The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition established in 1930. It is contested by the men’s national teams of the members of FIFA, the sport’s global governing body.
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The tournament has taken place organized every four years, except in 1942 and 1946, when the competition was canceled due to World War II. The 2018 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Russia, was won by France, who beat Croatia 4–2 in regulation time.
The World Cup final match is the last of the competition, and the result determines which country is declared the world champion. If after 90 minutes of regular play the score is a draw, an additional 30-minute period of play, called extra time, is added.
If such a game is still tied after extra time, it is then decided by a penalty shoot-out. The team winning the penalty shoot-out is then declared champions. The tournament has been decided by a one-off match on every occasion except in 1950 when the tournament winner was decided by a final round-robin group contested by four teams (Uruguay, Brazil, Sweden, and Spain).
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Uruguay’s 2–1 victory over Brazil was the decisive match (and one of the last two matches of the tournament) that put them ahead on points and ensured that they finished top of the group as world champions. Therefore, this match is regarded by FIFA as the de facto final of the 1950 World Cup
World Cup winners list – Fifa World Cup winners list
| Hosts | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Russia | France | France 4-2 Croatia |
| 2014 Brazil | Germany | Germany 1-0 Argentina |
| 2010 South Africa | Spain | Spain 1-0 Netherlands |
| 2006 Germany | Italy | 1-1, then Italy beat France 5-3 in penalties |
| 2002 Japan / S. Korea | Brazil | Brazil 2-0 Germany |
| 1998 France | France | France 3-0 Brazil |
| 1994 USA | Brazil | 0-0, then Brazil defeated Italy 3-2 in penalties |
| 1990 Italy | Germany | Germany 1-0 Argentina |
| 1986 Mexico | Argentina | Argentina 3-2 Germany |
| 1982 Spain | Italy | Italy 3-1 Germany |
| 1978 Argentina | Argentina | Argentina 3-1 Holland |
| 1974 Germany | Germany | Germany 2-1 Holland |
| 1970 Mexico | Brazil | Brazil 4-1 Italy |
| 1966 England | England | England 4-2 Germany |
| 1962 Chile | Brazil | Brazil 3-1 Czechoslovakia |
| 1958 Sweden | Brazil | Brazil 5-2 Sweden |
| 1954 Switzerland | Germany | Germany 3-2 Hungary |
| 1950 Brazil | Uruguay | Uruguay 2-1 Brazil |
| 1946 | not held | |
| 1942 | not held | |
| 1938 France | Italy | Italy 4-2 Hungary |
| 1934 Italy | Italy | Italy 2-1 Czechoslovakia |
| 1930 Uruguay | Uruguay | Uruguay 4-2 Argentina |
| Team | Titles | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) | 2 (1938, 1978) |
| Germany* | 4 (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) | 4 (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002) |
| Italy | 4 (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) | 2 (1970, 1994) |
| Argentina | 2 (1978, 1986) | 3 (1930, 1990, 2014) |
| Uruguay | 2 (1930, 1950) | – |
| France | 2 (1998, 2018) | 1 (2006) |
| England | 1 (1966) | – |
| Spain | 1 (2010) | – |
