List of FIFA World Cup finals

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The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, when it was not held because of World War II.

Founded1930; 96 years ago (1930)
Current champions Spain (2nd title)
Most championships Brazil (5 titles)
Quick facts Founded, Current champions ...
FIFA World Cup final
The pre-match ceremonies of the 2026 final in the United States
Founded1930; 96 years ago (1930)
Current champions Spain (2nd title)
Most championships Brazil (5 titles)
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The World Cup final is the last match of the competition, played by the only two teams remaining in contention, and the result determines which country is declared the world champion. It is a one-off match decided in regulation time. In case of a draw, extra time is used. If scores are then still level, a penalty shoot-out determines the winner,[1] under the rules in force since 1986; prior to that, finals still tied after extra time would have been replayed,[n 1] though this never proved necessary. The golden goal rule would have applied during extra time in 1998 and 2002, but was not put in practice either. The only exception to this type of format was the 1950 World Cup, which featured a final round-robin group of four teams; the decisive match of that group is often regarded as the de facto final of that tournament, including by FIFA itself.[3]

The team that wins the final receives the FIFA World Cup Trophy, and its name is engraved on the bottom side of the trophy.[4] Of 84 nations that have appeared in the tournament, 13 have made it to the final, and 8 have won. Brazil, the only team that has participated in every World Cup, is also the most successful team in the competition, having won five titles and finished second twice.[5] Italy and Germany[n 2] have four titles each, with Germany having reached more finals than any other team, eight. Argentina has won three titles, Uruguay, France and Spain have two each, and England has one. Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Sweden, the Netherlands and Croatia have played in the final without winning. Only teams from Europe (UEFA) and South America (CONMEBOL) have ever competed in the final. Spain defeated Argentina in the latest final, staged at the United States' MetLife Stadium in 2026.

List of final matches

Locations of finals held in Europe
Locations of finals held in the rest of the world
Key to the list
a.e.t. Match went to extra time
pen. Match was won on a penalty shoot-out
More information Year, Winners ...
List of FIFA World Cup finals
Year Winners Score Runners-up Venue Location Attendance Ref.
1930 Uruguay  4–2  Argentina Estadio Centenario Montevideo, Uruguay 68,346 [7][8]
1934 Italy  2–1 (a.e.t.)  Czechoslovakia Stadio Nazionale PNF Rome, Italy 55,000 [9][10]
1938 Italy  4–2  Hungary Stade Olympique de Colombes Colombes, France 45,000 [11][12]
1950 Uruguay  2–1[n 3]  Brazil Maracanã Stadium Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 173,850 [13][14]
1954 West Germany  3–2  Hungary Wankdorf Stadium Bern, Switzerland 62,500 [15][16]
1958 Brazil  5–2  Sweden Råsunda Stadium Solna, Sweden 49,737 [17][18]
1962 Brazil  3–1  Czechoslovakia Estadio Nacional Santiago, Chile 68,679 [19][20]
1966 England  4–2 (a.e.t.)  West Germany Wembley Stadium London, England 96,924 [21][22]
1970 Brazil  4–1  Italy Estadio Azteca Mexico City, Mexico 107,412 [23][24]
1974 West Germany  2–1  Netherlands Olympiastadion Munich, West Germany 78,200 [25][26]
1978 Argentina  3–1 (a.e.t.)  Netherlands Estadio Monumental Buenos Aires, Argentina 71,483 [27][28]
1982 Italy  3–1  West Germany Santiago Bernabéu Madrid, Spain 90,000 [29][30]
1986 Argentina  3–2  West Germany Estadio Azteca Mexico City, Mexico 114,600 [31][32]
1990 West Germany  1–0  Argentina Stadio Olimpico Rome, Italy 73,603 [33][34]
1994 Brazil  0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 pen.)		  Italy Rose Bowl Pasadena, California, United States 94,194 [35][36]
1998 France  3–0  Brazil Stade de France Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France 80,000 [37][38]
2002 Brazil  2–0  Germany International Stadium Yokohama, Japan 69,029 [39][40]
2006 Italy  1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 pen.)		  France Olympiastadion Berlin, Germany 69,000 [41][42]
2010 Spain  1–0 (a.e.t.)  Netherlands Soccer City Johannesburg, South Africa 84,490 [43][44]
2014 Germany  1–0 (a.e.t.)  Argentina Maracanã Stadium Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 74,738 [45][46]
2018 France  4–2  Croatia Luzhniki Stadium Moscow, Russia 78,011 [47][48]
2022 Argentina  3–3 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 pen.)		  France Lusail Stadium Lusail, Qatar 88,966 [49]
2026 Spain  1–0 (a.e.t.)  Argentina MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States 80,663 [50]
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Results

Map of winning countries
More information Team, Winners ...
Results by nation
Team Winners Runners-up Total finals Years won Years runners-up
 Brazil 5 2 7 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002 1950, 1998
 Germany 4 4 8 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014 1966, 1982, 1986, 2002
 Italy 4 2 6 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006 1970, 1994
 Argentina 3 4 7 1978, 1986, 2022 1930, 1990, 2014, 2026
 France 2 2 4 1998, 2018 2006, 2022
 Uruguay 2 0 2 1930, 1950 —
 Spain 2 0 2 2010, 2026 —
 England 1 0 1 1966 —
 Netherlands 0 3 3 — 1974, 1978, 2010
 Czechoslovakia 0 2 2 — 1934, 1962
 Hungary 0 2 2 — 1938, 1954
 Sweden 0 1 1 — 1958
 Croatia 0 1 1 — 2018
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More information Confederation, Appearances ...
Results by confederation
Confederation Appearances Winners Runners-up
UEFA 30 13 17
CONMEBOL 16 10 6
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See also

Notes

  1. [1]
    The 1962 and 1966 finals had provisions for only a single replay, and then a drawing of lots. For knockout matches other than the finals, penalty shoot-outs had been adopted from 1978, while lots would have been drawn between 1962 and 1974.[2]
  2. [2]
    The team's totals include the records of West Germany (1954–1990).[6]
  3. [3]
    Decisive match of a final stage; technically not a final but often regarded as such.

References

External links

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