FIFA World Cup: Teams Records and Statistics

Introduction

The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious soccer tournament, held every four years . It brings together the best teams to compete for the title of world champion. The first World Cup was held in 1930. It has become the most widely-viewed and followed sporting event in the world.

Purpose

This blog will explore the champions and memorable moments of each tournament. From the early days of the tournament to the modern era of soccer, we will delve into the rich history of the FIFA World Cup championships. Join us as we discover the greatest soccer teams in the history of the sport.

FIFA World Cup Records and Statistics

Tournament History

Overall Team Records

Most World Cup Appearances

Brazil

• Brazil is the only team to have competed in every World Cup since 1930.

Germany

• In 1930, Germany did not participate.
• In 1950 they were banned from participating owing to World War 2 (WWII).

Italy

• In 1930, Italy did not participate.
• In 1958, 2018 and 2022 it failed to qualify.

Argentina

• In 1938 and1950 Argentina withdrew from World Cup due to hosting disagreements.
• In 1954, it withdrew due to political decision. In 1970, it failed to qualify.

Uruguay

• In 1934 & 1938, Uruguay did not participate.
• In 1958, 1978, 1982, 1994, 1998 and 2006, it failed to qualify.

Most World Cup Title Winners

The FIFA World Cup has been awarded every four years since 1930, with the exception of 1942 and 1946, when it was not held due to World War II. The first official FIFA World Cup was organized in Uruguay in 1930. Since then, the championship is awarded every four years.

List of World Cup Runners Up

Back-to-back World Cup Winners

Only two teams has registered two consecutive wins:

1. Italy won world cup back-to-back in the year 1934 & 1938
2. Brazil won world cup back-to-back in the year 1958 & 1962

World Cup Top Performing Teams

[ Source : Wikipedia.com ]

• the system used in the World Cup up to 1990 was 2 points for a win.
• for ranking, 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss.
• teams are ranked by total points, then by goal difference, then by goals scored.

Biggest World Cup Wins

Here is the summary of one of the biggest historic World Cup wins registered by teams.

The Highs and Lows of World Cup Winners

Brazil

World Cup Records and Statistics

• Brazil has a history of success in the FIFA World Cup and is one of the world’s top-performing soccer teams for more than 50 years.
• Brazil is the only national team to have played in all World Cup editions without any absence or needs for playoffs, since its inception (1930).
• Brazil has in total won 5 FIFA World Cups titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002).
• Brazil is the most successful team in World Cup history, having won five titles and finishing second, third, and fourth twice.

• Brazil is one of the few countries, along with Argentina, Spain, and Germany, to win a World Cup away from its continent, and the only one to do it in four different continents ((Sweden 1958, Chile 1962, Mexico 1970, United States 1994 and South Korea/Japan 2002).
• Brazil has the best overall performance in World Cup history in terms of victories (79 out of 114 matches), goal difference (129), points (247), and losses (19 only).
• The team has produced notable players, holds several records, and has had consecutive wins (1958 & 1962) in the tournament.
• Brazil won its first World Cup title in 1958, 28 years after the first competition.
• Brazil won their fourth title 24 years after their third in 1970.
• Brazil have scored 237 goals and conceded 108, resulting in a goal difference of +129. The win percentage is 66%.

World Cup Rivalries and Opponents

• Brazil’s traditional rival is Argentina, with two wins (1974, 1982), one loss (1990), and one draw (1978) in World Cup matches between the teams.
• Sweden is the team Brazil has played most against in the World Cup finals, 7 times, with five wins and two draws.
• Brazil has also had rivalries with Italy, France, and Netherlands in the World Cup.
• Brazil has been most successful against Sweden, Mexico, Czechoslovakia, Spain, and Serbia.
• Brazil has had a 100% win record against some teams such as Costa Rica, Russia, Peru, Austria, Turkey, and Morocco.
• Brazil has defeated Italy twice (1970 & 1994), followed by Sweden (1958), Czechia (1962), Italy (1970 & 1994), & Germany (2002) in finals to lift the FIFA World Cup.
• Brazil’s biggest win was against Sweden, defeating them by 7-1, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was on 9th July 1950.
• Brazil holds the record for the two biggest wins in World Cup final history. One was in 1958 against Sweden, which they won by 5-2. Other was in 1970 against Italy, which they won by 4-1.

World Cup Setbacks

• Brazil’s worst defeat was against Germany, losing by 1-7, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It was on 8th July 2014.
• Brazil’s worst results were its first round exit in 1934 and group stage exits in 1930 and 1966.
• As of 2022, it will be 20 years since Brazil won its last World Cup title in 2002.

Germany

World Cup Records and Statistics

• Germany team hosted the tournament once in 1974 and co-hosted it in 2006.
• Germany has won 4 FIFA World Cup titles in 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014, making it one of the most successful teams in the history of the tournament.
• They are 4 times runners-up in 1966, 1982, 1986 and 2002.
• They are 4 times in third place in 1934, 1970, 2006, 2010.
• They were in fourth place once in 1958.
• Germany has finished third or better in at least 12 of 20 tournaments, which is 3 times more than any country.

• Germany has played 112 matches in total, with 68 wins, 21 draws, and 23 losses. They have scored 232 goals and has allowed 130 goals.
• Germany has one of the best qualification records, with 83 wins and 18 draws in 104 matches. They have scored 328 goals and have allowed 74 goals.
• Germany, along with Argentina, Brazil, and Spain, is one of the four national teams to have won a FIFA World Cup outside of their continental confederation, with their 2014 victory in South America.
• Germany qualified the final stages in 8 out of the 21 World Cups they have participated in.
• Germany has qualified for every World Cup since 1954, with the exception of 1950, which they were banned from entering due to their role in WWII.
• If points were awarded proportionally for a title, runner-up finish, third-place finish, semi-final, and quarter-final appearances, then Germany as the best team in the history of the tournament in terms of final positions.
• Germany has been a consistent performer and is considered as one of the most successful teams in World Cup history.
• Germany is the only team that has consistently performed well and achieved a podium finish in every completed decade of the World Cup tournament held from 1930s to 2010s.
• The team qualified for every FIFA World Cup tournament they have entered (20 out of the 22), the second most frequent. They only failed to reach the quarter-finals three times, in 1938, 2018, and 2022.
• Germany’s best performance came in 1974 as host nation where they won the tournament by winning all the matches.
• Germany’s biggest win was against Saudi Arabia, defeating them by 8-0,in Sapporo, Japan on 1st June 2022.

World Cup Rivalries and Opponents

• Germany has a strong rivalry with Italy, Argentina, and Netherlands historically.
• Germany and Italy have played against each other 21 times, with 8 wins for Germany, 6 wins for Italy, and 7 draws.
• Germany and Argentina have played against each other 8 times, with 5 wins for Germany and 3 wins for Argentina.
• Germany and the Netherlands have played against each other 14 times, with 5 wins for Germany, 7 wins for Netherlands, and 2 draws.
• Germany has overall played a total of 105 matches against 47 different opponents.
• Germany has a win percentage of 100% against 14 opponents, including Turkey, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Costa Rica, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Peru, Cameroon, Iran, Scotland, Soviet Union, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
• Germany has a win percentage of over 50% against 17 of the opponents, with the highest win percentage (80%) against Sweden.
• Germany has the lowest win percentage (0%) against Italy.
• Germany played 7 matches against Argentina, with 4 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss.
• Germany played 6 matches against Yugoslavia, with 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss.
• Germany played 5 matches against Sweden, England, Spain, and Italy with 4, 2, ,2 and 0 wins respectively.
• Germany played 4 matches against Uruguay, Austria, Mexico, Switzerland, and France with 3, 3, 2, 2, and 2 wins respectively.
• Germany played 3 matches against Chile, the United States, Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, and Czechoslovakia, with 3, 3, 2, 2, 2 wins respectively.
• Germany played 1 match against rest of the unlisted opponents above.

World Cup Setbacks

• Germany could not participate in the 1930 tournament in 1930. They were banned from entering in 1950 due to World War II.
• Germany’s was eliminated in the group stage matches in 2018 and in the round of 16 in 2022.
• Germany’s biggest defeat was against Hungary, losing by 8-3 in Basel, Switzerland on 20th June 1954.
• Germany’s worst defeat was first round exit in 1938, and group stage exits in 2018 and 2022.

Italy

World Cup Records and Statistics

• Italy is one of the most successful national teams in World Cup history, second only to Brazil in terms of number of titles won.
• Italy has won 4 FIFA World Cup titles (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006). They were also consecutive runners up in 1970 & 1974
• Italy has participated in 18 out of 22 World Cup tournaments
• Italy has reached the final 6 times, achieved third place once (1990), and fourth place once (1978).
• Overall record: 45 wins, 21 draws, 17 losses, with 128 goals for and 77 goals against

World Cup Rivalries and Opponents

• Italy has had rivalries with several teams throughout its World Cup history, including Brazil, Germany, and Argentina.
• Italy has played against Brazil 7 times in the World Cup, with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses.
• Italy has played against Germany 8 times in the World Cup, with 3 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses.
• Italy has played against Argentina 5 times in the World Cup, with 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss.

World Cup Setbacks

• Italy’s biggest defeat was against Switzerland in 1954, losing by 4-1 in Basel, Switzerland. Also, against Brazil in 1970, losing by 4-1, in Mexico city.
• Italy’s worst results were their group stage exit’s in 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1974, 2010 and 2014.
• Italy’s worst setbacks were in 1958, 2018, 2022, where they failed to quality.
• Italy last qualified for the World Cup was in 2014.

Argentina

World Cup Records and Statistics

• Argentina has won three World Cups in 1978, 1986 and 2022, making it one of the most successful teams in the tournament’s history.
• Argentina has been runner up 3 times in 1930, 1990, 2014.
• Argentina has 47 victories, 17 draws and 22 losses in 88 matches in 18 World Cup tournaments.
• Argentina has scored a total of 152 goals and conceded 101 goals across all tournaments.
• In terms of the qualifications, they have played 153 matches with 86 wins, 42 draws and 25 losses, scored 262 goals and conceded 135 goals.
• Argentina has only missed 4 World Cup tournaments (1938, 1950, 1954, 1970), being behind only Brazil and Germany in number of appearances.

• The win percentage for Argentina in FIFA World Cup finals is 53.41%.
• Argentina has also played 153 matches in the FIFA World Cup qualification, with 86 wins, 42 draws, and 25 losses.
• The win percentage for Argentina in FIFA World Cup qualification is 56.19%.

World Cup Rivalries and Opponents

• Argentina had a strong performance in the FIFA World Cup tournaments from 1930 to 1986.
• Argentina won against France in the first round of the 1930 World Cup
• Argentina also had a rivalry with Brazil and they faced each other in 1974 and 1982 World Cup. In 1974, they lost 1-2 and in 1982 they lost 1-3.
• Argentina had a strong rivalry with Uruguay in the 1930 World Cup, they reached the finals but lost to Uruguay 2-4.
• They had a rivalry with England in the 1986, and they defeated them 2-1.
• Argentina had an impressive run in the 1986 World Cup, winning all their matches in the group stage and knockout stages and reaching the finals where they defeated West Germany 3-2. During this tournament, they had a win percentage of 80%.
• Argentina had a particularly impressive performance in the 1978 World Cup, where they defeated the Netherlands 3-1 in extra time.
• Argentina’s biggest wins were, in 1978 against Peru (6-0) in Rosario, Argentina and in 2006 against Serbia and Montenegro (6-0) in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

World Cup Setbacks

• Argentina’s biggest defeat was in 1958 against Czechoslovakia (6-1) in Helsingborg, Sweden.
• Argentina’s worst results were group stage eliminations by Sweden in 1934 (2-3). West Germany in 1958 (1-3), England in 1962 (1-3) and 1966 (0-1). Netherlands in 1974 (0-4) and Italy in 1974 (1-2).

FIFA World Cup : FAQs on Teams