| Founded | 1930; 96 years ago (1930) |
|---|---|
| Current champions |  Argentina(3rd title) |
| Most championships |  Brazil(5 titles) |
TheFIFA World Cup is an internationalassociation football competition contested by the seniormen's national teams of theFédération 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 ofWorld War II.
The World Cupfinal 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 adraw,extra time is used. If scores are then still level, apenalty shoot-out determines the winner,[1] under the rules in force since 1986; prior to that, finals still tied after extra time would have beenreplayed,[n 1] though this never proved necessary. Thegolden 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 the1950 World Cup, which featured a finalround-robin group of four teams;the decisive match of that group is often regarded as thede facto final of that tournament, including by FIFA itself.[3]
The team that wins the final receives theFIFA World Cup Trophy, and its name is engraved on the bottom side of the trophy.[4] Of 80 nations that haveappeared 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 andGermany[n 2] have four titles each, with Germany having reached more finals than any other team, eight. Current championArgentina has three titles,Uruguay andFrance have two each, whileEngland andSpain have one each.Czechoslovakia,Hungary,Sweden, theNetherlands andCroatia have played in the final without winning. Only teams from Europe (UEFA) and South America (CONMEBOL) have ever competed in the final.
Argentina defeated France on penalties inthe latest final, staged at Qatar'sLusail Stadium in 2022.
.svg)  Locations of finals held in the rest of the world |
| a.e.t. | Match went toextra time |
| pen. | Match was won on apenalty shoot-out |
| 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 | 3 | 6 | 1978,1986,2022 | 1930,1990,2014 |
 France | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1998,2018 | 2006,2022 |
 Uruguay | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1930,1950 | — |
 England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1966 | — |
 Spain | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2010 | — |
 Netherlands | 0 | 3 | 3 | — | 1974,1978,2010 |
 Hungary | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 1938,1954 |
 Czechoslovakia | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 1934,1962 |
 Sweden | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1958 |
 Croatia | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2018 |
| Confederation | Appearances | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA | 29 | 12 | 17 |
| CONMEBOL | 15 | 10 | 5 |
General
Specific
Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) | |
| Tournaments |
|
| Qualification | |
| Finals | |
| Squads | |
| Final draw | |
| Broadcasters | |
| Bids | |
| Officials | |
| Team appearances | |
| Other records |
|
| Miscellaneous | |
