World Cup History

Every FIFA World Cup from 1930 to 2022 — champions, finals, top scorers and the records that defined them. Pick a tournament to explore its story.

World Cup History

Host YearHostChampionRunner-upThird placeTop scorer (Golden Boot)Totals
1930UruguayUruguayArgentinaUnited StatesGuillermo Stábile (Argentina, 8 goals)70 goals / 18 matches
1934ItalyItalyCzechoslovakiaGermanyOldřich Nejedlý (Czechoslovakia, 5 goals)70 goals / 17 matches
1938FranceItalyHungaryBrazilLeônidas (Brazil, 7 goals)84 goals / 18 matches
1950BrazilUruguayBrazilSwedenAdemir (Brazil, 9 goals)88 goals / 22 matches
1954SwitzerlandWest GermanyHungaryAustriaSándor Kocsis (Hungary, 11 goals)140 goals / 26 matches
1958SwedenBrazilSwedenFranceJust Fontaine (France, 13 goals)126 goals / 35 matches
1962ChileBrazilCzechoslovakiaChileGarrincha / Vavá (6 players) (Brazil, 4 goals)89 goals / 32 matches
1966EnglandEnglandWest GermanyPortugalEusébio (Portugal, 9 goals)89 goals / 32 matches
1970MexicoBrazilItalyWest GermanyGerd Müller (West Germany, 10 goals)95 goals / 32 matches
1974West GermanyWest GermanyNetherlandsPolandGrzegorz Lato (Poland, 7 goals)97 goals / 38 matches
1978ArgentinaArgentinaNetherlandsBrazilMario Kempes (Argentina, 6 goals)102 goals / 38 matches
1982SpainItalyWest GermanyPolandPaolo Rossi (Italy, 6 goals)146 goals / 52 matches
1986MexicoArgentinaWest GermanyFranceGary Lineker (England, 6 goals)132 goals / 52 matches
1990ItalyWest GermanyArgentinaItalySalvatore Schillaci (Italy, 6 goals)115 goals / 52 matches
1994USABrazilItalySwedenStoichkov (BUL) & Salenko (RUS) (Bulgaria, 6 goals)141 goals / 52 matches
1998FranceFranceBrazilCroatiaDavor Šuker (Croatia, 6 goals)171 goals / 64 matches
2002South Korea / JapanBrazilGermanyTürkiyeRonaldo (Brazil, 8 goals)161 goals / 64 matches
2006GermanyItalyFranceGermanyMiroslav Klose (Germany, 5 goals)147 goals / 64 matches
2010South AfricaSpainNetherlandsGermanyThomas Müller (Germany, 5 goals)145 goals / 64 matches
2014BrazilGermanyArgentinaNetherlandsJames Rodríguez (Colombia, 6 goals)171 goals / 64 matches
2018RussiaFranceCroatiaBelgiumHarry Kane (England, 6 goals)169 goals / 64 matches
2022QatarArgentinaFranceCroatiaKylian Mbappé (France, 8 goals)172 goals / 64 matches

All-Time Records

Records as of the 2022 World Cup.

Titles

  • Brazil — 5: Five titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) — more than any other nation.
  • Germany — 8: Reached 8 finals; Brazil, Italy and Argentina 6 each.
  • Italy & Brazil — 2: Only Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962) have ever successfully defended the title.
  • Europe 12, South America 10 — 12–10: The only two continents to win the World Cup — Europe has 12 titles, South America 10.

Coaches

  • Vittorio Pozzo (Italy) — 2: The only coach to win the World Cup twice (1934 and 1938).
  • Beckenbauer & Deschamps — 2: The only two men to win the World Cup as both captain and head coach (Beckenbauer 1974/1990, Deschamps 1998/2018).
  • Carlos Alberto Parreira (Brazil) — 6: Managed at a record six World Cups with five different nations.
  • Otto Rehhagel (Greece) — 71: Oldest manager to coach at a World Cup, aged 71 in 2010.

Goals

  • Miroslav Klose (Germany) — 16: 16 goals across four tournaments (2002–2014); Ronaldo (15) is second.
  • Just Fontaine (France) — 13: 13 goals in 1958 — a single-tournament record never beaten.
  • Oleg Salenko (Russia) — 5: 5 goals in one match against Cameroon, 1994.
  • Pelé (Brazil) — 17y 239d: 17 years 239 days, against Wales in 1958.
  • Roger Milla (Cameroon) — 42y 39d: 42 years 39 days, against Russia in 1994.
  • Norman Whiteside (N. Ireland) — 17y 41d: 17 years 41 days against Yugoslavia in 1982 — the youngest player ever to appear at a World Cup.
  • Essam El-Hadary (Egypt) — 45y 161d: 45 years 161 days in 2018 — the oldest player (and oldest captain) ever at a World Cup.
  • Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) — 5: The first male player to score in five different World Cups (2006–2022).
  • Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 4: Among the few players to score in four World Cups (2006, 2014, 2018, 2022) — alongside Pelé, Seeler and Klose.

Appearances

  • Brazil — 22/22: The only nation to appear in all 22 World Cups (as of 2022).
  • Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 26: 26 matches (2006–2022), passing Matthäus in the 2022 final.

Speed Records

  • Hakan Şükür (Turkey) — 10.8s: 10.8 seconds against South Korea in the 2002 third-place match.
  • José Batista (Uruguay) — 56s: Sent off after 56 seconds against Scotland, 1986.
  • Portugal–Netherlands, 2006 — 20: The Battle of Nuremberg: 16 yellows and 4 reds (20 cards). Argentina–Netherlands 2022 challenged it, but 2006 remains the official record.

Biggest Wins

  • Three matches — 9: A 9-goal margin: Hungary 10–1 El Salvador (1982), Hungary 9–0 South Korea (1954) and Yugoslavia 9–0 Zaire (1974).
  • 1954 (Switzerland) — 5.38: 5.38 goals per match — the highest average of any World Cup.
  • 1990 (Italy) — 2.21: 2.21 goals per match — the lowest average of any World Cup.
  • Austria 7–5 Switzerland, 1954 — 12: A quarter-final in 40 °C heat produced 12 goals — the most in a single men’s World Cup match.

Goalkeepers

  • Peter Shilton & Fabien Barthez — 10: 10 clean sheets each (Shilton through 1990, Barthez through 2006).
  • Oliver Kahn (Germany) — 2002: The only goalkeeper ever to win the Golden Ball, in 2002.

Other

  • Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 2: The only player to win the Golden Ball twice (2014 and 2022).
  • 2022 (Qatar) — 172: 172 goals in 64 matches — the highest tournament total ever; 1998 and 2014 are tied second with 171.
  • 2018 (Russia) — 12: A record 12 own goals in a single tournament — double the previous record of 6 (1998).

Attendance

  • Uruguay 2–1 Brazil, 1950 — 173,850: 173,850 at the Maracanã for the deciding match — still the record crowd in football history.
  • USA 1994 — USA 1994: Holds the highest average attendance per match of any World Cup.

Penalty Shootouts

  • West Germany 5–4 France, 1982 — 1982: The first-ever World Cup penalty shootout, in the Seville semi-final after a 3–3 draw.
  • Argentina — 6: Won six of their seven World Cup shootouts — more than any other nation.
  • West Germany / Germany — 4/4: Won all four of their World Cup shootouts (1982, 1986, 1990, 2006) — a perfect record.
  • Croatia — 4/4: Also 100%: beat Denmark and Russia (2018), then Japan and Brazil (2022).
  • West Germany–France & Sweden–Romania — 12 kicks: The longest men’s World Cup shootouts took 12 kicks each (1982 and 1994).

Firsts

  • Lucien Laurent (France) — 1930: Scored the first goal in World Cup history, against Mexico on 13 July 1930.
  • Bert Patenaude (USA) — 1930: The first World Cup hat-trick, USA 3–0 Paraguay in 1930 (officially credited by FIFA in 2006).
  • László Kiss (Hungary) — ~7 min: The fastest World Cup hat-trick (~7 minutes, 1982) and the only substitute ever to score one.
  • Laurent Blanc (France) — 1998: Scored the first golden goal in World Cup history, beating Paraguay in the 1998 round of 16.
  • Antoine Griezmann (France) — 2018: Won and scored the first VAR-awarded penalty in World Cup history, vs Australia in 2018.

Hosts

  • Six hosts — 6: Six hosts have won at home: Uruguay 1930, Italy 1934, England 1966, West Germany 1974, Argentina 1978 and France 1998.
  • South Africa 2010 — 2010: The first host nation ever eliminated in the group stage, despite beating France.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who scored the fastest goal in World Cup history?

Hakan Şükür of Turkey, just 10.8 seconds into the 2002 third-place match vs South Korea.

Which country has won the most World Cups?

Brazil, with 5 titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002).

Who is the all-time top scorer in World Cup history?

Miroslav Klose of Germany, with 16 goals across four World Cups (2002–2014).

What is the biggest win in World Cup history?

A 9-goal margin, achieved three times: Hungary 10–1 El Salvador (1982), Hungary 9–0 South Korea (1954) and Yugoslavia 9–0 Zaire (1974).

Who has played the most World Cup matches?

Lionel Messi of Argentina, with 26 appearances (2006–2022).

Has a host country ever won the World Cup?

Yes — 6 hosts have won at home: Uruguay 1930, Italy 1934, England 1966, West Germany 1974, Argentina 1978 and France 1998.

Who won the first World Cup?

Uruguay, beating Argentina 4–2 in the 1930 final on home soil.

What was the highest-scoring World Cup match?

Austria beat Switzerland 7–5 (12 goals) in a 1954 quarter-final — still the record.

Who is the youngest player to play at a World Cup?

Norman Whiteside of Northern Ireland, aged 17 years 41 days in 1982. The youngest scorer is Pelé, 17 years 239 days (1958).

How many countries have won the World Cup?

Eight: Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, France, Uruguay, England and Spain.

Who has scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final?

Only two players: Geoff Hurst for England in 1966, and Kylian Mbappé for France in 2022 (France still lost on penalties).

What was the highest attendance at a World Cup match?

173,850 at the Maracanã for Uruguay 2–1 Brazil in 1950 — still the record crowd in football history.

When was the first World Cup penalty shootout?

In 1982 — West Germany beat France 5–4 in the semi-final in Seville after a 3–3 draw.

Who scored the most goals in a single World Cup?

Just Fontaine of France, 13 goals in 1958 — a record never broken.

Where is the 2026 World Cup being held?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico — the first three-nation hosting in World Cup history.

How many teams play at the 2026 World Cup?

48 teams — expanded from 32, the largest World Cup ever.

What is the format of the 2026 World Cup?

12 groups of 4. The top two of each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advance to a 32-team knockout round.

When does the 2026 World Cup take place?

From June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Where is the 2026 World Cup final?

At MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the New York / New Jersey area, on July 19, 2026.

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