As of the
2022 FIFA World Cup, 80 national teams have competed at the finals of the
FIFA World Cup.[1]Brazil is the only team to have appeared in all 22 tournaments to date, with
Germany having participated in 20,
Italy and
Argentina in 18 and
Mexico in 17.[2] Eight nations have won the tournament. The inaugural winners in 1930 were
Uruguay; the current champions are Argentina. The most successful nation is Brazil, which has won the cup on five occasions.[3] Five teams have appeared in
FIFA World Cup finals without winning,[4] while twelve more have appeared in the semi-finals.[5]
The system used in the World Cup up to 1990 was 2 points for a win. In this ranking
3 points are awarded for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in
extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by
penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws. Teams are ranked by total points, then by goal difference, then by goals scored.
Note: In case there are teams with equal quantities, they will be mentioned in chronological order of tournament history (the teams that attained the quantity first, are listed first). If the quantity was attained by more than one team in the same tournament, the teams will be listed alphabetically.
^
abGermany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany since 1949, has been represented by the same governing body, the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB), since 1904. Following
World War II and the division of Germany, the DFB was re-admitted to FIFA after the 1950 World Cup as
West Germany.
Saar competed in the 1954 World Cup qualifying before joining West Germany in 1956.
East Germany fielded
teams of their own from 1958 to 1990 before joining with
West Germany and the DFB during the
German reunification. FIFA officially attributes all international results of the DFB team since 1908 to Germany, including the results of
West Germany from 1954–1990.
^The
Soviet Union qualified seven times prior to
its dissolution in 1991. The 15 former nations
Soviet republics now compete separately. FIFA considers
Russia as the successor team of the Soviet Union.
^The
Yugoslavia national football team qualified eight times during eras of
Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1930) and the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1950–1990). They qualified from 1930–1990 under the name Yugoslavia before its
breakup in 1992 by the secession of many of its constituent republics. They qualified once in 1998 as the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, then changed its name to
Serbia and Montenegro in 2003, only qualifying under that name in 2006. All of these teams are considered the predecessors of the current
Serbia team by FIFA, which first qualified under that name in 2010. The other national teams that resulted from the breakup of the SFR Yugoslavia in 1992 —
Croatia,
Slovenia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and
North Macedonia — are considered distinct entities from the Yugoslavia team of 1930–1990.
Montenegro now also competes separately after independence in 2006 and
Kosovo was recognized by FIFA in 2016.
^
abCzechoslovakia qualified eight times prior to
being divided into
Slovakia and the
Czech Republic in 1993. FIFA considers only the
Czech Republic the successor team of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic national team qualified for the World Cup for the first time as a separate nation in 2006, with Slovakia doing the same in 2010.
^Different sources give Pelé between 8 and 10 assists.[79]
^Zuberbühler kept goal throughout every minute of Switzerland's four matches. Other keepers have kept clean sheets only playing part of their team's matches.
^
abAttended three tournaments but did not act as main referee in all of them. Instead, he was exclusively used as a
fourth official in a minimum of one edition.
^Šimunić was given three yellow cards in the match as the referee failed to send him off the pitch after the second yellow, and was only red carded after the third yellow.[147]
^Biyik missed the team's second game after receiving a red card in the first,[149] and then missed Cameroon's fifth game after yellow cards in the third and fourth.[150][151] Others, including
Zinedine Zidane in
2006, have earned a second suspension in their team's final match of the tournament, not servable during the tournament.
^
abcdefghijklmnopqrsSuccessful kicks in a penalty shoot-out are not counted as goals (but penalties scored in the normal course of play are counted).
1 Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name(s). 2 Have been member of multiple confederations. 3 Team and national federation no longer exist.
As of the
2022 FIFA World Cup, 80 national teams have competed at the finals of the
FIFA World Cup.[1]Brazil is the only team to have appeared in all 22 tournaments to date, with
Germany having participated in 20,
Italy and
Argentina in 18 and
Mexico in 17.[2] Eight nations have won the tournament. The inaugural winners in 1930 were
Uruguay; the current champions are Argentina. The most successful nation is Brazil, which has won the cup on five occasions.[3] Five teams have appeared in
FIFA World Cup finals without winning,[4] while twelve more have appeared in the semi-finals.[5]
The system used in the World Cup up to 1990 was 2 points for a win. In this ranking
3 points are awarded for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in
extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by
penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws. Teams are ranked by total points, then by goal difference, then by goals scored.
Note: In case there are teams with equal quantities, they will be mentioned in chronological order of tournament history (the teams that attained the quantity first, are listed first). If the quantity was attained by more than one team in the same tournament, the teams will be listed alphabetically.
^
abGermany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany since 1949, has been represented by the same governing body, the Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB), since 1904. Following
World War II and the division of Germany, the DFB was re-admitted to FIFA after the 1950 World Cup as
West Germany.
Saar competed in the 1954 World Cup qualifying before joining West Germany in 1956.
East Germany fielded
teams of their own from 1958 to 1990 before joining with
West Germany and the DFB during the
German reunification. FIFA officially attributes all international results of the DFB team since 1908 to Germany, including the results of
West Germany from 1954–1990.
^The
Soviet Union qualified seven times prior to
its dissolution in 1991. The 15 former nations
Soviet republics now compete separately. FIFA considers
Russia as the successor team of the Soviet Union.
^The
Yugoslavia national football team qualified eight times during eras of
Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1930) and the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1950–1990). They qualified from 1930–1990 under the name Yugoslavia before its
breakup in 1992 by the secession of many of its constituent republics. They qualified once in 1998 as the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, then changed its name to
Serbia and Montenegro in 2003, only qualifying under that name in 2006. All of these teams are considered the predecessors of the current
Serbia team by FIFA, which first qualified under that name in 2010. The other national teams that resulted from the breakup of the SFR Yugoslavia in 1992 —
Croatia,
Slovenia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and
North Macedonia — are considered distinct entities from the Yugoslavia team of 1930–1990.
Montenegro now also competes separately after independence in 2006 and
Kosovo was recognized by FIFA in 2016.
^
abCzechoslovakia qualified eight times prior to
being divided into
Slovakia and the
Czech Republic in 1993. FIFA considers only the
Czech Republic the successor team of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic national team qualified for the World Cup for the first time as a separate nation in 2006, with Slovakia doing the same in 2010.
^Different sources give Pelé between 8 and 10 assists.[79]
^Zuberbühler kept goal throughout every minute of Switzerland's four matches. Other keepers have kept clean sheets only playing part of their team's matches.
^
abAttended three tournaments but did not act as main referee in all of them. Instead, he was exclusively used as a
fourth official in a minimum of one edition.
^Šimunić was given three yellow cards in the match as the referee failed to send him off the pitch after the second yellow, and was only red carded after the third yellow.[147]
^Biyik missed the team's second game after receiving a red card in the first,[149] and then missed Cameroon's fifth game after yellow cards in the third and fourth.[150][151] Others, including
Zinedine Zidane in
2006, have earned a second suspension in their team's final match of the tournament, not servable during the tournament.
^
abcdefghijklmnopqrsSuccessful kicks in a penalty shoot-out are not counted as goals (but penalties scored in the normal course of play are counted).
1 Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name(s). 2 Have been member of multiple confederations. 3 Team and national federation no longer exist.