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The FIFA World Cup Finals: The champions over the years
The FIFA World Cup TrophyThe FIFA World Cup is Football's biggest event on the international stage. Footballing nations from all over the world contest for the trophy and the prestigious title of 'champions' for the next four years. The first FIFA World Cup was organised in the year 1930 in Uruguay and since then football fans all over the world eagerly wait for the tournament every four years.
The FIFA World Cup has been held every four years except 1942 and 1946 which was due to the Second World War, meaning that 20 final matches have been played up until now. As we draw near to the 21st World Cup final match between France and Croatia, it is time to recount the eight champion countries that we have had so far.
Brazil - 5 World Cups
Brazil has been the most successful nation at the World Cup. They have played in seven out of twenty finals and won the title five times. They are the only team that have qualified for every edition of the tournament.
FIFA World Cup 2002: Brazilian defender, Cafu, holding up the trophy after Brazil's fifth World Cup winBrazil won their first World Cup in Sweden in the 1958 edition which was the introduction of a Pele to the world. They defended their title successfully in 1962 and became the only team after Italy to do so. No other team has defended the title since. Brazil's third World Cup came in 1970 in Mexico, which was also Pele's third World Cup win. Brazil's first final came in 1950 against Uruguay in their own backyard, Estádio do Maracană in Rio. The game was attended by a whopping 199,854 people. However, they were defeated by Uruguay meaning that they still had to wait for their first title, which came eight years later.
After 1970, Brazil went 24 years without winning the trophy. They reclaimed the title of 'World Champions' in 1994 with Romario. After losing the 1998 final game to France, they won their fifth and the most recent World Cup in 2002 with a team that included the likes of Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Bebeto, Roberto Carlos, and Cafu.
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