World Cup Winners

Who's won the most titles?

Cafu and team mates of Brazil celebrating after the Germany v Brazil, World Cup Final match
Claudio Villa/Getty Images
By
Bridget Johnson
Political Journalist
  • B.S., Criminology, California State University Fresno
Journalist Bridget Johnson has covered news and foreign policy for USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and more. She is a senior fellow specializing in terrorism analysis at the Haym Salomon Center.
our editorial process
Bridget Johnson
Updated February 25, 2019

The World Cup has been played every four years to determine the top soccer team on the globe, except in the years 1942 and 1946 because of World War II.

But which country has been most victorious in the most widely watched sporting event in the world? That honor goes to Brazil, which not only hosted the event in 2014 but which has five titles and is the only country to date to have played in every World Cup. Brazil won the World Cup in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.

Italy and Germany are tied for second, having taken home four titles each.

For all the love of footie in the United Kingdom, the last and only time the Brits have taken the title was in 1966 -- and that was on British soil. There is something to be said for the home-field advantage when surveying the World Cup victors over the years.

World Cup Winners

Here are all of the World Cup winners since the tournament's inception:

  • 1930 (in Uruguay): Uruguay over Argentina, 4-2
  • 1934 (in Italy): Italy over Czechoslovakia, 2-1
  • 1938 (in France): Italy over Hungary, 4-2
  • 1950 (in Brazil): Uruguay over Brazil, 2-1, in a round robin finals format
  • 1954 (in Switzerland): West Germany over Hungary, 3-2
  • 1958 (in Sweden): Brazil over Sweden, 5-2
  • 1962 (in Chile): Brazil over Czechoslovakia, 3-1
  • 1966 (in England): England over West Germany, 4-2
  • 1970 (in Mexico): Brazil over Italy, 4-1
  • 1974 (in West Germany): West Germany over the Netherlands, 2-1
  • 1978 (in Argentina): Argentina over the Netherlands, 3-1
  • 1982 (in Spain): Italy over West Germany, 3-1
  • 1986 (in Mexico): Argentina over West Germany, 3-2
  • 1990 (in Italy): West Germany over Argentina, 1-0
  • 1994 (in the United States): Brazil over Italy in a 0-0 tie and 3-2 penalty shootout
  • 1998 (in France): France over Brazil, 3-0
  • 2002 (in South Korea and Japan): Brazil over Germany, 2-0
  • 2006 (in Germany): Italy over France in a 1-1 tie and 5-3 penalty shootout
  • 2010 (in South Africa): Spain over the Netherlands, 1-0 after extra time
  • 2014 (in Brazil): Germany over Argentina, 1-0