FIFA World Cup Standings & past champions
The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious and popular football tournament in the world. The event occurs quadrennially, featuring the participation of 32 national teams vying for the highly sought-after trophy. The tournament has a long and rich history, dating back to 1930 when it was first organized by FIFA, the world’s football governing body. And Since then, the World Cup has witnessed many memorable moments, records, and legends.
However, what is the process by which teams secure qualification for the World Cup? Moreover, what specific approach is employed to allocate and appraise the teams’ rankings and placements during the course of the tournament? What are the criteria for advancing to the knockout stages? And who are the current and past champions of the World Cup? In this article, we will answer these questions and more, as we explore everything you need to know about the FIFA World Cup standings.
How teams qualify for the World Cup?
The World Cup qualification process is a two-year-long competition that involves over 200 national teams from six continental confederations: Africa (CAF), Asia (AFC), Europe (UEFA), North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), Oceania (OFC), and South America (CONMEBOL). Each confederation has its own qualification format, which usually consists of several rounds of group stages and playoffs. The number of teams that qualify from each confederation varies according to their strength and size. For example, Europe has 13 slots, while Oceania has only one or none.
The host nation of the World Cup receives an automatic qualification for the tournament, while the remaining 31 slots are distributed among the confederations in the following manner:
- Africa: 5
- Asia: 4.5
- Europe: 13
- North and Central America and the Caribbean: 3.5
- Oceania: 0.5
- South America: 4.5
The half slots represent inter-confederation playoffs, where teams from different confederations compete for a spot in the World Cup. For example, the fifth-placed team from South America plays against the winner of Oceania, while the fourth-placed team from North and Central America and the Caribbean plays against the fifth-placed team from Asia.
The qualification process for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar began in June 2019 and will end in March 2022. The draw for the final tournament will take place in April 2022.
How are teams grouped and ranked in the World Cup?
Based on their FIFA rankings and geographical distribution, the draw divides the 32 teams qualified for the World Cup into eight groups, each consisting of four teams. Each team plays against every other team in its group once, for a total of three matches per team. The teams participate in the matches using a round-robin format, where a victory earns them three points, a draw awards one point, and a loss results in zero points.
The teams are ranked in their groups according to the following criteria:
- Points
- Goal difference
- Goals scored
- Points in matches between tied teams
- Goal difference in matches between tied teams
- Goals scored in matches between tied teams
- Fair play points (yellow cards = -1 point, red cards = -3 points)
- Drawing of lots
The top two teams from each group advance to the round of 16, where they enter a single-elimination bracket that leads to the final. The matches in the knockout stages are decided by extra time and penalty shootouts if necessary.
Who are the current and past champions of the World Cup?
The current champions of the World Cup are France, who won their second title in 2018 by defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final in Russia. France also won the World Cup in 1998 by beating Brazil 3-0 in the final in their home country.
The most successful team in World Cup history is Brazil, who have won five titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) and reached seven finals. They are followed by Germany and Italy, who have four titles each (Germany: 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014; Italy: 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006). Argentina and Uruguay have two titles each (Argentina: 1978, 1986; Uruguay: 1930, 1950), while England (1966), Spain (2010), and France (1998, 2018) have one title each.
The table below shows the list of World Cup winners, runners-up, and hosts since 1930.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Host |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Argentina | Uruguay |
| 1934 | Italy | Czechoslovakia | Italy |
| 1938 | Italy | Hungary | France |
| 1950 | Uruguay | Brazil | Brazil |
| 1954 | West Germany | Hungary | Switzerland |
| 1958 | Brazil | Sweden | Sweden |
| 1962 | Brazil | Czechoslovakia | Chile |
| 1966 | England | West Germany | England |
| 1970 | Brazil | Italy | Mexico |
| 1974 | West Germany | Netherlands | West Germany |
| 1978 | Argentina | Netherlands | Argentina |
| 1982 | Italy | West Germany | Spain |
| 1986 | Argentina | West Germany | Mexico |
| 1990 | West Germany | Argentina | Italy |
| 1994 | Brazil (pen.) | Italy (pen.) | United States |
| 1998 | France | Brazil | France |
| 2002 | Brazil (pen.) | Germany (pen.) | South Korea/Japan |
| 2006 | Italy (pen.) | France (pen.) | Germany |
| 2010 | Spain (aet.) | Netherlands (aet.) | South Africa |
| 2014 | Germany (aet.) | Argentina (aet.) | Brazil |
| 2018 | France (aet.) | Croatia (aet.) | Russia |
| 2022 | argentina | France | Qatar |
FAQs about FIFA World Cup Standings
How many teams have participated in the World Cup?
A: A total of 79 teams have participated in the World Cup at least once, with Brazil being the only team to have played in every edition. The most recent debutants were Iceland and Panama, who qualified for the first time in 2018.
Q: Which team has the most appearances in the World Cup?
A: Brazil has the most appearances in the World Cup with 21, followed by Germany with 19, and Italy with 18. The team with the fewest appearances is Indonesia, who played only once in 1938.
Q: Which team has the most wins in the World Cup?
A: Brazil has the most wins in the World Cup with 73, followed by Germany with 67, and Italy with 45. The team with the fewest wins is Canada, who played three matches and lost all of them in 1986.
Q: Which team has scored the most goals in the World Cup?
A: Germany has scored the most goals in the World Cup with 226, followed by Brazil with 229, and Argentina with 137. The team with the fewest goals is Trinidad and Tobago, who scored only one goal in three matches in 2006.
