Most World Cup wins by country: Brazil, Germany top list of nations with multiple FIFA soccer championships

Most World Cup wins by country: Brazil, Germany top list of nations with multiple FIFA soccer championships originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

JUMP TO:

• Which country has won the most World Cups?

• Which countries have won multiple World Cups?

• Countries that made a World Cup final but lost

• Which player has won the most World Cup titles?

The FIFA World Cup is considered the pinnacle of world soccer, as players aspire to represent their home countries on the international stage.

World Cup glory is largely held to be the ultimate achievement of the sport, as international stardom and glory brings players fame and fortune along with a position amongst the pantheon of all-time greats.

The sport has been dominated by countries from Europe and South America on the international stage. While global football has rapidly increased the talent distribution in recent decades, the World Cup remains controlled at the top by a select few nations.

Eight countries across the world have succeeded in climbing the World Cup mountain. The Sporting News details those countries, which one is most successful and how they have secured their titles throughout the history of the famed FIFA event.

MORE:How the FIFA World Cup draw will work in 2026

Which country has won the most World Cups?

With five all-time World Cup titles, Brazil have won the most FIFA championships.

No nation has won more than the South American giants, although it has been quite some time since they last emerged victorious. Brazil has not won a World Cup title since 2002, with the 24-year drought now tied for their longest-ever. Brazil also went 24 years without a title between wins in 1970 and 1994.

Germany and Italy have won the second-most with four World Cup titles. Germany last won the World Cup in 2014 on Brazilian soil, while Italy last triumphed in 2006 in Germany.

Argentina has won three, while France and Uruguay have won two, rounding out the six nations which have won multiple World Cup titles.

Winner

Year

Host

Final Score

Runner-Up

Third Place

Brazil

1958

Sweden

5-2

Sweden

France

1962

Chile

3-1

Czechoslovakia

Chile

1970

Mexico

4-1

Italy

West Germany

1994

USA

0-0*3-2 on pens

Italy

Sweden

2002

South Korea/Japan

2-0

Germany

Turkey

Germany/West Germany

1954

Switzerland

3-2

Hungary

Austria

1974

West Germany

2-1

Netherlands

Brazil

1990

Italy

1-0

Argentina

Italy

2014

Brazil

1-0 (a.e.t.)

Argentina

Netherlands

Italy

1934

Italy

2-1 (a.e.t.)

Czechoslovakia

Germany

1938

France

4-2

Hungary

Brazil

1982

Spain

3-1

West Germany

France

2006

Germany

1-1*5-3 on pens

France

Germany

Argentina

1978

Argentina

3-1 (a.e.t.)

Netherlands

Brazil

1986

Mexico

3-2

West Germany

France

2022

Qatar

3-3*4-2 on pens

France

Croatia

France

1998

France

3-0

Brazil

Croatia

2018

Russia

4-2

Croatia

Belgium

Uruguay

1930

Uruguay

4-2

Argentina

USA/Yugoslavia

1950

Brazil

2-1

Brazil

Sweden

MORE:How World Cup qualifying works for the 2026 cycle

Which countries have won multiple World Cups?

How many World Cups has Brazil won?

Pele, considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game and the most successful player in World Cup history, led Brazil to three of its five World Cup titles in his illustrious career, scoring goals in the 1958 and 1970 finals.

It was Ronaldo Nazario who led Brazil to their most recent title in 2002, scoring eight goals to win the tournament's Golden Boot award, including a brace in the final against Germany.

Year

Host

Final

Top Scorer

1958

Sweden

Brazil 5-2 Sweden

Pele (6)

1962

Chile

Brazil 3-1 Czechoslovakia

Garrincha, Vava (4)*

1970

Mexico

Brazil 4-1 Italy

Jairzinho (7)

1994

USA

Brazil 0-0 ItalyBrazil win 3-2 on penalties

Romario (5)

2002

South Korea/Japan

Brazil 2-0 Germany

Ronaldo (8)*

* Finished as top scorer or joint-top scorer in the competition

MORE:Has Brazil ever failed to qualify for the World Cup?

How many World Cups has Germany won?

All four of Germany's World Cup titles have come by a one-goal margin in the final.

Helmut Rahn, Gerd Muller, Andy Brehme and Mario Gotze are all the heroes from those iconic games, including the latter who downed Lionel Messi's Argentina in extra-time of the 2014 final.

Year

Host

Final

Top Scorer

1954

Switzerland

West Germany 3-2 Hungary

Max Morlock (6)

1974

West Germany

West Germany 2-1 Netherlands

Gerd Muller (4)

1990

Italy

West Germany 1-0 Argentina

Lothar Matthaus (4)

2014

Brazil

Germany 1-0 Argentina (a.e.t.)

Thomas Muller (5)

MORE:Why did Jens Castrop switch from Germany to South Korea for World Cup?

How many World Cups has Italy won?

Italy has won four World Cups in its history, with the most recent championship coming in 2006. Italy ultimately overcame France 5-3 in a penalty shootout.

Year

Host

Final

Top Scorer

1934

Italy

Italy 2-1 Czechoslovakia (a.e.t.)

Angelo Schiavio (4)

1938

France

Italy 4-2 Hungary

Silvio Piola (5)

1982

Spain

Italy 3-1 West Germany

Paolo Rossi (6)*

2006

Germany

Italy 1-1 FranceItaly won 5-3 on penalties

Marco Materazzi, Luca Toni (2)

* Finished as top scorer or joint-top scorer in the competition

MORE: Why World Cup winners get star on their logo

How many World Cups has Argentina won?

Argentina has won three World Cups in its history, with the most recent coming in 2022. Argentina outlasted France 4-2 in a penalty shootout for the momentous victory.

Year

Host

Final

Top Scorer

1978

Argentina

Argentina 3-1 Netherlands (a.e.t.)

Mario Kempes (6)*

1986

Mexico

Argentina 3-2 West Germany

Diego Maradona (5)

2022

Qatar

Argentina 3-3 FranceArgentina won 4-2 on penalties

Lionel Messi (7)

* Finished as top scorer or joint-top scorer in the competition

MORE:How many World Cups has Lionel Messi won?

H3: How many World Cups has France won?

France has won two World Cups in its history, with the most recent coming in 2018 over Croatia.

Year

Host

Final

Top Scorer

1998

France

France 3-0 Brazil

Thierry Henry (3)

2018

Russia

France 4-2 Croatia

Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann (4)

MORE:Revisiting France's World Cup history

How many World Cups has Uruguay won?

Uruguay has won two World Cups in its history, including the inaugural event in which it was also the host.

Year

Host

Final

Top Scorer

1930

Uruguay

Uruguay 4-2 Argentina

Pedro Cea (5)

1950

Brazil

Uruguay 2-1 Brazil**

Oscar Miguez (5)

** The 1950 World Cup "final" was not actually a true final given the group format, but since the final match of the final round was a de-facto championship decider as things played out, it is widely considered the final in retrospect.

MORE:Revisiting the inaugural 1930 World Cup event

Countries that made a World Cup final but lost

As it stands, there are four countries which have made a World Cup final but never won a World Cup title, all hailing from Europe.

The Netherlands have the most finals defeats of this group, having reached three World Cup finals and falling short in all three. They have come agonizingly close to a FIFA title, falling in extra-time on two of those occasions. They ran into a host buzzsaw in two of their finals as well.

Nation

Year

Host

Final Score

Title winner

Netherlands

1974

West Germany

2-1

West Germany

1978

Argentina

3-1 (a.e.t.)

Argentina

2010

South Africa

1-0 (a.e.t.)

Spain

Czechoslovakia

1934

Italy

2-1 (a.e.t.)

Italy

1962

Chile

3-1

Brazil

Hungary

1938

France

4-2

Italy

1954

Switzerland

3-2

West Germany

Sweden

1958

Sweden

5-2

Brazil

Croatia

2018

Russia

4-2

France

MORE:How often is the World Cup held?

Which player has won the most World Cup titles?

With Brazil having won the most World Cups of any country, it's no surprise that Pele is the most successful player in the history of the World Cup.

Pele is the only player in soccer history to win three World Cup titles.

20 other players have been a part of two World Cup title-winning squads, while only 12 of those players made appearances in both tournaments they were involved in.

Overall, 417 players have lifted the World Cup trophy at least once.

MORE:Every World Cup Golden Boot winner in history