Complete List of FIFA World Cup Winner (1930-2018)

Russia 2018

After a 20-years hiatus, France defeated Croatia to win the trophy 4-2 in the tournament’s championship match at Moscow’s Luznikhi Stadium. It was an honor for Didier Deschamps to do a rare double.

In 1998, France won the World Cup, and Deschamps served as captain. Twenty years later, the Frenchman emerged as a national hero after leading Les Bleus to a World Cup victory. The World Cup was taken place in Europe for the eleventh time. So Russia is listed in the FIFA World Cup winners list.

Brazil 2014

Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 to break their World Cup drought and took place in the FIFA World Cup winners list. Mario Goetze scored the game-winning goal in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium.

The host nation’s shattering 1-7 loss to the eventual champions in the quarterfinal at Belo Horizonte will always stand out as the World Cup’s most poignant moment. The game was as exciting as Germany’s five goals in the 29th minute. Nevertheless, the loss is still Brazil’s worst since 1920.

South Africa 2010

After extra time, Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 to win their first World Cup. Andres Iniesta scored the game-winning goal. Spain became the 1st country to win the World Cup as European champions since West Germany in 1974, and South Africa hosted the competition for the first time. The tournament had many other firsts. The vuvuzela, a long trumpet blown by spectators during the competition, became the FIFA world cup winner and was well-known during the 2010 edition.

Germany 2006

Italy defeated France 5-3 on penalties in the championship match in Berlin after the score remained tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes of ordinary play and 30 minutes of overtime. The final will be remembered for the notorious headbutt by Zinedine Zidane on Matteo Materazzi. It was the fourth World Cup and for the first time, Italy becomes one of the FIFA world cup winners in 24 years.

South Korea/ Japan 2002

Ronaldo atoned for his failure four years prior by scoring a brace in Brazil’s 2-0 victory over Germany in the championship match at Japan’s Yokohama International Stadium. Cafu, the captain of Brazil, has the uncommon distinction of participating in three World Cup finals in a row. This World Cup also set several firsts, becoming the first to take place outside of the Americas or Europe, the first to take place on the Asian continent, and the first to be hosted by more than one nation.

France 1998

With goals from Zinedine Zidane and Emmanuel Petit in the final, France won the World Cup for the 1st time and registered the name in the FIFA World Cup winners list, defeating Brazil 3-0. Les Bleus became the seventh country to win a World Cup and the sixth at home, following Uruguay, Italy, England, West Germany, and Argentina. It is still unclear why Brazilian striker Ronaldo was initially left off the starting lineup for the final before being added barely 45 minutes before the game.

United States 1994

At the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, one more time FIFA world cup winners Brazil defeated Italy on penalties in a 3-2 victory to win the championship. The first World Cup championship game is to end on penalties. There is always a bad guy in a penalty shootout; that time, it was Roberto Baggagio.

Diego Maradona’s exclusion from the 1994 edition due to the Argentinian’s failure to pass a drug test will also be recalled. Ten days after the competition, Colombian defender Andres Escobar shot himself to death for scoring a self-goal that led to his nation’s elimination.

Italy 1990

West Germany (Italy) defeated Argentina 1-0 in the championship match & once again registered the name in the FIFA World Cup winners list with Andreas Brehme scoring the game-winning penalty kick at the Olympic Stadium in Rome.

The final was a bit of an anticlimax in a competition when the Azzuri were in superb form before being stopped by Argentina in the semifinal game that went to penalties. The show’s highlight for the host nation was Salvatore Schillaci, who scored six goals and took home the Golden Boot award.

Mexico 1986

Diego Maradona won the World Cup from beginning to end, captaining Argentina to a 3-2 victory over West Germany in the championship game. The semifinals’ Hand of God goal versus England, which has been selected as Goal of the Century, helped Maradona win the player of the Tournament award and finish second in scoring with five goals. It was Argentina’s second victory in a World Cup that also witnessed debuts for Iraq, Canada, and Denmark.

Spain 1982

One of the FIFA world cup winners, Italy defeated Germany 3-1 in the World Cup final at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid to win the trophy, and it was Paolo Rossi’s World Cup. Rossi was Azzuri’s standout player and the tournament’s leading scorer with six goals.

He also got the tournament’s player of the year award. Italy had won the World Cup three times, but more significantly, they had ended a championship curse that had persisted since 1938. The competition also included the 1st penalty shootout in a World Cup match.

Argentina 1978

At Estadio Monumental, the home of River Plate, Argentina defeated the Netherlands 3-1 to win the World Cup for the first time and got placed in the FIFA World Cup winners list Argentina is now the third South American side to win a World Cup, joining Uruguay, Italy, England, and West Germany as the only other teams to have hosted and won the World Cup. Both Iran and Tunisia played in their first World Cup.

Germany 1974

West Germany defeated the Netherlands 3-1 in the World Cup final in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium to claim their second championship. While East Germany made their only World Cup appearance before the reunification of Germany in 1990, two nations—Haiti and Zaire—made their World Cup debut.

Additionally, this was only the 4th time in the history of the FIFA World Cup winners—the others being in 1930, 1950, and 1962—that no game went into extra time. Until Spain accomplished the feat again by defeating the Netherlands in the 2010 South Africa Final, this was the only instance of the incumbent European champion team winning the World Cup.

Mexico 1970

Brazil won their third World Cup title by defeating Italy 4-1 in the championship match. Brazil became the 1st team to win the tournament to defeat the European and South American champions, in addition to the tournament’s defending champions, when it overcame Uruguay in the semifinals.

The defending champions England in the group stage. El Salvador, Israel, and Morocco all played in their first World Cup. As sports were televised live around the globe and occasionally in color, the 1970 edition drew a record-breaking television audience.

England 1966

England FIFA world cup winner, Geoff Hurst made history by scoring a hat-trick in the World Cup final as England defeated West Germany 4-2 in extra time. The match was played at the illustrious Wembley Stadium.

Hurst scored twice in spare time to complete his hat-trick after giving his team an early lead in the first half of the game, which ended 2-2 after regulation. Eusebio of Portugal led all scorers in the competition with nine goals. He was winning the Golden Boot by three goals over Helmut Haller, who came in second.

Chile 1962

In a competition hampered by player violence, Brazil successfully maintained their World Cup title by defeating Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the championship match in the nation’s capital of Santaigo. In the Battle of Santiago, a group match between Chile and Italy that Chile won 2-0, two players lost their jobs, punches flew, and police intervention was needed four times.

After Italy, Brazil became the second team to defend its title successfully. Goal average was also utilized for the first time at this World Cup to distinguish between teams with the same number of points.

Sweden 1958

Brazil won their championship at the competition that served as Pele’s introduction on the international stage. In the Stockholm final, Selecao defeated the home country Sweden 5-2. It was the first time a Nordic nation had hosted the FIFA World Cup. Pele scored six goals in total during the competition, two of which came in the championship. Pele set a record for being the youngest player to compete, score, and win a FIFA World Cup final at 17.

Switzerland 1954

West Germany won their first World Cup by defeating tournament favorites Hungary 3-2 in the championship match. South Korea, Scotland, and Turkey made World Cup debuts at this competition. The Taeguk Warriors also made history by being the first independent Asian nation to participate in a World Cup competition.

The Battle of Berne quarterfinal match between Hungary and Brazil from the 1958 edition will live on in memory. In a game when fighting between the teams lingered long after the final whistle, Hungary defeated Brazil 4-2 while three players got the boot and added their name in the FIFA World Cup winners list.

Brazil 1950

Following a 12-year break brought on by World War II, the World Cup was held again, with Uruguay winning the title. Brazil was defeated by Uruguay and becomes the FIFA World Cup winner, the 1930 World Cup champions were the team in question, in the match that decided the fate of the four-team group.

Only this competition did not have a one-match championship game. Brazil needed just a draw to advance after victories over Spain and Sweden; however, they lost 1-2 to Uruguay in front of a record-breaking crowd at the Maracana Stadium, a defeat known as the Maracanazo. The outcome is still regarded as one of the biggest surprises in football history.

France 1938

One of the FIFA World Cup winners, Italy won 4-2 over Hungary to retain their title. The tournament’s highest scorer, Brazil’s Leonidas, had 42 players score 84 goals, two of which counted as own goals. However, there were numerous off-field problems, including the boycotts of Spain, Uruguay, and Argentina in protest of the decision to hold the World Cup in Europe for the second time in a row. In addition, Norway and Poland played in their first World Cup games.

Italy 1934

Hosts Italy defeated Czechoslovakia 2-1 to win the World Cup for the second time and become the first European team to do it & again secured the place in the FIFA World Cup winners list. However, political tensions overshadowed the World Cup, with Benitto Mussolini accused of manipulating the event to advance fascism. Ten teams played in their first World Cup, and Egypt became the first country from Africa to do so. The first World Cup in which all participating teams had to meet qualification requirements took place in 1934.

Uruguay 1930

Hosts In front of 68,346 spectators, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2 to win the tournament’s inaugural edition. The Estadio Centenario, constructed especially for the tournament, hosted most of the games in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay.

In 18 games, 70 goals were scored, averaging 3.89 goals per game. The highest match-to-match average goal differential ever World Cup champion continues to be Uruguay’s plus-12 total over four rounds, at plus-3 on average.