The World Cup is a global celebration of culture and sport, taking place every four years.
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest of its kind, featuring 48 teams compared to the 32 that was standard since 1982. The 2026 World Cup will be hosted in North America across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Lionel Messi and Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and will look to become just the third country to win back-to-back World Cup's in the history of the competition, and the first since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962.
History of the World Cup
The World Cup was found in 1930 by FIFA President Jules Rimet to establish a premier international soccer tournament, separate from the Olympic Games.
The aim for the World Cup was to showcase professional players who were excluded from participating in the Olympics at the time.
Uruguay won the inaugural tournament in 1930 as the host nation of the tournament. All matches were held in the capital city of Montevideo, with most matches held at the Estadio Centenario.
Eight different nations have won the tournament since it was founded, and Brazil have won the most World Cups (5) in the history of the tournament. All 22 winners of the World Cup have been from either Europe or South America.
List of Every World Cup Winner by Year
Year - Location | Winner | Runner-Up | Third Place |
2022 - Qatar | Argentina (3) | France | Croatia |
2018 - Russia | France (2) | Croatia | Belgium |
2014 - Brazil | Germany (4) | Argentina | Netherlands |
2010 - South Africa | Spain | Netherlands | Germany |
2006 - Germany | Italy (4) | France | Germany |
2002 - Japan & South Korea | Brazil (5) | Germany | Turkiye |
1998 - France | France | Brazil | Croatia |
1994 - United States | Brazil (4) | Italy | Sweden |
1990 - Italy | West Germany (3) | Argentina | Italy |
1986 - Mexico | Argentina (2) | West Germany | France |
1982 - Spain | Italy (3) | West Germany | Poland |
1978 - Argentina | Argentina | Netherlands | Brazil |
1974 - Germany | West Germany (2) | Netherlands | Poland |
1970 - Mexico | Brazil (3) | Italy | West Germany |
1966 - England | England | West Germany | Portugal |
1962 - Chile | Brazil (2) | Czechoslovakia | Chile |
1958 - Sweden | Brazil | Sweden | France |
1954 - Switzerland | West Germany | Hungary | Austria |
1950 - Brazil | Uruguay (2) | Brazil | Sweden |
1938 - France | Italy (2) | Hungary | Brazil |
1934 - Italy | Italy | Czechoslovakia | Germany |
1930 - Uruguay | Uruguay | Argentina | United States |
Italy became the first country to retain the World Cup title in 1934 and 1938. Brazil are the only other nation to have ever won back-to-back World Cups when they did so in 1958 and 1962.
Argentina have the opportunity to be just the third country to win back-to-back World Cups if they win in 2026.
Most World Cup Victories
Country | Wins | Years |
Brazil | 5 | 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002 |
Germany | 4 | 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014 |
Italy | 4 | 1934, 1938, 2006 |
Argentina | 3 | 1978, 1986, 2022 |
Uruguay | 2 | 1930, 1950 |
France | 2 | 1998, 2018 |
Spain | 1 | 2010 |
England | 1 | 1966 |
Most World Cup Appearances by Country
Country | Total Appearances | Years |
Brazil | 23 | 1930-2026 |
Germany | 21 | 1934, 1938, 1954-2026 |
Argentina | 19 | 1930, 1934, 1958-2026 |
Mexico | 18 | 1930, 1950-1970, 1978, 1986, 1994-2026 |
Italy | 18 | 1934-1954, 1962-2014 |
Brazil have qualified for all 23 World Cup tournaments to date, and have finished first the most times (5).
In contrast, Mexico possesses the most World Cup appearances (18) by a nation that has not lifted the trophy. Mexico has hosted the tournament twice (1970, 1986), and both times achieved their best ever finish by reaching the quarterfinals.
Italy's qualified for 18 World Cups in their history, but the nation that has won four World Cups failed to qualify for their third consecutive tournament. Italy have become the first four-time champion to miss three consecutive World Cup's.
Italy have failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, 2022, and now 2026.
Top Scorers in World Cup History
Player (Country) | World Cup Appearances | World Cup Goals |
Miroslav Klose (Germany) | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 | 16 |
Ronaldo (Brazil) | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 | 15 |
Gerd Muller (West Germany) | 1970, 1974 | 14 |
Just Fontaine (France) | 1958 | 13 |
Lionel Messi (Argentina) | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 | 13 |
Kylian Mbappe (France) | 2018, 2022 | 12 |
Pele (Brazil) | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 | 12 |
After just two World Cup appearances, Kylian Mbappe has already tied Pele's goal tally (12), and has scored the sixth most goals in World Cup history. He won the Golden boot in 2022 scoring eight goals throughout the tournament, and with four goals at the tournament this summer he will tie Miroslav Klose for the most goals in World Cup history (16).
Messi also has the opportunity to match or surpass Klose, and needs three goals to tie in 2026.
Just Fontaine owns the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup tournament, scoring 13 in 1958.
Most Assists in World Cup History
Player (Country) | World Cup Appearances | World Cup Assists |
Diego Maradona (Argentina) | 1986, 1990, 1994 | 8 |
Lionel Messi (Argentina) | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 | 8 |
Grzegorz Lato (Poland) | 1974, 1978, 1982 | 7 |
Pierre Littbarski (Germany) | 1982, 1986, 1990 | 7 |
Messi is not just one of the leading scorers in World Cup history, but is also tied for the most assists with his fellow Argentine legend Diego Maradona.
Most World Cup Appearances by Players
Lionel Messi (Argentina) | 26 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
Lothar Matthaus (Germany) | 25 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 |
Miroslav Klose (Germany) | 24 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
Paolo Maldini (Italy) | 23 | 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 |
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) | 22 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both on the verge of playing in a record-breaking sixth World Cup tournament after both players tied the record in 2022. The all-time appearances charts will surely need updating at the end of the 2026 tournament.
Mexican National Team goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa could also take part in his sixth World Cup if he is named on the roster, but he has only made 11 total appearances.
Most Clean Sheets by Goalkeepers
Player (Country) | Clean Sheets |
Peter Shilton (England) | 10 |
Fabien Barthez (France) | 10 |
Jan Jongbloed (Netherlands) | 8 |
Emerson Leao (Brazil) | 8 |
Sepp Maier (West Germany) | 8 |
Claudio Taffarel (Brazil) | 8 |
Hugo Lloris (France) | 8 |
Read the latest World Cup news on site.
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