FIFA World Cup was first held in 1930 when FIFA, decided to host an international men’s football tournament. The first tournament, held in 1930, was held as a final tournament with only 13 teams invited by the organization. Since then, the World Cup has continued to expand and change the format, with its two-year qualifying process involving more than 200 teams from around the world before the current 32-team final.
To know more about Gareth Southgate and his woes ahead of the Qatar World Cup, click here.
Winners and Runner-Ups
| Year | Winners | Runner-Ups | Score | Host |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Argentina | 4-2 | Uruguay |
| 1934 | Italy | Czechoslovakia | 2-1 E.T. | Italy |
| 1938 | Italy | Hungary | 4-2 | France |
| 1950 | Uruguay | Brazil | – | Brazil |
| 1954 | West Germany | Hungary | 3-2 | Switzerland |
| 1958 | Brazil | Sweden | 5-2 | Sweden |
| 1962 | Brazil | Czechoslovakia | 3-1 | Chile |
| 1966 | England | West Germany | 4-2 E.T. | England |
| 1970 | Brazil | Italy | 4-1 | Mexico |
| 1974 | West Germany | Netherlands | 2-1 | West Germany |
| 1978 | Argentina | Netherlands | 3-1 E.T. | Argentina |
| 1982 | Italy | West Germany | 3-1 | Spain |
| 1986 | Argentina | West Germany | 3-2 | Mexico |
| 1990 | West Germany | Argentina | 1-0 | Italy |
| 1994 | Brazil | Italy | 0–0 E.T (3–2 pen.) | USA |
| 1998 | France | Brazil | 3-0 | France |
| 2002 | Brazil | Germany | 2-0 | Japan, South Korea |
| 2006 | Italy | France | 1–1 E.T. (5–3 pen.) | Germany |
| 2010 | Spain | Netherlands | 1-0 E.T. | South Africa |
| 2014 | Germany | Argentina | 1-0 E.T. | Brazil |
| 2018 | France | Croatia | 4-2 | Russia |
| 2022 | TBD | TBD | – | Qatar |
| 2026 | TBD | TBD | – | Canda, USA, Mexico |
*In 1950, the World Cup was contested in League fashion, therefore there was no final but Uruguay finished 1st in the league.
FIFA World Cup: Most Successful Teams
Brazil (5-time winners)
The nation who won the FIFA World Cup on most occasion is none other than Brazil, lifting the cup five times in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. For some reason, Brazil going into the world cup are always one of the favourites, given the great pool of talent available to the Selecao. However, it has been 20 years since Brazil last won the trophy and they haven’t even come close. Will this year be any different? Only time will tell. Nonetheless, the Brazilians never fail to put on a show.
Read more: World Cup 1950: When Brazil fans committed suicide due to Uruguay’s triumph
Italy and Germany (4-time winners)
Italy have quite a strong history at the world cup winning it in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006. Meanwhile, Germany or West Germany back then, have won the tournament four times as well, specifically in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014.
FIFA World Cup: Records and Statistics
Most World Cup Played in- Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Marquez, Lothar Matthaus (5 World Cups)
Record World Cup Appearances- Lothar Matthaus (25)
Most Goals scored in World Cups- Miroslav Klose (16)
Record Goals scored in a Single World Cup- Just Fontaine (13)
Most World Cups won as a Player- Pele (3)
World Cup won both as a Player and a Coach- Brazil’s Mario Zagallo (1958 and 1962; 1970), France’s Didier Deschamps (1998; 2018), Franz Beckenbauer (1974; 1990)
Also read: Eric Cantona critical of David Beckham and his association with Qatar for World Cup
1942 and 1946 World Cup
Italy comfortably won the 1938 World Cup, defeating Hungary 4–2 in the final to retain the 1934 trophy. The next competition was planned to take place in South America in 1942. However, things didn’t go as planned. FIFA had not yet made a choice for the host between Germany and Brazil when chaos broke out in Europe in September 1939 after German forces invaded Poland. This was the beginning of World War II. As a result, the decision was made to cancel the 1942 World Cup.
When the war ended in 1945, talk of a World Cup revival began. However, the next tournament scheduled for in 1946 did not stand a chance to be held within a year. Therefore, it was decided that the World Cup would not be held in 1946 and that the next tournament would be held in Brazil in 1950.
