World Cup history: every champion from 1930 to 2026
The FIFA World Cup is the biggest football competition on the planet. Since 1930, there have been 23 editions. Only the 1942 and 1946 tournaments were missed, cancelled because of the Second World War.
Every champion
| Year | Host | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Uruguay | Uruguay |
| 1934 | Italy | Italy |
| 1938 | France | Italy |
| 1950 | Brazil | Uruguay |
| 1954 | Switzerland | West Germany |
| 1958 | Sweden | Brazil |
| 1962 | Chile | Brazil |
| 1966 | England | England |
| 1970 | Mexico | Brazil |
| 1974 | West Germany | West Germany |
| 1978 | Argentina | Argentina |
| 1982 | Spain | Italy |
| 1986 | Mexico | Argentina |
| 1990 | Italy | West Germany |
| 1994 | United States | Brazil |
| 1998 | France | France |
| 2002 | South Korea and Japan | Brazil |
| 2006 | Germany | Italy |
| 2010 | South Africa | Spain |
| 2014 | Brazil | Germany |
| 2018 | Russia | France |
| 2022 | Qatar | Argentina |
| 2026 | USA, Canada and Mexico | Spain |
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Who has won the most?
| Team | Titles |
|---|---|
| Brazil | 5 |
| Germany | 4 |
| Italy | 4 |
| Argentina | 3 |
| France | 2 |
| Uruguay | 2 |
| Spain | 2 |
| England | 1 |
Brazil is the only country to have played at every edition and the only one with five titles. So far, only teams from Europe and South America have been crowned world champions.
Moments that made history
- 1950, the "Maracanazo": Uruguay beat Brazil at the Maracanã in front of around 200,000 people to win the title.
- 1966, Eusébio: the "Black Panther", born in Mozambique, was the tournament's top scorer with 9 goals and led Portugal to third place.
- 1970, Pelé: Brazil won their third title and Pelé became the only player to win three World Cups.
- 1986, Maradona: the "Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century" against England, in the same match.
- 2010, Africa: the first World Cup played on the African continent, in South Africa.
- 2022, Messi: Argentina beat France on penalties in one of the most dramatic finals ever.
- 2026, 48 teams: the first World Cup with 48 teams, won by Spain.
Africa's record
No African team has yet reached a final. The best result came from Morocco in 2022, who became the first African team to reach the semi-finals. Before that, Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) had reached the quarter-finals.