FIFA World Cup is held once every four years and is no doubt the world’s most popular and most prestigious sports tournament. The first tournament happened in 1930 and was organized by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, aka, FIFA.
The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious soccer competition in the world. So, every participating nation and every player wishes to win it once. But there are very few nations who have won it more than once.
FIFA World Cup Structure
After starting in 1930, the World Cup is held every four years and hosts the top 32 national teams in a monthlong tournament. The tournament will be expanded in 2026. Instead of 32 nations, 48 countries will compete against each other to become the champion.
The World Cup faced a pause during World War II. In 1950, the World Cup resumed again and was held in Brazil.
The World Cup has a rich history and many iconic moments. These moments have made the tournament a part of popular culture. The host country is always chosen by FIFA and all the best players from every nation gather to represent their countries.
Every decade shows a new rivalry between the two best players. But the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry is the longest-seen rivalry not only in football but also in World Cup as well. But none of these two superstars touched the World Cup yet.
Which Country Hosted the Tournament Most?
To this date, seventeen countries have hosted the FIFA World Cup. The first World Cup happened in Uruguay in 1930. The latest one of 2022 is right now happening in Qatar. Only Italy, France, Brazil, Mexico, and Germany hosted the tournament twice.
The USA held it once in 1994 and Brazil came out as the champion at that time. Only Japan and South Korea from Asia hosted the World Cup together in 2002 and Brazil again ended up becoming the champion that year.
Brazil Winning the World Cup 5 Times
In World Cup history, Brazil has won it most times, as they became champions 5 times. The last one came in 2002. Since then, Brazil struggled a lot to reach the highest level of the tournament.
Right next to them is the European giants Germany and Italy. They have been crowned champions 4 times. Germany’s last World Cup came in 2014 after Gotze’s goal beat Messi’s Argentina. Germany has been one of the most consistent teams in the World Cup.
On the other hand, Italy did not make it to the last two World Cups. Their winning of the World Cup in 2006 was the last pinnacle of their moment in World Cup history.
List of FIFA World Cup Winners Since 1930
| World Cup Year | Champions | Host Countries |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Uruguay |
| 1934 | Italy | Italy |
| 1938 | Italy | France |
| 1950 | Uruguay | Brazil |
| 1954 | Germany | Switzerland |
| 1958 | Brazil | Sweden |
| 1962 | Brazil | Chile |
| 1966 | England | England |
| 1970 | Brazil | Mexico |
| 1974 | Germany | Germany |
| 1978 | Argentina | Argentina |
| 1982 | Italy | Spain |
| 1986 | Argentina | Mexico |
| 1990 | Germany | Italy |
| 1994 | Brazil | United States |
| 1998 | France | France |
| 2002 | Brazil | South Korea/ Japan |
| 2006 | Italy | Germany |
| 2010 | Spain | South Africa |
| 2014 | Germany | Brazil |
| 2018 | France | Russia |
From the above list, Uruguay, Argentina, and France have won the trophy twice. England and Spain only won the World Cup once. France is currently the defending champion after winning the trophy in 2018 in Russia.
Even though the World Cup is the biggest trophy in Football, many legendary players have not won it in their careers. The players like Ronaldo, and Messi are still away to hold the trophy for their countries. This scenario is even applied to some great football teams as well. England’s and Belgium’s golden generations are prime examples of such cases.
