How many teams have retained the World Cup? This is a topic of great interest because the World Cup is the pinnacle of international football, competing the greatest teams from every continent and confederation against one another. Winning it is the pinnacle of most players’ careers, so it’s no surprise that the various teams prepare to compete at their best each time it comes around. The tournament’s complexity also implies that winning it once, much alone numerous times in a row, is incredibly tough.

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How many teams have retained the World Cup (https://cupfc.net/how-many-teams-have-retained-the-world-cup-
latest-2023/)? This is a topic of great interest because the World Cup is the pinnacle of international football,
competing the greatest teams from every continent and confederation against one another. Winning it is the
pinnacle of most players’ careers, so it’s no surprise that the various teams prepare to compete at their best each
time it comes around. The tournament’s complexity also implies that winning it once, much alone numerous times in
a row, is incredibly tough.
Defending Champions at the World Cup
alt="Defending Champions at the World Cup"
February 23, 2023 11:54:45 AM
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Table of Contents
Defending Champions at the World Cup
List of World Cup winners from 1930 to 2022
How many teams have retained the World Cup?
Italy – 1934 and 1938
Brazil – 1958 and 1962
In conclusion
1.
1.1.
2.
2.1.
2.2.
3.

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The FIFA World Cup, usually referred to as the FIFA World Cup, is a football competition held every four years for all
national men’s football teams of FIFA member nations.
The first tournament was held in 1930. Due to the harshness of World War II, it has only been broken up twice up
until this point, in 1942 and 1946. To win, a team must eliminate its rivals and win the honorable World Cup soccer
cup that anyone can covet.
Currently, the world championship tournament allows the 32 best teams to participate in the final round. Qualifiers
will be held during the three years preceding the official competition year.
This qualifying round will be held on a continent-by-continent basis. That is, countries on the same continent will
play against each other. From there, select the best teams to participate in the final round. There are different types
of qualifiers such as: Asian Regional Qualifiers, European Qualifiers, Africa, South America,…
To qualify for the final round, all teams must compete in the qualifying round. The only exception was the squad
that year that hosted the tournament. Currently, around the world there are more than 200 countries participating
in the qualifying round.
List of World Cup winners from 1930 to 2022
Year Winner
Runners-
up
Host
Country
Total
Teams
Matches
1930 Uruguay Argentina Uruguay 13 16
1934 Italy Czechia Italy 16 17
1950 Uruguay Brazil Brazil 13 22
1954 Germany Hungary Switzerland 16 26
1958 Brazil Sweden Sweden 16 35
1962 Brazil Czechia Chile 16 32
1966 England Germany England 16 32
1970 Brazil Italy Mexico 16 32
1974 Germany Netherlands
West
Germany
16 38
1978 Argentina Netherlands Argentina 16 38

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1982 Italy Germany Spain 24 52
1986 Argentina Germany Mexico 24 52
1990 Germany Argentina Italy 24 52
1994 Brazil Italy
United
States
24 52
1998 France Brazil France 32 64
2002 Brazil Germany
South
Korea,
Japan
32 64
2006 Italy France Germany 32 64
2010 Spain Netherlands
South
Africa
32 64
2014 Germany Argentina Brazil 32 64
2018 France Croatia Russia 32 64
2022 Argentina France Qatar 32 64
How many teams have retained the World Cup?
alt="How many teams have retained the World Cup?"
Only two countries—Italy in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil in 1958 and 1962—won consecutive FIFA World Cups between
1930 and 2022.
West Germany was beaten by Argentina in the 1986 World Cup Final, but the Germans reversed the tables when the
two teams faced off in the Italia ’90 final. After winning the World Cup in 1994 and finishing as runners-up in 1998,
Brazil went on to win the World Cup once again in 2002.
More: How Many Teams Are in A Soccer Tournament (https://cupfc.net/how-many-teams-are-in-a-soccer-
tournament/)?
Italy – 1934 and 1938
alt="Italy World Cup 1934"

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In the second and third stagings of the competition, in 1934 and 1938, Italy became the first country to win back-to-
back World Cups.
The 1934 World Cup began with elimination contests and Vittorio Pozzo served as Italy’s captain in both
competitions.
The formula was established by Pozzo’s hosts’ 7-1 thrashing of the USA, followed by close wins over Spain and
Austria and a victory over Czechoslovakia in the final after extra time due to Angelo Schiavio’s game-winning goal.
Four years later, in France, the task of defending their title came under intense pressure, but a semifinal victory over
the hosts served as a spark, and Gino Colaussi’s goals helped the Azzurri defeat Brazil and a strong Hungary team to
claim the championship.
FIFA Museum
@FIFAMuseum · Follow
#OnThisDay in 1979, the world said goodbye to one of
the greatest Italian footballers of all time.
Giuseppe Meazza won the #WorldCup twice, scoring ten
goals in the process
In this photo from our archive, he is shaking hands with
Sárosi before the 1938 Final #RIP
7:26 PM · Aug 21, 2018
597 Reply Share
Read 2 replies

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Brazil – 1958 and 1962
alt="Brazil in the 1958 World Cup"
During the Samba Boys’ powerful era in World Cup history, Brazil won the first of its five World Cups in 1958 and
successfully retained it in 1962.
Brazil easily advanced to the knockout rounds of the 16-team competition in Sweden in 1958 despite playing England
to a scoreless stalemate in their second group encounter.
From that point on, a 17-year-old Pele took over the World Cup, scoring the game-winning goal in their 1-0 triumph
over Wales to set a new record for the youngest World Cup scorer.
alt="Pele in the 1958 World Cup"
Pele in the 1958 World Cup

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Previous
How many teams are left in the FA Cup? and
teams remaining
alt="Teams
remaining
in the
2022–2023
FA Cup"
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The Antique Football
@AntiqueFootball · Follow
58 years ago today, A 17-year old @Pele scores his first
World Cup goal against Wales in the 1958 WC quarter-
finals.
Watch on Twitter
4:17 AM · Jun 20, 2016
127 Reply Share
Read 2 replies
The world stood up and took note of the extraordinary teenager when, in the quarterfinals, he broke yet another
record by becoming the youngest World Cup hat trick scorer in a 5-2 victory over France.
Chile was the host nation for the 1962 World Cup. Given that Chile’s infrastructure had been harmed by an
earthquake in 1960, some people argued that the country wasn’t prepared to hold such a competition.
Stadiums and the county’s facilities were rebuilt in record time, and the tournament was still held there. In the end,
the tournament had no organizational issues.
Brazil defeated Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the championship despite Pelé’s illness.
Related: How many teams are left in the FA Cup (https://cupfc.net/how-many-teams-are-left-in-the-fa-cup/)? and
teams remaining
In conclusion
Retaining the World Cup is a difficult feat that only a handful of teams have accomplished. Since the inception of the
tournament, only two nations, Brazil and Italy have been able to defend their title successfully. These teams have
shown great skill, determination, and consistency in their performances, which has allowed them to lift the trophy
twice in a row. However, winning the World Cup is not just about retaining it; many other factors come into play,
including team chemistry, individual talent, tactical acumen, and luck. As we look ahead to the next edition of the
tournament, it will be interesting to see if any team can join the exclusive club of repeat champions or if a new
contender will rise to the occasion and claim the coveted trophy.
Tags: back-to-back World Cups (https://cupfc.net/tag/back-to-back-world-cups/)
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