| Founded | 1946 |
|---|---|
| Region | International (CISM) |
| Current champions | M: Bahrain (2019)W:  South Korea (2023) |
| Most championships | Men: Italy (8 titles)Women:  Brazil (5 titles) |
 2019 Military World Games | |
TheWorld Military Cup is an international associationfootball competition contested by national military teams. Organized by theInternational Military Sports Council (CISM), the tournament was first held in 1946 under the titleWorld Military Championship. The name was changed to the World Military Cup ahead of the 2001 edition.
In 1995, theMilitary World Games—a multi-sport event for military personnel—was established, and the football championship became an integrated discipline within the Games. Despite this integration, the football tournament continues to be organized as a standalone biennial event under CISM governance.
A counterpart competition for women, theWorld Military Women's Championship, was established in 2001. Both tournaments remain key fixtures in CISM's sporting calendar, promoting camaraderie and sportsmanship among armed forces globally.
The inaugural World Military Championship was hosted inPrague,Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) in 1946, organized by the Armed Forces Sports Council (AFSC). In 1948, the AFSC was restructured and renamed theInternational Military Sports Council (CISM), which has governed the competition since. Great Britain won the first title, defeating host nation Czechoslovakia in the final, where the latter finished as runners-up.[1]
Since 2013, the World Military Cup has been restructured into two distinct competitions. TheCISM World Football Cup, held on a four-year cycle, debuted in its current format in 2013. Its second edition took place from 23 to 28 January 2017 inMuscat, Oman.
Separately, theMilitary World Games—a multi-sport event organized by the International Military Sports Council (CISM)—features afootball tournament branded as theMilitary World Championship. This competition also follows a four-year cycle, running concurrently with the Games.[1]
Teams qualify for the World Military Cup through continental tournaments organized by each confederation under CISM governance. The qualifying competitions are as follows:
| Confederation | Championship |
|---|---|
| Asia | Asian Military Qualifying Tournament |
| Africa | African Military Cup |
| Americas | Americas Military Cup |
| Europe | European Military Qualifying Tournament |
These tournaments determine the regional representatives for the final World Military Cup event.
Afootball tournament has been held as part of theMilitary World Games every four years since 1995. This competition is recognized as part of the World Military Championship.
| Year | Host | Final | Third Place Match | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Score | Runners-Up | Third Place | Score | Fourth Place | ||||
| 2013 Details |  Baku |  Iraq | 3–2 |  Oman |  Ivory Coast | 1–0 | Azerbaijan | ||
| 2017 Details | Muscat | Oman | 0–0 (4–1p) |  Qatar |  Syria | 2 – 2 (6–5p) |  Egypt | ||
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 8 (1950, 1951, 1956, 1959, 1973, 1987, 1989, 1991) | 4 (1955, 1972, 1979, 1997) | 3 (1957, 1977, 2003) | — | 15 |
 Greece | 6 (1952, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1997) | 3 (1961, 1999, 2001) | 3 (1953, 1960, 1972) | — | 12 |
| Egypt | 5 (1993, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007) | 3 (1951, 2003, 2011) | 3 (1955, 1956, 1987) | 2 (2015, 2017) | 13 |
 France | 5 (1948, 1949, 1957, 1964, 1995) | 1 (1958) | 6 (1950, 1951, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1997) | 6 (1954, 1960, 1977, 1981, 1991, 1993) | 18 |
 Turkey | 4 (1955, 1961, 1966, 1967) | 7 (1949, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1968) | 2 (1962, 1991) | 4 (1952, 1956, 1963, 1972) | 17 |
 Belgium | 4 (1947, 1953, 1954, 1960) | 6 (1948, 1950, 1952, 1963, 1967, 1983) | 3 (1946, 1949, 1989) | 4 (1951, 1958, 1965, 1987) | 14 |
| Iraq | 4 (1972, 1977, 1979, 2013) | 1 (1973) | — | — | 5 |
 Algeria | 2 (2011, 2015) | 2 (1969, 2005) | 1 (2019) | — | 5 |
 Kuwait | 2 (1981, 1983) | 1 (1977) | 3 (1973, 1975, 1979) | — | 6 |
 Germany | 1 (1975) | 2 (1987, 1991) | 2 (1964, 1993) | 2 (1999, 2005) | 7 |
 Portugal | 1 (1958) | 2 (1956, 1959) | 1 (1954) | — | 4 |
| Oman | 1 (2017) | 2 (2013, 2015) | — | — | 3 |
 North Korea | 1 (2003) | — | 2 (2001, 2007) | 1 (2019) | 4 |
 Spain | 1 (1965) | — | — | 2 (1966, 1968) | 3 |
| Bahrain | 1 (2019) | — | — | — | 1 |
 England | 1 (1946) | — | — | — | 1 |
 Morocco | — | 3 (1966, 1989, 1993) | 2 (1965, 1967) | — | 5 |
| Qatar | — | 3 (1981, 2017, 2019) | 1 (2005) | 2 (2007, 2011) | 6 |
 Netherlands | — | 2 (1947, 1975) | 4 (1952, 1958, 1966, 1968) | 6 (1949, 1950, 1955, 1961, 1964, 1967) | 12 |
 Iran | — | 1 (1995) | 1 (1969) | — | 2 |
| South Korea | — | 1 (1962) | 2 (1995, 2015) | — | 3 |
 Cameroon | — | 1 (2007) | — | 1 (1975) | 2 |
 Argentina | — | 1 (1957) | — | — | 1 |
 Czechoslovakia | — | 1 (1946) | — | — | 1 |
 Denmark | — | — | 2 (1947, 1948) | — | 2 |
| Syria | — | — | 2 (1981, 2017) | — | 2 |
| Brazil | — | — | 1 (2011) | 1 (1957) | 2 |
 Croatia | — | — | 1 (1999) | — | 1 |
| Ivory Coast | — | — | 1 (2013) | — | 1 |
 Austria | — | — | — | 1 (1979) | 1 |
 Congo | — | — | — | 1 (1973) | 1 |
 Cyprus | — | — | — | 1 (1995) | 1 |
 Guinea | — | — | — | 1 (2001) | 1 |
 Lithuania | — | — | — | 1 (2003) | 1 |
 Luxembourg | — | — | — | 1 (1948) | 1 |
 United Arab Emirates | — | — | — | 1 (1989) | 1 |
 Burkina Faso | — | — | — | 1 (1997) | 1 |
| Azerbaijan | — | — | — | 1 (2013) | 1 |
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 5 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2018) | 1 (2016) | 2 (2012, 2019) | — | 8 |
| Germany | 4 (2001, 2003, 2008, 2012) | 4 (2002, 2004, 2007, 2011) | 1 (2006) | — | 9 |
| France | 2 (2016, 2022) | 3 (2008, 2015, 2023) | 2 (2007, 2010) | 5 (2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2018) | 12 |
| Netherlands | 2 (2004, 2006) | 2 (2001, 2003) | 4 (2002, 2008, 2009, 2011) | 4 (2007, 2010, 2015, 2023) | 12 |
| North Korea | 2 (2007, 2019) | — | — | — | 2 |
| South Korea | 1 (2023) | 4 (2009, 2010, 2012, 2018) | 3 (2015, 2016, 2022) | 2 (2008, 2019) | 10 |
 United States | 1 (2002) | 1 (2006) | 2 (2003, 2004) | 1 (2022) | 5 |
| Cameroon | — | 1 (2022) | 1 (2023) | 1 (2016) | 3 |
 China | — | 1 (2019) | 1 (2018) | — | 2 |
| England | — | — | 1 (2001) | — | 1 |
 Canada | — | — | — | 4 (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) | 4 |
