NEW YORK, July 19 (Reuters) – List of World Cup champions since the tournament began in 1930 (hosts, winners):
URUGUAY 1930 – URUGUAY
* Uruguay won the inaugural World Cup by beating Argentina 4-2 in the final in Montevideo.
* The first tournament included 13 teams, with only four from Europe. The trip to South America was challenging for many European players because they feared losing their jobs after being absent for a long time.
ITALY 1934 – ITALY
* Hosts Italy defeated Czechoslovakia 2-1 in Rome in a tournament consisting of a Round of 16.
* Holders Uruguay declined to participate in protest at the refusal of several European countries to travel to South America for the previous World Cup. At the same time, Egypt became the first African country to participate.
FRANCE 1938 – ITALY
* Italy claimed their second World Cup trophy, beating Hungary 4-2 in the final.
* Dutch East Indies, present-day Indonesia, became the first Asian team to participate in the World Cup.
BRAZIL 1950 – URUGUAY
* The first World Cup after World War Two, where England made their debut. Uruguay lifted their second World Cup after a 2-1 win against hosts Brazil in a game that later became known as “Maracanaco”.
* With 173,850 spectators, the game is still the highest-ever attended World Cup match.
SWITZERLAND 1954 – GERMANY
* West Germany claimed their first title with a 3-2 win in the final against Hungary.
SWEDEN 1958 – BRAZIL
* The only World Cup staged in a Nordic country saw the debut of 17-year-old Brazilian Pele, who scored six goals and helped his team beat hosts Sweden 5-2 in the final.
* France’s Just Fontaine scored 13 goals in the tournament, still a record.
CHILE 1962 – BRAZIL
* Brazil retained their title in a 3-1 victory over Czechoslovakia in the final in Santiago.
ENGLAND 1966 – ENGLAND
* The only World Cup triumph for England, as they secured a 4-2 extra-time win over West Germany in the final.
* North Korea and Portugal debuted in this World Cup, with the Portugal striker Eusebio the tournament’s top scorer.
MEXICO 1970 – BRAZIL
* Brazil won their third title in Pele’s last World Cup by winning 4-1 against Italy at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
* The tournament passed without a player being sent off. It was the first time substitutes were allowed, and yellow and red cards were introduced. It was also the first World Cup broadcast in colour and the first with an officially sponsored match ball.
WEST GERMANY 1974 – WEST GERMANY
* The host nation lifted their second World Cup after beating the Netherlands 2-1 in the final.
* A new trophy was introduced for the tournament as Brazil had kept the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently due to three wins.
ARGENTINA 1978 – ARGENTINA
* The host nation again lifted the trophy as Argentina won 3-1 against the Netherlands in the final at Estadio Monumental.
* Tunisia’s 3-1 win over Mexico was the first time an African team had won a match in the tournament’s history.
SPAIN 1982 – ITALY
* Italy became world champions for the third time with a 3-1 victory over West Germany in Spain .
* The tournament marked the first time a penalty shootout was used.
MEXICO 1986 – ARGENTINA
* Mexico hosted the World Cup for the second time, with Argentina’s Diego Maradona dominating the tournament and helping secure his nation’s second World Cup by beating West Germany 3-2 in the final.
* Argentina’s quarter-final against England is probably best remembered, however, as it included Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal and his brilliant mazy dribble and strike that was later dubbed the “Goal of the Century”.
ITALY 1990 – WEST GERMANY
* West Germany won the tournament for the third time as they beat Argentina 1-0 in Rome.
* Cameroon beat Argentina in the group stage at San Siro before becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.
UNITED STATES 1994 – BRAZIL
* The first tournament held in the United States was marked by several high-profile teams and players.
* Romario and Bebeto guided Brazil to the final, where Italy and Roberto Baggio waited. After a lacklustre game, it saw the World Cup final’s first penalty shootout, with Brazil claiming their fourth trophy after Baggio missed.
FRANCE 1998 – FRANCE
* The first World Cup with 32 teams competing. The hosts, led by Didier Deschamps, beat Brazil 3-0 in the final.
SOUTH KOREA/JAPAN 2002 – BRAZIL
* The first World Cup co-hosted by two nations and the first held in Asia. Ronaldo crowned his career by helping Brazil claim their fifth world title by beating Germany 2-0 in Yokohama.
GERMANY 2006 – ITALY
* Italy beat France 5-3 on penalties in Berlin after the game finished 1-1 after extra time in a clash in which Zinedine Zidane’s got a red card for head-butting Marco Materazzi.
* Another infamous game was the last-16 match between Portugal and Netherlands. Nicknamed the “Battle of Nuremberg”, the game had four red cards and 16 yellows – a record for cards shown at a FIFA international tournament. Portugal won 1-0.
SOUTH AFRICA 2010 – SPAIN
* The tournament was held in Africa for the first time, with Spain claiming their first World Cup by defeating Netherlands 1-0 in the final after extra time.
BRAZIL 2014 – GERMANY
* Germany won their fourth title by beating Argentina 1-0 in the final.
RUSSIA 2018 – FRANCE
* France won their second title, beating Croatia 4-2 in the final, making coach Didier Deschamps the second man to win the World Cup as both a captain and a manager (following Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer), after he led the team to victory in 1998.
* The tournament marked the first use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR).
QATAR 2022 – ARGENTINA
* Argentina won their third title, beating France on penalties after the game ended 3-3 following extra time. Lionel Messi scored twice for Argentina, while Kylian Mbappe netted a hat-trick as Les Bleus recovered from 2-0 down.
UNITED STATES, MEXICO AND CANADA 2026 – SPAIN
* Spain won their second World Cup with a 1-0 win over defending champions Argentina after extra time thanks to a goal from Ferran Torres. Argentina’s 39-year-old captain Lionel Messi became the second player to feature in three World Cup finals.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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