By 2022, 21 World Championships have taken place. 8 countries received his main trophy. At the same time, six countries have conquered it repeatedly. We will tell you about all the champions and interesting facts that happened at each of the tournaments.
England
In the entire history of this country managed to win the championship title only once – in 1966. That generation of British players was called “golden” – then the names of Bobby Moore and other football players were widely known. The British played almost perfectly – not a single missed ball until the semi-finals. There were no attackers on the flanks at all, the game was built through the center of the field. The English team overtook the most serious rivals – the Argentines and the Portuguese were beaten in the playoffs.
In the final battle, the British met the Germans. Regular time ended when the score was 2:2. Geoff Hurst shone in that game – he scored the ball in regulation time, as well as a couple more in extra time. One of the goals was very controversial, but the chief referee still counted it. It is possible that this decision was the key to the victory of the team.
Spain
The Spaniards won in 2010. For the championship, only a couple of goals were conceded in the group stage. In the final game with the Netherlands, they scored a goal in extra time, thanks to which they managed to win.
Uruguay
This country was the first to win the World Cup. Few teams played there – only 13. It also took place in Uruguay. A characteristic feature was that the Europeans did not want to go to the championship at all. Only when the FIFA president intervened did several teams go to the championship.
The final was with Argentina and ended 4:2. A well-known fact – Argentine fans brought a lot of weapons to the match, but they were confiscated at the entrance to the stadium.
Uruguay also became champions in 1950. Then, too, only thirteen teams played. The peculiarity was that the winners were determined in a group tournament. In the main game of the championship, Uruguay met with Brazil and was able to win with a score of 2:1. Tellingly, this day is now a Uruguayan national holiday.
Argentina
The Argentines became champions in 1978. It was a home World Cup, and there were cases of “help” from the referees of the Argentina national team. In order to reach the final, Argentina beat Peru with a crushing score. Some considered the game negotiable. In the final, the Argentines beat the Dutch 3-1.
Argentina also won the league title in 1986. At that time, Maradona was in excellent shape, the match with the British was noteworthy. Maradona’s first goal was scored by hand, which the referee did not notice. And the second is considered one of the best in the history of football. Then Maradona bypassed all rivals, starting from his own half of the field. The final was with the German national team – Argentina won it with a score of 3: 2.
And for the third time, this country became the best in world football in 2022.
https://youtu.be/nhUVWAjGfh8
France
The French won their first league title in 1998. The composition was really excellent – they played Zinedine Zidane, Laurent Blanc and others. Also on the field was a young Thierry Henry. The French scored a lot, practically did not concede – only two goals. In the final, we met with the Brazilians, but there was no particular struggle – we beat them with a score of 3:0 without any problems.
The second championship title was won in Russia in 2018. In the final game, the French team met with the Croatian team, the match ended with a score of 4:2. Tellingly, in this championship, the judges appointed a lot of penalties – all thanks to VAR.
Germany
Like Germany, the Germans won three times, like modern Germany – 1 time. The first German victory came in 1954. It is noteworthy that the Germans were defeated by the Hungarians in the second round. West Germany met with them in the final and managed to win with a score of 3:2.
The second victory – 1974. The strongest attacking football, the main stars of Europe – all this is about that team. In the final, the German national team met with the Netherlands and managed to win with a score of 2: 1.
The next victory at the World Cup was won by the German national team in 1990. The Germans quickly defeated the rivals in the group. The semi-final game with the British was completed by a series of penalties. Then the Argentines waited for the Germans. The German national team won the final with a penalty kick.
The German team won the 2014 World Cup. A characteristic moment – in the semifinals, the Germans defeated Brazil with a score of 7:1. The final was with Argentina – only one goal was scored there, Götze did it.
Italy
The first time the Italian team won in 1934. Then Mussolini ruled and players were threatened with prison for defeat. In the final game, Italy met with Czechoslovakia and won – 2:1.
Italy also won in 1938. The Brazilians were so convinced of their victory that they bought plane tickets to the French capital – that’s where the final was supposed to take place. But Brazil was defeated, the Italians played with the Hungarians in the final and won 4:2.
The next championship is in 1982. It was difficult for the Italians to leave the group, all matches were played in a draw. In the final there was a game with the German national team, winning 3: 1. The captain of the Italians was Dino Zoff, the first player to win the World Cup at the age of forty.
Finally, Italy took the league title in 2006. In the final they played with the French. In extra time, Materazzi provokes Zidane, for which he beats him and receives a red card. The teams played to penalties, and Italy was able to win.
Brazil
Brazilians have become champions as many as 5 times. For the first time – in 1958. The Brazilians smashed everyone without missing a single ball. It was this championship that was the first for Pelé to score two goals in the final. The Brazilians also won in 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. In 1962 there was a final with Czechoslovakia, in 1970 with Italy, then Pele scored the most important goal in the final. In 1994 there was also a game with the Italians, it came to a penalty, where the Brazilians also showed themselves better. Ronaldo shone at the 2002 championship – it was thanks to him that the country managed to bypass the German football team in the final. Now the Brazilians are pentacampeons.