World Cup History

The FIFA World Cup began in 1930 when Uruguay hosted and won the first ever tournament, beating Argentina 4-2 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. Only thirteen nations took part. Italy won the next two tournaments, in 1934 and 1938, becoming the first repeat champion. The Second World War cancelled the 1942 and 1946 editions, and when football resumed in 1950 Brazil hosted what became the most painful match in their history: a 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the deciding game at the Maracana, watched by close to 200,000 fans, a moment Brazilians still call the Maracanazo.

The 1950s and 1960s belonged to Brazil. A 17-year-old Pele announced himself at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, scoring two goals in a 5-2 final win over the hosts. Brazil retained the trophy in 1962 and Italy won in 1970, but the most beautiful side of the era arrived in Mexico that summer: Brazil's 1970 squad, with Pele, Carlos Alberto, Tostao, and Jairzinho, won every match they played and beat Italy 4-1 in the final. They are still widely regarded as the greatest team in the tournament's history.

European nations dominated the next three decades. West Germany won at home in 1974, then captured the title again in 1990 (now Germany) and 2014. Argentina lifted their first two trophies in 1978 (at home) and 1986, the latter defined by Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" and his "Goal of the Century" against England in the quarter-finals. Italy added a fourth star in 2006, and France collected their first trophy in 1998 with a 3-0 win over Brazil at the Stade de France. Brazil bounced back to win in 1994 (the first final settled on penalties) and 2002, taking their tally to a record five.

The modern era has been shared between five nations. Italy 2006, Spain 2010 (their first ever, in Johannesburg), Germany 2014 (the famous 7-1 over Brazil in the semi-final and a 1-0 final win over Argentina), France 2018, and Argentina in 2022, where Lionel Messi finally lifted the trophy after a 4-2 penalty win over France in Doha, in a final many call the greatest ever played. The 2026 World Cup will be the first 48-team edition, the first co-hosted by three nations (USA, Canada, and Mexico), and the first in which a third-place finisher can advance to the knockouts.