Who was the Last Team to Win Back-to-Back World Cups?

Charlie Zschau Published: 6 hours ago

Argentina are on the verge of making history this week after beating England and reaching back-to-back World Cup Finals.

Argentina become just the eighth team to reach back-to-back World Cup finals, and could become just the third team to win back-to-back finals.

Lionel Messi and Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and will look to become the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to win back to back World Cup finals on Sunday against Spain. A feat even the legendary Diego Maradona was unable to accomplish.

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.

Brazil - 1958 & 1962

Brazil claimed the first of their record-breaking five World Cup wins in 1958, when a 17-year-old Pelé inspired the Seleção to victory over the host nation, Sweden, in the final. Pelé scored in the 5-2 rout at the Råsunda Stadium in Stockholm.

Four years later, in Chile, the Brazilians reached the final once again. After defeating the hosts in the semifinals, they secured a dominant 3-1 victory over Czechoslovakia to claim their second consecutive World Cup. Notably, a muscle injury sustained in the second group stage match sidelined Pelé for the remainder of the tournament, leaving him to watch from the sidelines as his teammates triumphed.

Pelé suffered further injuries in 1966, during which Brazil were eliminated in the group stage. Although the legend vowed never to play in a World Cup again, he returned in Mexico 1970 to lead Brazil to their third World Cup victory.

Italy - 1934 & 1938

Italy became the first European nation to win the World Cup in the tournament's second edition. Having hosted the tournament in 1934, Italy were victorious in the final, defeating Czechoslovakia 2-1 after extra time.

Italy successfully defended their title in the tournament's third edition, held in France in 1938. By beating Hungary 4-2 in the final, they became the first team to win back-to-back World Cups.

However, Italy's victories were overshadowed by Benito Mussolini’s use of the tournaments for political gain. He was accused of corruption, which allegedly gave the host nation an unfair advantage in 1934.