The FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest sports tournaments. People all around the world equally celebrate it. So, winning this tournament is very prestigious.
The history of the FIFA World Cup dates back to 1930. The tournament is held every four years.. 32 national teams compete for the most prestigious trophies of all sports competitions. So far, eight teams have become World Cup Football Winners.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 is right around the corner. Let’s check out all the World Cup winners from 1934 to 2018.
World Cup Football Winners
| Year | Champion | Runner up |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Argentina |
| 1934 | Italy | Czechia |
| 1938 | Italy | Czechia |
| 1950 | Uruguay | Brazil |
| 1954 | Germany | Hungary |
| 1958 | Brazil | Sweden |
| 1962 | Brazil | Czechia |
| 1966 | England | Germany |
| 1970 | Brazil | Italy |
| 1974 | Germany | Netherlands |
| 1978 | Argentina | Netherlands |
| 1982 | Italy | Germany |
| 1986 | Argentina | Germany |
| 1990 | Germany | Argentina |
| 1994 | Brazil | Italy |
| 1998 | France | Brazil |
| 2002 | Brazil | Germany |
| 2006 | Italy | France |
| 2010 | Spain | Netherlands |
| 2014 | Germany | Argentina |
| 2018 | France | Croatia |
The FIFA World Cup champions list shows Brazil is the most successful team. They have won it five times.
Here is a short description of every World Cup final match:
1930
The first World Cup final was played between Uruguay and Argentina. Uruguay won the match by 4-2 goals. Uruguay’s P. Dorado scored the first goal of the World Cup final match.
1934
Italy won the second edition of the world cup. They faced Czechia in the final. The match reached extra time.
- Final score: Italy 2- 1 Czechia
1938
Italy reached and won the World Cup final twice in a row. This time, their opponent in the final was Hungary. The final score was Italy 4-2 Hungary
1950
The FIFA World Cup was held after 12 years. Uruguay defeated Brazil by 2-1 goals. However, this was not a traditional final match but the decisive match of the final stage.
1954
Hungary reached the World Cup final for the second time to face then West Germany. And they lost this time as well.
- Final score: Germany 3-2 Hungary
1958
This edition began Brazil’s dominance in the football world cup. They defeated Sweden to get their first world cup. This was Pele’s first appearance in the World Cup.
- Final score: Brazil 5-2 Sweden
1962
Brazil reached the World Cup final again to face Czechoslovakia.
Czechoslovakia could not stand against the Pele squad.
- Final Score: Brazil 3-1 Czechoslovakia
1966
West Germany and England played in the final for the cup. Both teams gave their best, and the match went into extra time. But the Germans lost in extra time.
- Final score: England 4- 2 West Germany
1970
This was Brazil’s third World Cup win and Pele’s. Brazil defeated Italy in the final and became the first team to win three world cups.
- Final score: Brazil 4-1 Italy
1974
The host team, West Germany, reached the final to face the Netherlands. West Germany bagged their second world cup.
- Final Score: West Germany 2-1 Netherland
1978
The 11th edition of the World Cup was held in Argentina. The host reached the final for the second time after half a century. And this time, they beat the Netherlands by 3-1 goals. It was the second consecutive final loss for the Dutch.
1982
Italy and West Germany contested the final for the cup. The first half was 0-0. But Italy was very aggressive and scored 3 goals in the second half. Germany could only score 1 consoling goal. This was Italy’s third World Cup win.
- Final score: Italy 3-1 West Germany
1986
The 1986 World Cup final between West Germany and Argentina was thrilling. Argentina had a 2-0 lead in the first 60 minutes. But Germany fought back and scored 2 goals in the next 20 minutes. But an 85-minute goal by Jorge Burruchaga was the decisive goal.
- Final score: Argentina 3-2 West Germany
1990
Argentina and Germany faced each other again in the 14th edition of the World Cup. This time, Germany won by a single goal from a penalty shot. Coincidentally, the decisive goal was scored in the 85th minute, just like the last time. In this final match, two of Argentina’s players received red cards.
1994
The two giants, Brazil and Italy, faced off in the final. Both teams, by now, had won 3 world cups. So, it was also a match to become the best of the bests. This is the first time a world cup final match reached a tiebreaker.
- Final score: Brazil 3-2 Italy (Penalties)
1998
Brazil reached the final again. But this time, they had no clue about the French. The French legend Zinedine Zidane scored two goals in the first half. Brazil could not recover in the second half.
- Final Score: France 3-0 Brazil
2002
Brazil won the first World Cup of the new century. They defeated Germany 2-0. The first half was goalless. But in the second half, Ronaldo, another Brazilian legend, found the net twice in twelve minutes.
- Final score: Brazil 2-0 Germany
2006
This match is remembered for the headbutt incident between Zidane and Materazzi. Italy scored the first goal in the 7th minute, but Zidane equalized with a penalty shot. The match went into extra time. And in the 110th minute, Zidane was shown a red card. Italy then won the match by a score of 5-3 in tiebreakers.
2010
Spain vs. Netherlands was the final match. Spain, the host team, was the favorite from the beginning of the tournament. Iniesta found the net in 116 minutes. The Netherlands had no time for an equalizer. First world cup win for Spain.
2014
Germany and Argentina came face to face again in another final. Everyone was hoping to see Messin win his first World Cup. But Mario Gotze did not let that happen. He scored the winning goal in the 113th minute.
2018
France and Croatia competed in the final of the 2018 World Cup. Croatia played well throughout the tournament. But they could not hold their nerve in the big match. In the 18th minute, they conceded their own goal. In the 38th minute, they gave away a penalty, which Griezmann did not miss to score. Croatia scored 2 goals too. But they did not have any answer to Pogba and Mbappe’e goals. France won their second world cup.
- Final Score: France 4-2 Croatia
Quick stats:
- Most world cup final win: Brazil- 5
- Most world cup runner up: Germany- 4
- Most world cup finals reached: Germany- 8
- Most world cup appearance: Brazil- 21
- Most world cup goals scorer: Miroslav Klose- 16 (Germany)
Conclusion
From the list of all the world cup football winners, it is visible that Brazil has the highest ratio of winning the final. They have reached the final and won 5 times. Germany has played the most number of finals.
The FIFA World Cup always creates worldwide excitement. Everyone sets their eye to see who takes the golden cup home. It brings pride and joy to the winning team’s nation and its fans.
