Complete list of World Cup winners:
Uruguay 1930 – Uruguay
Uruguay won their first World Cup after defeating Argentina 4-2 in the final in Montevideo.
Thirteen teams participated in the first tournament, only four from Europe. The trip to South America was difficult for many European players because they were away for so long and feared losing their jobs.
ITALY 1934 – Italy
Italy, the host of the Round of 16 tournament, beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 in Rome.
Reigning World Cup holders Uruguay refused to participate in the previous World Cup, protesting the refusal of several European countries to travel to South America.
At the same time, Egypt became the first African participant.
FRANCE 1938 – Italy
Italy beat Hungary 4-2 in the final to win their second trophy.
The Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, became the first Asian team to compete in the World Cup.
BRAZIL 1950 – Uruguay
The first World Cup since World War II, England’s first match. In what later came to be known as the Maracanaco, Uruguay beat hosts Brazil 2-1 to claim their second victory.
With 173,850 in attendance, the game remains the most watched game ever.
Switzerland 1954 – GERMANY
West Germany beat Hungary 3-2 to win their first trophy.
SWEDEN 1958 – BRAZIL
The 17-year-old Brazilian made his debut, scoring six goals to help Sweden beat Sweden 5-2 in the final in the only tournament held in Scandinavia.
France’s Just Fontaine scored 13 goals in the tournament, which remains the record.
CHILE 1962 – BRAZIL
Brazil defeated Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final in Santiago to defend their title.
ENGLAND 1966 – ENGLAND
England beat West Germany 4-2 in extra time in the final, their only victory at the World Cup.
The national teams of North Korea and Portugal made their debuts at this World Cup, and Portuguese striker Eusebio was named the tournament’s top scorer.
England captain Bobby Moore holds the Jules Rimet trophy from the Queen
(PA)
MEXICO 1970 – BRAZIL
Brazil beat Italy 4-1 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to win their third title in Pele’s last World Cup.
The tournament ended without a single red card. For the first time, substitute players were introduced and yellow and red cards were introduced. It was also the first World Cup broadcast in color and the first match with an officially sponsored match ball.
WEST GERMANY 1974 – GERMANY
The host nation won the World Cup for the second time after defeating the Netherlands 2-1 in the final.
A new trophy was introduced to the tournament after Brazil won the Jules Rimet trophy outright with three wins.
ARGENTINA 1978 – ARGENTINA
Argentinians beat the Netherlands 3-1 at the Estadio Monumental to lift the trophy again.
Tunisia beat Mexico 3-1, becoming the first African team to win the tournament.
Spain 1982 – Italy
Italy beat West Germany 3-1 in Spain to win their third World Cup.
The tournament marked the first time that penalty kicks were used.
MEXICO 1986 – ARGENTINA
Mexico hosted the World Cup for the second time, with Argentina’s Diego Maradona leading the tournament with a 3-2 win over West Germany to take home its second trophy.
However, the quarter-final against England will be remembered for the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal and Maradona’s solo strike, later dubbed the Goal of the Century.
The infamous “Hand of God” goal that helped Argentina beat England
ITALY 1990 – GERMANY
West Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in Rome to win the tournament for the third time.
Roger Milla and Cameroon made a name for themselves when they beat Argentina in the group stage at the San Siro to become the first team from Africa to reach the quarter-finals.
USA 1994 – BRAZIL
The first tournament in the United States featured several high-profile teams and players.
Romario and Bebeto led Brazil to the final, with Italy and Roberto Baggio waiting.
After a scrappy performance, it was the first penalty of the World Cup finals and Brazil won their fourth trophy after Baggio missed.
FRANCE 1998 – FRANCE
This is the first World Cup with 32 teams competing. The host country led by Didier Deschamps beat Brazil 3-0 in the final.
SOUTH KOREA/JAPAN 2002 – BRAZIL
The first World Cup was jointly organized by the two countries and is being held in Asia for the first time. After Brazil’s 2-0 win over Germany in Yokohama, Ronaldo finally got his career off the ground as he brought home his fifth World Cup.
GERMANY 2006 – ITALY
Italy beat France 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time in Berlin in a game made famous by Zinedine Zidane’s red card for a headbutt on Marco Materazzi.
Another historic match was between Portugal and the Netherlands in the Round of 16.
Nicknamed the “Battle of Nuremberg”, the match saw four red cards and 16 yellow cards, a record for the number of cards shown in an international competition under the auspices of FIFA. Portugal won 1:0.
SOUTH AFRICA 2010 – Spain
The tournament was held in Africa for the first time, and Spain won their first World Cup trophy after beating the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time.
BRAZIL 2014 – GERMANY
Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final to win their fourth title thanks to Mario Götze’s crucial goal.
RUSSIA 2018 – FRANCE
France won their second title by defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final, making coach Didier Deschamps the second man to win the World Cup as captain and coach (after Franz Beckenbauer) in 1998.
