FIFA World Cup: Who are all the previous winners? All you need to know

A list of previous FIFA World Cup winners
A list of previous FIFA World Cup winners

With the 2022 FIFA World Cup fast approaching, the best players on the planet are set to converge on Qatar to compete for the ultimate prize in football.

But who is looking to claim yet another title? And who are aiming for their first triumph in football's biggest tournament? A quick look back at the past winners of the competition will show that Brazil have won the competition a record five times, with Germany and Italy close behind on four victories apiece.

Argentina, Uruguay and France both have two titles to their name while Spain and England have both won the competition just once. Uruguay were the first winners of the competition, as they beat arch-rivals Argentina 4-2 in 1930.

4-2 was also the score in the most recent final as France beat Croatia in Moscow to claim their second crown. The French will be among the favorites to retain their title in Qatar. However, the previous three winners of the FIFA World Cup have been subsequently been knocked out at the group stage four years later.

Brazil's victory in 2002 was the most recent occasion that a non-European side have won the tournament, a trend that could very well change in the warm climate of the Gulf state of Qatar.


The complete list of previous winners of the FIFA World Cup

With Qatar set to take on Ecuador on the opening day of the FIFA World Cup on Sunday, 20 November, we take a look back at all the previous winners.

While Germany have won the cup four times, they also hold the unfortunate distinction of losing in four finals, which is more than any other nation. The Netherlands have the even more unenviable record of losing three finals without ever winning the tournament.

Here are the full list of winners, runners-ups and where the final was held, from 1930 all the way up until 2018:

YearWinnerRunners-upVenue of Final
1930UruguayArgentinaMontevideo, Uruguay
1934ItalyCzechoslovakiaRome, Italy
1938ItalyHungaryParis, France
1950UruguayBrazilRio de Janeiro, Brazil
1954West GermanyHungaryBern, Switzerland
1958BrazilSwedenStockholm, Sweden
1962BrazilCzechoslovakiaSantiago, Chile
1966EnglandGermanyLondon, England
1970BrazilItalyMexico City, Mexico
1974West GermanyNetherlandsMunich, West Germany
1978ArgentinaNetherlandsBuenos Aries, Argentina
1982ItalyWest GermanyMadrid, Spain
1986ArgentinaWest GermanyMexico City, Mexico
1990West GermanyArgentinaRome, Italy
1994BrazilItalyLos Angeles, USA
1998FranceBrazilParis, France
2002BrazilGermanyYokohama, Japan
2006ItalyFranceBerlin, Germany
2010SpainNetherlandsJohannesburg, South Africa
2014GermanyArgentinaRio de Janeiro, Brazil
2018FranceCroatiaMoscow, Russia

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Edited by Ritwik Kumar
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