Seventy-nine countries have participated, at least once, in a World Cup edition. This year, the only newcomer will be host Qatar. The long list, however, has few champions: only eight nations have already taken the cup, that is, a select group of ten percent.
Uruguay, Italy, Germany, Brazil, England, Argentina, France and Spain are the only champions and are normally favorites every four years.
The case of Uruguay is very curious. The official jersey features four stars above the crest. An authorization from Fifa due to the fact that the celestial team had been, in addition to twice champion of a World Cup (in 1930, in Montevideo, and in 1950, in Rio de Janeiro), twice Olympic gold medal in a time before the creation of the Football World Cup (at the Games in Paris, in 1924, and in Amsterdam, in 1928). In other words, a very particular and questionable fourth championship.
?? #OnThisDay in 1930 @Uruguay
won the first ever #WorldCup?? We’ve collected the most riveting facts about the history-making La Celestehttps://t.co/YeRIQutpdO pic.twitter.com/R1abtLZKLF
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 31, 2021
For Italy, four-time champion, absent from this World Cup, the golden age was in the 30s of the last century. The first time he lifted the Jules Rimet Cup, dictator Benito Mussolini was blunt with the players: Vincere o morire (Win or die). Coach Vittorio Pozzo’s men (twice world champion, in 1934 and 1938) clearly understood the message and won the Cup played in Rome, as well as the following edition, in Paris. The Second World War prevented a third Italian championship, with the interruption of the World Cups between 1942 and 1946. The tragedy with the collision of the plane of the Torino team in 1949 with Monte Superga ended the pretensions of the Azzurra for 1950. The other two titles came in Spain (1982), with the famous team of executioner Paolo Rossi, and in Germany (2006), in a penalty shootout against France.
??#OnThisDay in 1934, Italy won the first of their 4 #WorldCup titles by beating Czechoslovakia 2-1 in Rome.@azzurri ?? @Vivo_Azzurro ?? #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/qEWZCwzrMN
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 10, 2021
Germany is also proud to be four times champion. Two Cups were won when she was not even the favorite in the final. In the Swiss World Cup (1954) few bet on a victory for the West Germans against Hungary. At 8 minutes of the first half, the Germans were already losing by 2 to 0, but managed to turn the match to 3 to 2 and even saw the referee annul what would be the Hungarian equalizer in the last minute. In 1974, also on the comeback, they beat the Netherlands, in Munich, by 2 to 1. Then they won two titles over Argentina, winning by 1 to 0 in Rome (1990) and in Rio de Janeiro (2014).
happy birthday @MarioGoetze?? ??
THE #FIFAWorldCup legend! ?? pic.twitter.com/kYKvWkGYmH
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 3, 2022
The English, who created the rules of the sport in the 19th century, won their only title playing at home. In the 1966 World Cup, playing all matches without having to leave London, England lifted the Jules Rimet Cup to the delight of Queen Elizabeth, who was on the stand at Wembley Stadium.
1966 – @England ?? pic.twitter.com/i2bSawKAIn
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 7, 2022
The Argentines, so fanatical about football, praise their past titles to this day. The first achievement came in 1978 in the Cup held in Argentina itself. At a time when much of South America was ruled by the military, the visit of Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla to the Peruvian locker room on the eve of an important game aroused suspicion. There was a cordial connection between General Videla and the Peruvian president, also General Francisco Morales Bermúdez. More than that, the son of Bermúdez was precisely the head of the Peruvian delegation at the 1978 World Cup. The Buenos Aires team beat Peru 6-0, eliminated Brazil on goal difference and qualified for the final against the Netherlands, where they legitimately won by 3 to 1. In 1986, in Mexico, it was Maradona’s turn to play virtually alone and lift the world cup. The number 10’s sprints impressed and made many people doubt whether football was really a collective game.
?? Diego Maradona is the only man to register 5 goals and 5 assists in one #WorldCup?? He drew a record 53 fouls and scored ‘The Goal of the Century’ in it. He captained @Argentina to glory. Has any individual ever had a better World Cup? ??
?? #WorldCup moments pic.twitter.com/oTLqA8tukM
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 20, 2021
The French are also champions twice, largely thanks to a process of miscegenation in the country that, opening its borders to Africans from the former colonies, considerably improved its national team with the children of these immigrants. Thus, in 1998, in Saint-Denis, France, commanded by the son of Algerians Zinedine Zidane, massacred the Brazilian team 3-0. And, in 2018, with players of the caliber of Kanté, Pogba and Mbappé (son of a Cameroonian with an Algerian), the team reached the title with another outing in the final in Moscow: 4-2 in Croatia.
France’s midfield will have big boots to fill after these two ??❤️#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/gMPcjDKRfE
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 9, 2022
The Spaniards experienced magical moments between 2008 and 2012, winning two European Championships and the World Cup in South Africa (2010). As much as the touch of the ball was engaging, Fúria scored few goals (scored only eight in seven games), but won the Cup on the basis of successive 1-0 victories.
The most iconic winning goal ever? ?? #OnThisDay in 2010, Andres Iniesta produced some late magic as Spain won their first #FIFAWorldCup?? ?? @andresiniesta8 ?? @SEFutbol pic.twitter.com/B78JQy2lqd
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 11, 2022
In addition to these seven champions, there is Brazil. Five-time world champions have lifted the Jules Rimet Cup in Sweden (1958), Chile (1962) and Mexico (1970) and the World Cup Cup in the United States (1994) and Japan/South Korea (2002). In the five campaigns, 28 wins, 4 draws and no defeat and the consecration that the country of football is really here. When Bellini, Mauro Ramos de Oliveira, Carlos Alberto Torres, Dunga and Cafu raised the mug each time, millions of Brazilians took to the streets to celebrate and experienced such strong emotions that, every four years, everyone wants to feel the pleasure of shout: it’s champion! For someone who is a true bogeyman of titles, the fast is too long…
? 91 caps
⚽️ 77 goals
? 3 #WorldCup titles? 50 years ago today an emotional @Skin made his last Brazil appearance in a friendly against Yugoslavia. Has there ever been a better international career?@CBF_Football ?? #OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/mbOblxDGkx
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 18, 2021