The FIFA World Cup is the world’s most exciting and important football competition. Since the inaugural tournament in 1930, the event has occurred once every four years. Of course, there have been some exceptions, such as in 1942 and 1946 because of World War II.
The reports from Nostrabet.com reveal that 2022 is the year when we will have the chance to watch the world’s best teams in Qatar. There are still a few months left until the start, which is why this article will take a step back and focus on the event’s previous winners. Check the diagram below to learn more about the most successful countries in the World Cup.
Brazil
Starting with the elephant in the room, it probably doesn’t surprise that Brazil takes first place on the list. Every passionate football fan knows that this country is famous for having some of the best players in history. Names like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Pelé are some of the country’s living legends.
Brazil has won the World Cup five times. The country lifted the trophy in 1958 when the tournament was held in Sweden. In fact, Brazil had to go up against the hosts in the Finals.
The second trophy for Seleção came four year after, in 1962, when the South Americans defeated Czechoslovakia. Brazil won the World Cup again in 1970 after playing against Italy.
The fourth trophy for Brazil came in 1994 courtesy of a penalty shootout against Italy. Finally, Brazil’s fifth trophy was in 2002 during the World Cup in South Korea and Japan. This was when the country had players like Ronaldo, Cafu, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Kaká, and more.
Germany
The countries in second and third place have an equal number of trophies. However, since Germany won the event in 2014, the country has received the number two spot on the list.
Germany has always been among the most consistent teams when it comes down to soccer. “It is really impressive that Germany has four trophies and four second-place finishes, more than any other nation”, said the football experts at Nostrabet. “This is proof that the German national football team knows what it’s doing”.
Speaking of winning, it all started in 1954 when West Germany defeated Hungary in Switzerland. The second trophy for the German squad came 20 years later, in 1974. This time, the team defeated the powerful Netherlands.
Germany continued to dominate the FIFA World Cup and secured two-second places in 1982 and 1986 before winning the event in 1990. The Europeans defeated the powerful Argentinian squad.
The last trophy came in 2014 during the World Cup in Brazil. Aside from defeating Messi’s Argentina in the finals, people will remember this competition because Germany won the match against Brazil with a score of 7:1. Needless to say, this was Seleção’s most painful loss.
Italy
The third place on the list is for another European team that is a household name in football. Since Italy is one of the most successful teams in international soccer, it probably doesn’t surprise that it has 4 trophies.
Interestingly, Italy is the only nation aside from Brazil to win the event twice in a row. This happened in 1934 and 1938 after defeating Czechoslovakia and Hungary respectively. Following these two trophies, Italy needed exactly 44 years to win the third one in 1982.
The last trophy for the Italians came in 2006 following the epic final against France. People will remember this match mainly because of Zinedine Zidane’s “headbutt” against Marco Materazzi and the Red Card that followed.
Uruguay
Up next, we have the second South American team on the list. Uruguay may not have the international football success of Brazil. Still, the country has two World Cup trophies under its belt.
Interestingly, Uruguay is the country that won the first-ever World Cup. The event occurred in 1930, and Uruguay was also the host. The Grand Finals were against Argentina, the favourite at that point. However, Uruguay defeated their opponents with a score of 4:2 and lifted the first-ever World Cup trophy.
The second victory for the South Americans came in 1950 during the World Cup in Brazil. Even though Uruguay hasn’t won the championship since then, the country finished 3 times at the fourth place.
Argentina
Football fans worldwide know that the Argentinian football team is one of the best in the world. The country is home to some of the best players in history, such as Maradona, Messi, and Batistuta.
Similar to Uruguay, Argentina has two World Cup trophies. After losing the Grand Final in 1930, the South Americans defeated the Netherlands in 1978. They lifted the trophy for the first time.
The second came a few years later, in 1986 when Maradona’s team defeated the powerful West Germany squad. This was the event where Maradona used “The hand of God” against England in the quarter-finals.
Following Argentina’s last victory, the team placed second in 2014 when it lost against the German squad.
France
The last nation with two trophies is France. Unlike every other name so far, the French national football team won its first World Cup in 1998.
Prior to it, the country finished third in 1958 and 1986, and fourth in 1982.
Following the epic final against Brazil, the country lifted its first trophy. The second one was in the last World Cup that took place in Russia.
The 2018 tournament allowed France to go up against Croatia and win after scoring 4 goals.
England
The country where football was invented only has one World Cup trophy.
England’s biggest international success came in 1966 when the country was also the host.
Back then, Gordon Banks and his team achieved the impossible and defeated the powerful West Germans.
Sadly, England hasn’t had much success before or after that because the team is yet to finish in the top 3.
Nevertheless, the country has two fourth-place finishes. The first one was in 1990, whereas the second one was in 2018.
Spain
The last name on the list of World Cup winners in Spain.
Although the country’s national football team may not have the success of others, Spain’s football team was the most dominant force in the world between 2008 and 2012.
During that time, La Furia Roja won the World Cup in 2010, which took place in South Africa.
Also, Spain has won the UEFA Euro Championship twice in a row – in 2008 and 2012.
Aside from this impressive victory, Spain had one fourth-place finish in 1950 when it lost against Sweden.
FIFA World Cup Records
The World Cup has always been an arena where the best teams and players can show their prowess. Hence, it shouldn’t be surprising that we’ve seen a lot of records over the years. Here are just some of the most impressive ones.
The Most Goals Scored in the Finals
Miroslav Klose from Germany takes the crown when it comes down to the most goals scored in the finals. The legendary striker played in the World Cups between 2002 and 2014 and scored 16 goals.
The most impressive victory
There have been impressive results, but three matches stand out. Interestingly, the first one was between Hungary and South Korea in 1954, when the Europeans won with a score of 9:0. Yugoslavia achieved the same result in 1974 against Zaire.
Lastly, we have Hungary vs El Salvador match in 1982, where the Hungarians scored 10 goals and conceded only 1.
The Most Goals in a Tournament
Football fans worldwide love goals, but those who watched the FIFA World Cup in 1998 and 2014 were more than happy. That’s because these two World Cups share the record for the most goals scored in a tournament – 171.
The Most World Cup Appearances
It probably doesn’t surprise that Brazil has the most appearances in the World Cup – 21. In fact, this is the nation that is yet to miss out on an event of this size.
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 World Cup will take place in Qatar, and it will begin on 20 November this year. This will be the 22nd running competition and the last to have 32 teams. According to the official information, FIFA will increase the teams to 48 for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
The World Cup in Qatar will be interesting because this is the smallest nation by area to host this event. What’s more, Qatar becomes the second country in the world to host the FIFA World Cup despite never qualifying for the competition.
The Group information is already available, so feel free to check the complete schedule to learn more. Expect more details about football’s most prestigious tournament in the upcoming months.
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