Many consider the FIFA World Cup as the pinnacle of the sport. The competition allows nations from all over the world to compete for the coveted trophy. While club football running throughout the year brings in more eyeballs, the World Cup is a matter of national pride.
The main tournament takes place every four years. There are qualifiers in almost every region in the world for a couple of years before the tournament. The qualified teams then compete in group stages before the knockouts to lift the trophy.
The FIFA World Cup is not only a big event in football but also in the entire sporting world. The last edition took place in 2022 in Qatar, where Argentina beat France in the final on penalties. The next edition, meanwhile, is set to take place in 2026 and will be jointly hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Ahead of the tournament, let’s take a look at the countries with most FIFA World Cup wins:
8. Spain – 1
Spain won their first and only FIFA World Cup trophy in 2010 when the tournament was hosted in South Africa. They topped their group comprising Chile, Honduras, and Switzerland. They then beat Portugal, Paraguay, and Germany in the respective knockout matches.
La Roja went on to beat the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time in the final, with Andres Iniesta scoring the winning goal.
7. England – 1
The Three Lions have also won just one World Cup trophy in history, doing so back in 1966 under Sir Alf Ramsey. They topped their group above Uruguay, Mexico, and France. They then beat Argentina in the quarter-finals and Portugal in the semi-finals.
England then beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time in the final to lift the trophy.
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6. Uruguay – 2
Uruguay have won two World Cup trophies – in 1930 and 1950. In 1930, they topped their group above Romania and Peru. They then beat Yugoslavia in the semi-finals and Argentina in the final.
In 1950, meanwhile, they finished above Bolivia in their group. They then finished above Brazil, Spain, and Sweden to win the trophy.
5. France – 2
France have also won two FIFA World Cups, but theirs have come more recently than Uruguay – 1998 and 2018.
In 1998, the iconic French team topped their group above Denmark, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia. They beat Paraguay in the Round of 16 before getting past Italy on penalties in the quarter-finals. They then beat Croatia in the semi-finals before beating Brazil 3-0 in the final.
In 2018 in Russia, France finished above Denmark, Peru, and Australia in the group stage. They beat Argentina, Uruguay, and Belgium in their next respective knockouts before hammering Croatia 4-2 in the final.
4. Argentina – 3
Argentina, who won the most recent edition in 2022, have won the FIFA World Cup thrice – 1978, 1986, and 2022.
In 1978, La Albiceleste finished second in their group behind Italy, but above France and Hungary. In the second round, they finished above Brazil, Poland, and Peru. They then beat the Netherlands in the final.
In 1986, Argentina topped their group above Italy, Bulgaria and South Korea. They beat Uruguay, England, and Belgium in the knockouts before narrowly beating West Germany 3-2 in the final.
Finally, in 2022, they began their campaign with a 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia, but topped the group above Poland, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. They then beat Australia in the Round of 16, the Netherlands on penalties in the quarter-finals, and Croatia in the semi-finals. They then beat France on penalties in an enthralling final.
3. Italy – 4
Italy have won the competition four times, with the latest one coming in 2006. They won their first trophy in 1934 at home, where they beat the USA in the Round of 16 and Spain in the quarter-finals. They then beat Austria in the semi-finals and Czechoslovakia in the final.
The Azzurri then defended their title four years later in France. They started off with beating Norway in the Round of 16 and France in the quarter-finals. They beat Brazil in the semi-finals and Hungary in the final.
In 1982, Italy finished second in the group in the first round behind Poland and above Cameroon and Peru. In the second round, they finished above Brazil and Argentina. They then beat Poland in the semi-finals and West Germany in the final.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup will remain iconic because of the final. Italy reached their group by topping their group above Ghana, Czech Republic, and the US. They beat Australia, Ukraine, and Germany in the knockouts. In the final, they faced France and it became known for Zinedine Zidane’s infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi as Italy won on penalties.
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2. Germany – 4
West Germany finished their first FIFA World Cup trophy in 1954. They finished behind Hungary in their group but above Turkey and South Korea. They then beat Yugoslavia, Austria, and Hungary en route to the trophy.
20 years later, West Germany were again second in their group, this time at home. East Germany topped the group while Chile and Australia finished 3rd and 4th. West Germany topped their second-round group above Poland, Sweden, and Yugoslavia, before beating the Netherlands in the final.
In 1990 in Italy, they finished above Yugoslavia, Colombia, and UAE in the group stages before beating the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, England, and Argentina. They again beat Argentina in the World Cup in 2014 to win their 4th trophy.
1. Brazil – 5
Brazil are the most successful country at the FIFA World Cup. They began their iconic journey in 1958, topping their group above the Soviet Union, England, and Austria before beating Wales, France, and Sweden.
They defended their title four years later, finishing above Czechoslovakia, Mexico, and Spain in the group stages. They beat England, Chile, and Czechoslovakia in the knockouts. In 1970, they finished above England, Romania, and Czechoslovakia in their group before beating Peru, Uruguay, and Italy.
They again topped their group in 1994 above Sweden, Russia, and Cameroon before beating the US, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Italy. Finally, in 2002, they finished above Turkey, Costa Rica, and China in the group stage before defeating Belgium, England, Turkey, and Germany.
Here’s the list of all FIFA World Cup winners:
| Winner | Year | Host |
| Uruguay | 1930 | Uruguay |
| Italy | 1934 | Italy |
| Italy | 1938 | France |
| Uruguay | 1950 | Brazil |
| Germany | 1954 | Switzerland |
| Brazil | 1958 | Sweden |
| Brazil | 1962 | Chile |
| England | 1966 | England |
| Brazil | 1970 | Mexico |
| Germany | 1974 | Germany |
| Argentina | 1978 | Argentina |
| Italy | 1982 | Spain |
| Argentina | 1986 | Mexico |
| Germany | 1990 | Italy |
| Brazil | 1994 | USA |
| France | 1998 | France |
| Brazil | 2002 | Korea & Japan |
| Italy | 2006 | Germany |
| Spain | 2010 | South Africa |
| Germany | 2014 | Brazil |
| France | 2018 | Russia |
| Argentina | 2022 | Qatar |
FAQs
Q. Who has won the most FIFA tournaments?
A. Brazil – 5 FIFA World Cups
Q. Who has the most wins in FIFA history?
A. Brazil – They’ve won 76 games at the World Cup.
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