The World Cup takes place every 4 years, so each Champion would reign for 4 years. But it’s interesting to find out the overall best World Cup countries or the team who has won the FIFA World Cup the most.
In this article, we’ll do a complete breakdown of teams who have won the World Cup and then find out the overall best team in the competition history.
Which Team Has Won The World Cup The Most?
See below a detailed breakdown of all teams that have won the World Cup in order of how many they’ve won.
| SN | Country | World Cup Titles | Year(s) Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 5 | 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002 |
| 2 | Italy | 4 | 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 |
| 3 | Germany | 4 | 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014 |
| 4 | Argentina | 2 | 1979 and 1986 |
| 5 | France | 2 | 1998 and 2018 |
| 6 | Uruguay | 2 | 1930 and 1950 |
| 7 | England | 1 | 1966 |
| 8 | Spain | 1 | 2010 |
Notable Facts About The Best World Cup Countries
- From the above table, it is clear that Brazil has won the most World Cup titles (5).
- Italy and Germany are joint 2nd best countries to win the World Cup after brazil. Both teams have won the competition 4 times apiece.
- England and Spain have won the World Cup just once apiece – the joint-least on the table. But of course, their record is better than those who have never won the World Cup.
- Only 8 countries have won the FIFA World Cup – Brazil, Italy, Germany, Argentina, France, Uruguay, England, and Spain.
- FIFA recognizes 211 national Football Associations out of which just 8 of them have emerged as world champions. That means about 96% of the entire FIFA-recognised-FA are yet to win the World Cup. Just about 4% have won the World Cup since the inception of the competition.
- Only European and South American teams have won the World Cup. Africa, Asia, and other continents are yet to have a nation to win the competition.
The Best World Cup Runner-ups Countries
See below a detailed list of countries that are World Cup runners-up since the competition started.
| SN | Country | World Cup Runner-up | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 4 | 1966, 1982, 1986, and 2002 |
| 2 | Argentina | 3 | 1930, 1990, and 2014 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 3 | 1974, 1978, and 2010 |
| 4 | Brazil | 2 | 1950 and 1998 |
| 5 | Czech Republic | 2 | 1934 and 1962 |
| 6 | Hungary | 2 | 1938 and 1954 |
| 7 | Italy | 2 | 1970 and 1994 |
| 8 | Sweeden | 1 | 1958 |
| 9 | Croatia | 1 | 2018 |
| 10 | France | 1 | 2006 |
From the above table, it is clear that Germany has emerged as Runners-up the most in World Cup history, having come 2nd 5 times since the tournament started.
Best World Cup 3rd Place Countries
The table below shows the teams that have won the most 3rd place in the FIFA World cup.
| SN | Country | World Cup 3rd Place | Year Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 4 | 1934, 1970, 2006 and 2010 |
| 2 | Poland | 2 | 1974 and 1982 |
| 3 | Brazil | 2 | 1938 and 1978 |
| 4 | France | 2 | 1958 and 1986 |
| 5 | Sweeden | 2 | 1950 and 1994 |
| 6 | Belgium | 1 | 2018 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 1 | 2014 |
| 8 | Croatia | 1 | 1998 |
| 9 | Italy | 1 | 1990 |
| 10 | Portugal | 1 | 1966 |
| 11 | Turkey | 1 | 2002 |
| 12 | United States | 1 | 1930 |
From the above table, Germany has won the most 3rd place in the FIFA World Cup.
Conclusion
We would all agree that winning the World Cup is more important than a second or third-place finish.
Therefore, we can simply say that Brazil is the best World Cup country having won the competition 5 times. The next best team is Italy which has won the competition 4 times.
Our detailed article already explains why African countries are yet to win the World Cup.
The Europeans and South Americans have dominated 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the FIFA World Cup to date and it’s something to be worried about.
Hopefully, we’ll have more countries from other continents beyond South America and Europe to win the World Cup.
Finally, you can find out how much the World Cup costs in USD and how the host nation is chosen.
Further Reading:
- 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup Details
- How Many Matches Are Played in The World Cup?
- Who Has The Most International Goals?
- Which Player Has The Most International Caps?
- What About Racism In Football?
