. The host nation receives a straight admission into the quadrennial spectacle, which features 32 teams competing for top awards.
With a record five titles, Brazil tops the list of victors and holds the distinction of competing in each World Cup event to date. There have been 17 different countries that have hosted the FIFA World Cup so far. Starting with the 2026 edition, the competition will be open to 48 nations.
RUSSIA 2018
Winner: France
Runner Up: Croatia
After a 20-year absence, France won the tournament’s title game against Croatia 4-2 at Moscow’s Luznikhi Stadium. Didier Deschamps was honored to complete a rare double. Deschamps led France to the 1998 World Cup victory as its captain. After helping Les Bleus win the World Cup twenty years later, the Frenchman was acclaimed as a national hero. For the tenth time, the World Cup was held in Europe.
BRAZIL 2014
Winner: Germany
Runner Up: Argentina
Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 in a game that took extra time to end their World Cup drought. The winning goal was scored in Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro by Mario Goetze. The World Cup’s most moving moment will always be the host country’s devastating 1-7 loss to the eventual victors in the quarterfinal at Belo Horizonte. As thrilling as Germany’s five goals in the 29th minute where the game itself. Brazil’s defeat remains their worst since 1920.
SOUTH AFRICA 2010
Winner: Spain
Runner Up: Netherlands
Spain won the World Cup for the first time after defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in the extra session. The winning goal was scored by Andres Iniesta. After West Germany in 1974, Spain was the first nation to win the World Cup as European champions, and South Africa served as the tournament’s first host nation. Other firsts occurred throughout the competition. During the 2010 event, the vuvuzela, a prolonged trumpet blown by fans during the competition, gained notoriety.
GERMANY 2006
Winner: Italy
Runner Up: France
After 90 minutes of regular play and 30 minutes of overtime, the score remained locked at 1-1, and Italy overcame France 5-3 on penalties in the final game in Berlin. The infamous headbutt that Zinedine Zidane delivered to Matteo Materazzi during the championship game will live on in the annals of sporting history. It was Italy’s first World Cup in 24 years and the fourth overall.
S KOREA/JAPAN 2002
Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Germany
Ronaldo scored twice as Brazil defeated Germany 2-0 in the championship game in Japan’s Yokohama International Stadium, making up for his failure from four years before. Brazil’s captain, Cafu, holds the unusual distinction of having appeared in three consecutive World Cup finals. The first World Cup to be held outside of the Americas or Europe, the first to be hosted by more than one nation, and the first to be staged on the Asian continent, this tournament also established a number of firsts.
FRANCE 1998
Winner: France
Runner Up: Brazil
Zinedine Zidane and Emmanuel Petit scored goals in the World Cup final as France defeated Brazil 3-0 to claim its first title. The Les Bleus joined Uruguay, Italy, England, West Germany, and Argentina as the seventh nation to win a World Cup, and became the sixth to do so at home. It is still unknown why Ronaldo, a Brazilian striker, was first omitted from the final starting lineup before being included just 45 minutes before kickoff.
UNITED STATES 1994
Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Italy
Brazil won the championship at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena by defeating Italy on penalties in a 3-2 triumph. the first World Cup final was decided by penalties. In a penalty shootout, there is always a villain, and this time it was Roberto Baggagio. Football legend still includes the image of Baggio staring at the ground in disbelief after his shot went wide. It will also be remembered that Diego Maradona was disqualified from the 1994 tournament because the Argentinean failed a drug test. Andres Escobar, a defender for Colombia, was shot and killed ten days after the competition because he had scored a personal goal that had eliminated his country.
ITALY 1990
Winner: Germany
Runner Up: Argentina
At the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Andreas Brehme converted the game-winning penalty kick as West Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 to claim the championship. The final was a bit of an anticlimax in a competition when the Azzuri were in excellent form until being stopped by Argentina in the semifinal in a game that was decided on penalties. Salvatore Schillaci, who scored six goals and won the Golden Boot award, was the star of the show for the host nation.
MEXICO 1986
Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Germany
The whole World Cup was won by Diego Maradona, who led Argentina to a 3-2 victory over West Germany in the championship match. Maradona finished second in scoring with five goals and was given the Player of the Tournament award thanks to his Hand of God strike against England in the semifinals, which was named Goal of the Century. It was Argentina’s second victory in a World Cup that also saw debuts for Iraq, Canada, and Denmark.
SPAIN 1982
Winner: Italy
Runner Up: Germany
It was Paolo Rossi’s World Cup as Italy overcame Germany 3-1 to win the title in the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. With six goals, Rossi led the tournament in scoring for the Azzuri and was their best player. He also won the tournament’s player of the year title. More importantly, Italy had broken a championship curse that had endured since 1938. They had won the World Cup three times. The competition also featured the inaugural World Cup shootout.
ARGENTINA 1978
Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Netherlands
Argentina won the World Cup for the first time by defeating the Netherlands 3-1 in Estadio Monumental, the home of River Plate. As the only other nation to have hosted and won the World Cup, Argentina is now the third South American team to do so, joining Uruguay, Italy, England, and West Germany. Iran and Tunisia participated in their inaugural World Cups.
GERMANY 1974
Winner: Germany
Runner Up: Netherlands
West Germany won their second title by defeating the Netherlands 3-1 in the World Cup final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Before the reunification of Germany in 1990, only East Germany made one World Cup appearance, while Haiti and Zaire made their World Cup debut. In addition, this was only the fourth time in the FIFA World Cup’s history that no game went into overtime (the others were in 1930, 1950, and 1962). This was the last occasion in which the reigning European champion team won the World Cup until Spain repeated the feat by defeating the Netherlands in the 2010 South Africa Final.
MEXICO 1970
Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Italy
Brazil defeated Italy 4-1 in the championship game to win their third World Cup title. When Brazil defeated Uruguay in the semifinals and the tournament’s defending winners England in the group stage, it became the first team to win the championship to overcome both the European and South American champions in addition to the tournament favorites. Israel, Morocco, and El Salvador all participated in their first World Cup. The 1970 edition received a record-breaking television audience because sports were broadcast live and occasionally in color around the world at the time.
ENGLAND 1966
Winner: England
Runner Up: Germany
In the World Cup final, Geoff Hurst scored a record-breaking hat-trick as England overcame West Germany 4-2 after extra time. The contest was place at the prestigious Wembley Stadium. After putting his team an early lead in the first half of the game, which ended 2-2 after regulation, Hurst scored twice in overtime to complete his hat-trick. With nine goals, Portuguese player Eusebio led all scorers in the contest. edging over Helmut Haller, who took second place, by three goals to win the Golden Boot.
CHILE 1962
Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Czechoslovakia
Brazil successfully defended their World Cup title by defeating Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final match in Santiago, the country’s capital, in a tournament marred by player violence. Two players were ejected from the Chile vs. Italy group match, in which Chile won 2-0; there were numerous punches thrown; and four occasions where police intervention was required. Brazil was the second team to successfully defend its championship after Italy. At this World Cup, the goal average was also used for the first time to differentiate between teams that had the same number of points.
SWEDEN 1958
Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Sweden
At the event where Pele made his debut on the world stage, Brazil won its first championship. The Selecao defeated Sweden 5-2 in the Stockholm championship match. It was the first time the FIFA World Cup had been held in a Nordic country. Two of Pele’s six goals during the competition—out of a total of six—came in the championship. At the age of 17, Pele broke the record for being the player to play in, score in, and win a FIFA World Cup final.
BRAZIL 1950
Winner: Uruguay
Runner Up: Brazil
After a 12-year hiatus caused by World War II, the World Cup was held again with Uruguay winning the title. Brazil was defeated by Uruguay, the team that had won the first World Cup in 1930, in the match that decided the fate of the four-team group. Only this competition did not have a one-match championship match. Brazil needed just a draw to advance after victories over Spain and Sweden; however, they lost 1-2 to Uruguay in front of a record-breaking crowd at the Maracana Stadium, a defeat known as the Maracanazo. The outcome is still regarded as one of the biggest surprises in football history.
FRANCE 1938
Winner: Italy
Runner Up: Hungary
Italy won 4-2 over Hungary to retain their title. The tournament’s highest scorer, Brazil’s Leonidas, had 42 players score a total of 84 goals, two of which were credited as own goals. There were numerous off-field problems, including the boycotts of Spain, Uruguay, and Argentina in protest of the decision to hold the World Cup in Europe for a second time in a row. Norway and Poland played in their first World Cup games.
ITALY 1934
Winner: Italy
Runner Up: Czechoslovakia
Hosts Italy defeated Czechoslovakia 2-1 to win the World Cup for the second time and become the first European team to do it. Political tensions overshadowed the World Cup, with Benitto Mussolini accused of manipulating the event to advance fascist. Ten teams played in their first World Cup, and Egypt became the first country from Africa to do so. The first World Cup in which all participating teams had to meet qualification requirements took place in 1934.
URUGUAY 1930
Winner: Uruguay
Runner Up: Argentina
Hosts In front of 68,346 spectators, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2 to win the tournament’s inaugural edition. The Estadio Centenario, which was constructed especially for the tournament, hosted the majority of the games in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. In 18 games, 70 goals were scored, averaging 3.89 goals per game. The highest average goal difference per match of any World Cup champion continues to be Uruguay’s plus-12 total over four games, at plus-3 on average.
For more football information and history, keep following this space.
