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The FIFA World Cup is considered the pinnacle of world soccer, as players aspire to represent their home countries on the international stage.
World Cup glory is largely held to be the ultimate achievement of the sport, as international stardom and glory brings players fame and fortune along with a position amongst the pantheon of all-time greats.
The sport has been dominated by countries from Europe and South America on the international stage. While global football has rapidly increased the talent distribution in recent decades, the World Cup remains controlled at the top by a select few nations.
Eight countries across the world have succeeded in climbing the World Cup mountain. The Sporting News details those countries, which one is most successful and how they have secured their titles throughout the history of the famed FIFA event.
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Which country has won the most World Cups?
With five all-time World Cup titles, Brazil have won the most FIFA championships.
No nation has won more than the South American giants, although it has been quite some time since they last emerged victorious. Brazil has not won a World Cup title since 2002, with the 24-year drought now tied for their longest-ever. Brazil also went 24 years without a title between wins in 1970 and 1994.
Germany and Italy have won the second-most with four World Cup titles. Germany last won the World Cup in 2014 on Brazilian soil, while Italy last triumphed in 2006 in Germany.
Argentina has won three, while France and Uruguay have won two, rounding out the six nations which have won multiple World Cup titles.
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| Winner | Year | Host | Final Score | Runner-Up | Third Place |
| Brazil | 1958 | Sweden | 5-2 | Sweden | France |
| 1962 | Chile | 3-1 | Czechoslovakia | Chile | |
| 1970 | Mexico | 4-1 | Italy | West Germany | |
| 1994 | USA | 0-0 *3-2 on pens |
Italy | Sweden | |
| 2002 | South Korea/Japan | 2-0 | Germany | Turkey | |
| Germany/West Germany | 1954 | Switzerland | 3-2 | Hungary | Austria |
| 1974 | West Germany | 2-1 | Netherlands | Brazil | |
| 1990 | Italy | 1-0 | Argentina | Italy | |
| 2014 | Brazil | 1-0 (a.e.t.) | Argentina | Netherlands | |
| Italy | 1934 | Italy | 2-1 (a.e.t.) | Czechoslovakia | Germany |
| 1938 | France | 4-2 | Hungary | Brazil | |
| 1982 | Spain | 3-1 | West Germany | France | |
| 2006 | Germany | 1-1 *5-3 on pens |
France | Germany | |
| Argentina | 1978 | Argentina | 3-1 (a.e.t.) | Netherlands | Brazil |
| 1986 | Mexico | 3-2 | West Germany | France | |
| 2022 | Qatar | 3-3 *4-2 on pens |
France | Croatia | |
| France | 1998 | France | 3-0 | Brazil | Croatia |
| 2018 | Russia | 4-2 | Croatia | Belgium | |
| Uruguay | 1930 | Uruguay | 4-2 | Argentina | USA/Yugoslavia |
| 1950 | Brazil | 2-1 | Brazil | Sweden |
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Which countries have won multiple World Cups?
How many World Cups has Brazil won?
Pele, considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game and the most successful player in World Cup history, led Brazil to three of its five World Cup titles in his illustrious career, scoring goals in the 1958 and 1970 finals.
It was Ronaldo Nazario who led Brazil to their most recent title in 2002, scoring eight goals to win the tournament’s Golden Boot award, including a brace in the final against Germany.
| Year | Host | Final | Top Scorer |
| 1958 | Sweden | Brazil 5-2 Sweden | Pele (6) |
| 1962 | Chile | Brazil 3-1 Czechoslovakia | Garrincha, Vava (4)* |
| 1970 | Mexico | Brazil 4-1 Italy | Jairzinho (7) |
| 1994 | USA | Brazil 0-0 Italy Brazil win 3-2 on penalties |
Romario (5) |
| 2002 | South Korea/Japan | Brazil 2-0 Germany | Ronaldo (8)* |
* Finished as top scorer or joint-top scorer in the competition
😄 Brazil’s joy
💔 Baggio’s heartbreakThe penalty that decided the 1994 #FIFAWorldCup final 🇧🇷🇮🇹
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 12, 2022
MORE: Has Brazil ever failed to qualify for the World Cup?
How many World Cups has Germany won?
All four of Germany’s World Cup titles have come by a one-goal margin in the final.
Helmut Rahn, Gerd Muller, Andy Brehme and Mario Gotze are all the heroes from those iconic games, including the latter who downed Lionel Messi’s Argentina in extra-time of the 2014 final.
| Year | Host | Final | Top Scorer |
| 1954 | Switzerland | West Germany 3-2 Hungary | Max Morlock (6) |
| 1974 | West Germany | West Germany 2-1 Netherlands | Gerd Muller (4) |
| 1990 | Italy | West Germany 1-0 Argentina | Lothar Matthaus (4) |
| 2014 | Brazil | Germany 1-0 Argentina (a.e.t.) | Thomas Muller (5) |
MORE: Why did Jens Castrop switch from Germany to South Korea for World Cup?
How many World Cups has Italy won?
Italy has won four World Cups in its history, with the most recent championship coming in 2006. Italy ultimately overcame France 5-3 in a penalty shootout.
| Year | Host | Final | Top Scorer |
| 1934 | Italy | Italy 2-1 Czechoslovakia (a.e.t.) | Angelo Schiavio (4) |
| 1938 | France | Italy 4-2 Hungary | Silvio Piola (5) |
| 1982 | Spain | Italy 3-1 West Germany | Paolo Rossi (6)* |
| 2006 | Germany | Italy 1-1 France Italy won 5-3 on penalties |
Marco Materazzi, Luca Toni (2) |
* Finished as top scorer or joint-top scorer in the competition
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How many World Cups has Argentina won?
Argentina has won three World Cups in its history, with the most recent coming in 2022. Argentina outlasted France 4-2 in a penalty shootout for the momentous victory.
| Year | Host | Final | Top Scorer |
| 1978 | Argentina | Argentina 3-1 Netherlands (a.e.t.) | Mario Kempes (6)* |
| 1986 | Mexico | Argentina 3-2 West Germany | Diego Maradona (5) |
| 2022 | Qatar | Argentina 3-3 France Argentina won 4-2 on penalties |
Lionel Messi (7) |
* Finished as top scorer or joint-top scorer in the competition
MORE: How many World Cups has Lionel Messi won?
H3: How many World Cups has France won?
France has won two World Cups in its history, with the most recent coming in 2018 over Croatia.
| Year | Host | Final | Top Scorer |
| 1998 | France | France 3-0 Brazil | Thierry Henry (3) |
| 2018 | Russia | France 4-2 Croatia | Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann (4) |
MORE: Revisiting France’s World Cup history
How many World Cups has Uruguay won?
Uruguay has won two World Cups in its history, including the inaugural event in which it was also the host.
| Year | Host | Final | Top Scorer |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Uruguay 4-2 Argentina | Pedro Cea (5) |
| 1950 | Brazil | Uruguay 2-1 Brazil** | Oscar Miguez (5) |
** The 1950 World Cup “final” was not actually a true final given the group format, but since the final match of the final round was a de-facto championship decider as things played out, it is widely considered the final in retrospect.
MORE: Revisiting the inaugural 1930 World Cup event
Countries that made a World Cup final but lost
As it stands, there are four countries which have made a World Cup final but never won a World Cup title, all hailing from Europe.
The Netherlands have the most finals defeats of this group, having reached three World Cup finals and falling short in all three. They have come agonizingly close to a FIFA title, falling in extra-time on two of those occasions. They ran into a host buzzsaw in two of their finals as well.
| Nation | Year | Host | Final Score | Title winner |
| Netherlands | 1974 | West Germany | 2-1 | West Germany |
| 1978 | Argentina | 3-1 (a.e.t.) | Argentina | |
| 2010 | South Africa | 1-0 (a.e.t.) | Spain | |
| Czechoslovakia | 1934 | Italy | 2-1 (a.e.t.) | Italy |
| 1962 | Chile | 3-1 | Brazil | |
| Hungary | 1938 | France | 4-2 | Italy |
| 1954 | Switzerland | 3-2 | West Germany | |
| Sweden | 1958 | Sweden | 5-2 | Brazil |
| Croatia | 2018 | Russia | 4-2 | France |
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Which player has won the most World Cup titles?
With Brazil having won the most World Cups of any country, it’s no surprise that Pele is the most successful player in the history of the World Cup.
Pele is the only player in soccer history to win three World Cup titles.
20 other players have been a part of two World Cup title-winning squads, while only 12 of those players made appearances in both tournaments they were involved in.
Overall, 417 players have lifted the World Cup trophy at least once.
