A map showing all nations to have competed in FIFA World Cup tournaments.
A map showing all nations to have competed in FIFA World Cup tournaments.
A map showing the best performance of each team to have competed in FIFA World Cup tournaments.
A map showing the best performance of each team to have competed in FIFA World Cup tournaments.
A map showing all nations that have hosted a FIFA World Cup tournament and how many times they have done so.
A map showing all nations that have hosted a FIFA World Cup tournament and how many times they have done so.

This article lists the performances of each of the national teams which have made at least one appearance in the FIFA World Cup.

As of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 80 national teams have competed at the final tournaments.[1] Brazil is the only team to have appeared in all 22 tournaments to date, with Germany having participated in 20, Italy in 18, Argentina in 18 and Mexico in 17.[2] To date, eight nations have won the tournament. The inaugural winners in 1930 were Uruguay; the current champions are Argentina. The most successful nation in the competition are currently Brazil, who have won the cup on five occasions.[3] Five teams have appeared in FIFA World Cup finals without winning,[4] while eleven more have appeared in semi-finals.[5]

Ranking of teams by number of appearances

Team Appearances Record streak Active streak Debut Most recent Best result
 Brazil 22 22 22 1930 2022 Champions (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
 Germany[a] 20 18 18 1934 2022 Champions (1954, 1974,[b] 1990, 2014)
 Argentina 18 13 13 1930 2022 Champions (1978,[b] 1986, 2022)
 Italy 18 14 0 1934 2014 Champions (1934,[b] 1938, 1982, 2006)
 Mexico 17 8 8 1930 2022 Quarterfinals (1970,[b] 1986[b])
 Spain 16 12 12 1934 2022 Champions (2010)
 France 16 7 7 1930 2022 Champions (1998,[b] 2018)
 England 16 7 7 1950 2022 Champions (1966[b])
 Belgium 14 6 3 1930 2022 Third place (2018)
 Uruguay 14 4 4 1930 2022 Champions (1930,[b] 1950)
 Serbia[c] 13 4 2 1930 2022 Fourth place (1930, 1962)
 Switzerland 12 5 5 1934 2022 Quarterfinals (1934, 1938, 1954[b])
 Sweden 12 3 0 1934 2018 Runners-up (1958[b])
 South Korea 11 10 10 1954 2022 Fourth place (2002[d])
 United States 11 7 1 1930 2022 Third place (1930)
 Netherlands 11 3 1 1934 2022 Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)
 Russia[e] 11 4 0 1958 2018 Fourth place (1966)
 Poland 9 4 2 1938 2022 Third place (1974, 1982)
 Hungary 9 4 0 1934 1986 Runners-up (1938, 1954)
 Czech Republic[f] 9 3 0 1934 2006 Runners-up (1934, 1962)
 Chile 9 2 0 1930 2014 Third place (1962[b])
 Portugal 8 6 6 1966 2022 Third place (1966)
 Cameroon 8 4 1 1982 2022 Quarterfinals (1990)
 Scotland 8 5 0 1954 1998 Group Stage
 Paraguay 8 4 0 1930 2010 Quarterfinals (2010)
 Japan 7 7 7 1998 2022 Round of 16 (2002,[d] 2010, 2018, 2022)
 Bulgaria 7 4 0 1962 1998 Fourth place (1994)
 Romania 7 3 0 1930 1998 Quarterfinals (1994)
 Austria 7 2 0 1934 1998 Third place (1954)
 Australia 6 5 5 1974 2022 Round of 16 (2006, 2022)
 Iran 6 3 3 1978 2022 Group Stage
 Costa Rica 6 3 3 1990 2022 Quarterfinals (2014)
 Croatia 6 3 3 1998 2022 Runners-up (2018)
 Saudi Arabia 6 4 2 1994 2022 Round of 16 (1994)
 Tunisia 6 3 2 1978 2022 Group Stage
 Morocco 6 2 2 1970 2022 Fourth place (2022)
 Denmark 6 2 2 1986 2022 Quarterfinals (1998)
 Colombia 6 3 0 1962 2018 Quarterfinals (2014)
 Nigeria 6 3 0 1994 2018 Round of 16 (1994, 1998, 2014)
 Peru 5 2 0 1930 2018 Quarterfinals (1970, 1978)
 Ghana 4 3 1 2006 2022 Quarterfinals (2010)
 Ecuador 4 2 1 2002 2022 Round of 16 (2006)
 Algeria 4 2 0 1982 2014 Round of 16 (2014)
 Senegal 3 2 2 2002 2022 Quarterfinals (2002)
 Ivory Coast 3 3 0 2006 2014 Group Stage
 Norway 3 2 0 1938 1998 Round of 16 (1938, 1998)
 Northern Ireland 3 2 0 1958 1986 Quarterfinals (1958)
 Honduras 3 2 0 1982 2014 Group Stage
 Republic of Ireland 3 2 0 1990 2002 Quarterfinals (1990)
 Greece 3 2 0 1994 2014 Round of 16 (2014)
 South Africa 3 2 0 1998 2010 Group Stage
 Bolivia 3 1 0 1930 1994 Group Stage
 Egypt 3 1 0 1934 2018 Round of 16 (1934)
 Wales 2 1 1 1958 2022 Quarterfinals (1958)
 Canada 2 1 1 1986 2022 Group Stage
 Turkey 2 1 0 1954 2002 Third place (2002)
 North Korea 2 1 0 1966 2010 Quarterfinals (1966)
 El Salvador 2 1 0 1970 1982 Group Stage
 New Zealand 2 1 0 1982 2010 Group Stage
 Slovenia 2 1 0 2002 2010 Group Stage
 Cuba 1 1 0 1938 1938 Quarterfinals (1938)
 Indonesia[g] 1 1 0 1938 1938 Round of 16 (1938)
 Israel 1 1 0 1970 1970 Group Stage
 DR Congo[h] 1 1 0 1974 1974 Group Stage
 Haiti 1 1 0 1974 1974 Group Stage
 Kuwait 1 1 0 1982 1982 Group Stage
 Iraq 1 1 0 1986 1986 Group Stage
 United Arab Emirates 1 1 0 1990 1990 Group Stage
 Jamaica 1 1 0 1998 1998 Group Stage
 China 1 1 0 2002 2002 Group Stage
 Angola 1 1 0 2006 2006 Group Stage
 Togo 1 1 0 2006 2006 Group Stage
 Trinidad and Tobago 1 1 0 2006 2006 Group Stage
 Ukraine 1 1 0 2006 2006 Quarterfinals (2006)
 Slovakia 1 1 0 2010 2010 Round of 16 (2010)
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 1 0 2014 2014 Group Stage
 Iceland 1 1 0 2018 2018 Group Stage
 Panama 1 1 0 2018 2018 Group Stage
 Qatar 1 1 1 2022 2022 Group Stage

Former countries

Team Appearances Record streak Active streak Debut Most recent Best result
 East Germany 1 1 0 1974 1974 Second Group Stage (1974)


Debut of national teams

Each successive World Cup has had at least one team appearing for the first time. Using FIFA's view on successor teams, the total number of teams that have participated in the World Cup until the 2022 edition is 80.

Year Debuting teams Successor teams
Teams No. Cum.
1930  Argentina,  Belgium,  Bolivia,  Brazil,  Chile,  France,  Mexico,  Paraguay,  Peru,  Romania,  United States,  Uruguay,  Yugoslavia[c] 13 13
1934  Austria,  Czechoslovakia,[f]  Egypt,  Germany,[a]  Hungary,  Italy,  Netherlands,  Spain,  Sweden,  Switzerland 10 23
1938  Cuba,  Dutch East Indies,[g]  Norway,  Poland 4 27
1950  England 1 28
1954  South Korea,  Scotland,  Turkey 3 31  West Germany[a]
1958  Northern Ireland,  Soviet Union,[e]  Wales 3 34
1962  Bulgaria,  Colombia 2 36
1966  North Korea,  Portugal 2 38
1970  El Salvador,  Israel,  Morocco 3 41
1974  Australia,  East Germany,[a]  Haiti,  Zaire[h] 4 45
1978  Iran,  Tunisia 2 47
1982  Algeria,  Cameroon,  Honduras,  Kuwait,  New Zealand 5 52
1986  Canada,  Denmark,  Iraq 3 55
1990  Costa Rica,  Republic of Ireland,  United Arab Emirates 3 58
1994  Greece,  Nigeria,  Saudi Arabia 3 61  Germany,[a]  Russia[e]
1998  Croatia,[c]  Jamaica,  Japan,  South Africa 4 65  FR Yugoslavia[c]
2002  China,  Ecuador,  Senegal,  Slovenia[c] 4 69
2006  Angola,  Ivory Coast,  Ghana,  Togo,  Trinidad and Tobago,  Ukraine[e] 6 75  Czech Republic[f]
2010  Slovakia[f] 1 76  Serbia[c]
2014  Bosnia and Herzegovina[c] 1 77
2018  Iceland,  Panama 2 79
2022  Qatar 1 80

Overall team records

Main article: FIFA World Cup records and statistics § Overall team records

Medal table

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Brazil5229
2 Germany44412
3 Italy4217
4 Argentina3306
5 France2226
6 Uruguay2002
7 England1001
 Spain1001
9 Netherlands0314
10 Czech Republic0202
 Hungary0202
12 Croatia0123
 Sweden0123
14 Poland0022
15 Austria0011
 Belgium0011
 Chile0011
 Portugal0011
 Turkey0011
 United States0011
Totals (20 entries)22222266

Comprehensive team results by tournament

The team ranking in each tournament is according to FIFA.[6][7][8] The rankings, apart from the top four positions (top two in 1930), are not a result of direct competition between the teams; instead, teams eliminated in the same round are ranked by their full results in the tournament.

For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament are shown (in parentheses).

Team  
1930
Uruguay

(13) 		QF
1934
Italy

(16) 		QF
1938
France

(15) 		QF
1950
Brazil

(13) 		QF
1954
Switzerland

(16) 		QF
1958
Sweden

(16) 		QF
1962
Chile

(16) 		QF
1966
England

(16) 		QF
1970
Mexico

(16) 		QF
1974
West Germany

(16) 		QF
1978
Argentina

(16) 		QF
1982
Spain

(24) 		QF
1986
Mexico

(24) 		QF
1990
Italy

(24) 		QF
1994
United States

(24) 		QF
1998
France

(32) 		QF
2002
South Korea
Japan
(32) 		QF
2006
Germany

(32) 		QF
2010
South Africa

(32) 		QF
2014
Brazil

(32) 		QF
2018
Russia

(32) 		QF
2022
Qatar

(32) 		Total appearances
 Algeria Part of France × • • • R1
13th		 R1
22nd		 • • • • • R1
28th		 R2
14th		 • • 4
 Angola • • • • • R1
23rd		 • • • • 1
 Argentina 2nd R1
T-9th		 × × R1
13th		 R1
10th		 QF
5th		 • R2
8th		 1st R2
11th		 1st 2nd R2
10th		 QF
6th		 R1
18th		 QF
6th		 QF
5th		 2nd R2
16th		 1st 18
 Australia • • R1
14th		 • • • • • • • R2
16th		 R1
21st		 R1
30th		 R1
30th		 R2
11th		 6
 Austria 4th ••[i] × 3rd R1
15th		 • • • R2
7th		 R2
8th		 • R1
T-18th		 • R1
23rd		 • • • • • • 7
 Belgium R1
11th		 R1
15th		 R1
13th		 × R1
12th		 • • • R1
T-10th		 • • R2
10th		 4th R2
11th		 R2
11th		 R1
19th		 R2
14th		 • • QF
6th		 3rd R1
23rd		 14
 Bolivia R1
12th		 R1
13th		 × • • • • • • • • • R1
21st		 • • • • • • • 3
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Part of Yugoslavia[c] • • • • R1
20th		 • • 1
 Brazil R1
6th		 R1
14th		 3rd 2nd QF
5th		 1st 1st R1
11th		 1st 4th 3rd R2
5th		 QF
5th		 R2
9th		 1st 2nd 1st QF
5th		 QF
6th		 4th QF
6th		 QF
7th		 22
 Bulgaria •× • • • R1
15th		 R1
15th		 R1
13th		 R1
12th		 • • R2
15th		 • 4th R1
29th		 • • • • • • 7
 Cameroon × • • • R1
17th		 • QF
7th		 R1
22nd		 R1
25th		 R1
20th		 • R1
31st		 R1
32nd		 • R1
19th		 8
 Canada • × • • • • R1
24th		 • • • • • • • • R1
31st		 2
 Chile R1
5th		 × R1
9th		 • • 3rd R1
T-13th		 • R1
11th		 • R1
22nd		 • • × R2
16th		 • • R2
10th		 R2
9th		 • • 9
 China PR[j] • • • • • • R1
31st		 • • • • • 1
 Colombia • R1
14th		 • • • • • • R2
14th		 R1
19th		 R1
21st		 • • • QF
5th		 R2
9th		 • 6
 Congo DR[h] × R1
16th		 × • • • • • • • • • • • 1
 Costa Rica × × • • • • • • • • R2
13th		 • • R1
19th		 R1
31st		 • QF
8th		 R1
29th		 R1
27th		 6
 Croatia Part of Yugoslavia[c] 3rd R1
23rd		 R1
22nd		 • R1
19th		 2nd 3rd 6
 Cuba • QF
8th		 • × • × • • • × • • • • • • • 1
 Czech Republic[f] 2nd QF
5th		 R1
14th		 R1
9th		 2nd • R1
15th		 • • R1
19th		 • QF
6th		 • • • R1
20th		 • • • • 9
 Denmark • • • • • • R2
9th		 • • QF
8th		 R2
10th		 • R1
24th		 • R2
11th		 R1
28th		 6
 East Germany[a] Part of Germany • • • • R2
6th		 • • • • Part of Germany 1
 Ecuador × • • • • • • • • • • R1
24th		 R2
12th		 • R1
17th		 • R1
18th		 4
 Egypt[k] R1
13th		 × • × × × • • • • R1
20th		 • • • • • • R1
31st		 • 3
 El Salvador × R1
16th		 • • R1
24th		 • • • • • • • • • • 2
 England R1
8th		 QF
6th		 R1
11th		 QF
8th		 1st QF
8th		 • • R2
6th		 QF
8th		 4th • R2
9th		 QF
6th		 QF
7th		 R2
13th		 R1
26th		 4th QF
6th		 16
 France R1
7th		 R1
T-9th		 QF
6th		 • R1
11th		 3rd • R1
T-13th		 • • R1
12th		 4th 3rd • • 1st R1
28th		 2nd R1
29th		 QF
7th		 1st 2nd 16
 Germany[a] 3rd R1
10th		 1st 4th QF
7th		 2nd 3rd 1st R2
6th		 2nd 2nd 1st QF
5th		 QF
7th		 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st R1
22nd		 R1
17th		 20
 Ghana • × • • • × • • • • • R2
13th		 QF
7th		 R1
25th		 • R1
24th		 4
 Greece •× • • • • • • • • • • • R1
24th		 • • • R1
25th		 R2
13th		 • • 3
 Haiti • • • R1
15th		 • • • • • • • • • • • 1
 Honduras • • • • × R1
18th		 • • • • • • R1
30th		 R1
31st		 • • 3
 Hungary QF
6th		 2nd 2nd R1
10th		 QF
5th		 QF
6th		 • • R1
15th		 R1
14th		 R1
18th		 • • • • • • • • • 9
 Iceland × • • • • • • • • • • • • R1
28th		 • 1
 Indonesia[g] R1
15th		 × •× × • • • • • • • • • • • × • 1
 Iran • R1
14th		 × × • • R1
20th		 • R1
T-25th		 • R1
28th		 R1
18th		 R1
26th		 6
 Iraq • × • R1
23rd		 • • • • • • • • • 1
 Israel[l] • • • • • • • R1
12th		 • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1
 Italy 1st 1st R1
7th		 R1
10th		 • R1
9th		 R1
9th		 2nd R1
10th		 4th 1st R2
12th		 3rd 2nd QF
5th		 R2
15th		 1st R1
26th		 R1
22nd		 • • 18
 Ivory Coast • • • • • • • R1
19th		 R1
17th		 R1
21st		 • • 3
 Jamaica • • × • • × • • R1
22nd		 • • • • • • 1
 Japan × • • • • • • • • • R1
31st		 R2
9th		 R1
T-28th		 R2
9th		 R1
29th		 R2
15th		 R2
9th		 7
 Kuwait • • R1
21st		 • • • • • • • • •× • 1
 Mexico R1
13th		 • × R1
12th		 R1
13th		 R1
16th		 R1
11th		 R1
12th		 QF
6th		 • R1
16th		 • QF
6th		 × R2
13th		 R2
13th		 R2
11th		 R2
15th		 R2
14th		 R2
10th		 R2
12th		 R1
22nd		 17
 Morocco • × R1
14th		 • • • R2
11th		 • R1
23rd		 R1
18th		 • • • • R1
27th		 4th 6
 Netherlands R1
T-9th		 R1
14th		 • • • • 2nd 2nd • • R2
15th		 QF
7th		 4th • R2
11th		 2nd 3rd • QF
5th		 11
 New Zealand • • • R1
23rd		 • • • • • • R1
22nd		 • • • 2
 Nigeria • × • • • • • • R2
9th		 R2
12th		 R1
27th		 • R1
27th		 R2
16th		 R1
21st		 • 6
 North Korea QF
8th		 × • × • • • • • R1
32nd		 • • •× 2
 Northern Ireland[m] • • QF
8th		 • • • • • R2
9th		 R1
21st		 • • • • • • • • • 3
 Norway R1
12th		 • • • • • • • • • • R1
17th		 R2
15th		 • • • • • • 3
 Panama • • • • • • • • • • R1
32nd		 • 1
 Paraguay R1
9th		 R1
11th		 • R1
12th		 • • • • • • R2
13th		 • • R2
14th		 R2
16th		 R1
18th		 QF
8th		 • • • 8
 Peru R1
10th		 × × × • • • QF
7th		 • R2
8th		 R1
20th		 • • • • • • • • R1
20th		 • 5
 Poland •× R1
11th		 × • • • • 3rd R2
5th		 3rd R2
14th		 • • • R1
25th		 R1
21st		 • • R1
25th		 R2
15th		 9
 Portugal • • • • • • 3rd • • • • R1
17th		 • • • R1
21st		 4th R2
11th		 R1
18th		 R2
13th		 QF
8th		 8
 Qatar • • • • • • • • • • • R1
32nd		 1
 Republic of Ireland[n] • • • • • • • • • • • • QF
8th		 R2
16th		 • R2
12th		 • • • • • 3
 Romania R1
8th		 R1
12th		 R1
9th		 • • • • R1
T-10th		 • • • • R2
12th		 QF
6th		 R2
11th		 • • • • • • 7
 Russia[e] QF
7th		 QF
6th		 4th QF
5th		 •× • R2
7th		 R2
10th		 R1
17th		 R1
18th		 • R1
22nd		 • • R1
24th		 QF
8th		 •× 11
 Saudi Arabia • • • • R2
12th		 R1
28th		 R1
32nd		 R1
T-28th		 • • R1
26th		 R1
25th		 6
 Scotland •• R1
15th		 R1
14th		 • • • R1
9th		 R1
11th		 R1
15th		 R1
19th		 R1
T-18th		 • R1
27th		 • • • • • • 8
 Senegal × • • • • • • • QF
7th		 • • • R1
17th		 R2
10th		 3
 Serbia[c] 4th[o] • • R1
5th		 QF
7th		 QF
5th		 4th • • R2
7th		 • R1
16th		 • QF
5th		 × R2
10th		 • R1
32nd		 R1
23rd		 • R1
23rd		 R1
29th		 13
 Slovakia Part of Czechoslovakia[f] • • • R2
16th		 • • • 1
 Slovenia Part of Yugoslavia[c] • R1
30th		 • R1
18th		 • • • 2
 South Africa × • R1
24th		 R1
17th		 • R1
20th		 • • • 3
 South Korea R1
16th		 × • × • • • • R1
20th		 R1
22nd		 R1
20th		 R1
30th		 4th R1
17th		 R2
15th		 R1
27th		 R1
19th		 R2
16th		 11
 Spain QF
5th		 × 4th • • R1
12th		 R1
10th		 • • R1
10th		 R2
12th		 QF
7th		 R2
10th		 QF
8th		 R1
17th		 QF
5th		 R2
9th		 1st R1
23rd		 R2
10th		 R2
13th		 16
 Sweden QF
8th		 4th 3rd • 2nd • • R1
9th		 R2
5th		 R1
13th		 • • R1
21st		 3rd • R2
13th		 R2
14th		 • • QF
7th		 • 12
 Switzerland QF
7th		 QF
7th		 R1
6th		 QF
8th		 • R1
16th		 R1
16th		 • • • • • • R2
15th		 • • R2
10th		 R1
19th		 R2
11th		 R2
14th		 R2
12th		 12
 Togo • • • × × • • • R1
30th		 • • • • 1
 Trinidad and Tobago • • • • • • • • • • R1
27th		 • • • • 1
 Tunisia • × • • R1
9th		 • • • • R1
26th		 R1
29th		 R1
24th		 • • R1
24th		 R1
21st		 6
 Turkey × •• R1
9th		 × • • • • • • • • • • 3rd • • • • • 2
 Ukraine Part of Soviet Union[e] • • QF
8th		 • • • • 1
 United Arab Emirates × • R1
24th		 • • • • • • • • 1
 United States 3rd[o] R1
16th		 × R1
10th		 • • • • • • • • • R1
23rd		 R2
14th		 R1
32nd		 QF
8th		 R1
T-25th		 R2
12th		 R2
15th		 • R2
14th		 11
 Uruguay 1st 1st 4th • R1
13th		 QF
7th		 4th R1
13th		 • • R2
16th		 R2
16th		 • • R1
26th		 • 4th R2
12th		 QF
5th		 R1
20th		 14
 Wales • • QF
6th		 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • R1
30th		 2
Team 1930
Uruguay

(13) 		1934
Italy

(16) 		1938
France

(15) 		1950
Brazil

(13) 		1954
Switzerland

(16) 		1958
Sweden

(16) 		1962
Chile

(16) 		1966
England

(16) 		1970
Mexico

(16) 		1974
West Germany

(16) 		1978
Argentina

(16) 		1982
Spain

(24) 		1986
Mexico

(24) 		1990
Italy

(24) 		1994
United States

(24) 		1998
France

(32) 		2002
South Korea
Japan
(32) 		2006
Germany

(32) 		2010
South Africa

(32) 		2014
Brazil

(32) 		2018
Russia

(32) 		2022
Qatar

(32) 		Total
Legend

Hosts

Results of host nations[10]
Year Host Nation Finish
1930  Uruguay Champions
1934  Italy Champions
1938  France Quarter-finals
1950  Brazil Runners-up
1954  Switzerland Quarter-finals
1958  Sweden Runners-up
1962  Chile Third place
1966  England Champions
1970  Mexico Quarter-finals
1974  West Germany Champions
1978  Argentina Champions
1982  Spain Second round
1986  Mexico Quarter-finals
1990  Italy Third place
1994  United States Round of 16
1998  France Champions
2002  South Korea Fourth place
 Japan Round of 16
2006  Germany Third place
2010  South Africa Group stage
2014  Brazil Fourth place
2018  Russia Quarter-finals
2022  Qatar Group stage
2026  Canada TBD
 Mexico
 United States

Results of defending finalists

The defending World Cup champions were formerly granted an automatic spot in the Cup finals field. As of the 2006 tournament, this berth is no longer guaranteed.[11] However, no defending World Cup champion has yet failed to qualify. Automatic berths have never been given for defending World Cup runners-up. Defending runners-up have qualified 16 times in 19 attempts for the following World Cup.

Year Defending champions Finish Defending runners-up Finish
1934  Uruguay did not enter  Argentina Round of 16
1938  Italy Champions  Czechoslovakia Quarter-finals
1950  Italy Group stage  Hungary did not enter
1954  Uruguay Fourth place  Brazil Quarter-finals
1958  West Germany Fourth place  Hungary Group stage
1962  Brazil Champions  Sweden did not qualify
1966  Brazil Group stage  Czechoslovakia did not qualify
1970  England Quarter-finals  West Germany Third place
1974  Brazil Fourth place  Italy Group stage
1978  West Germany Second round  Netherlands Runners-up
1982  Argentina Second round  Netherlands did not qualify
1986  Italy Round of 16  West Germany Runners-up
1990  Argentina Runners-up  West Germany Champions
1994  Germany Quarter-finals  Argentina Round of 16
1998  Brazil Runners-up  Italy Quarter-finals
2002  France Group stage  Brazil Champions
2006  Brazil Quarter-finals  Germany Third place
2010  Italy Group stage  France Group stage
2014  Spain Group stage  Netherlands Third place
2018  Germany Group stage  Argentina Round of 16
2022  France Runners-up  Croatia Third place
2026  Argentina TBD  France TBD

Results by confederation

AFC

Further information: Asian nations at the FIFA World Cup
1930
Uruguay
(13) 		1934
Italy
(16) 		1938
France
(15) 		1950
Brazil
(13) 		1954
Switzerland
(16) 		1958
Sweden
(16) 		1962
Chile
(16) 		1966
England
(16) 		1970
Mexico
(16) 		1974
West Germany
(16) 		1978
Argentina
(16) 		1982
Spain
(24) 		1986
Mexico
(24) 		1990
Italy
(24) 		1994
United States
(24) 		1998
France
(32) 		2002
South Korea
Japan
(32) 		2006
Germany
(32) 		2010
South Africa
(32) 		2014
Brazil
(32) 		2018
Russia
(32) 		2022
Qatar
(32) 		Total
Teams 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 5 6 43
Top 16 — — — — — — — — — — — 0[p] 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 1 3 9
Top 8 — 0 0 — 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
Top 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Top 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1st 0
2nd 0
3rd 0
4th South Korea 1

CAF

Further information: African nations at the FIFA World Cup
1930
Uruguay
(13) 		1934
Italy
(16) 		1938
France
(15) 		1950
Brazil
(13) 		1954
Switzerland
(16) 		1958
Sweden
(16) 		1962
Chile
(16) 		1966
England
(16) 		1970
Mexico
(16) 		1974
West Germany
(16) 		1978
Argentina
(16) 		1982
Spain
(24) 		1986
Mexico
(24) 		1990
Italy
(24) 		1994
United States
(24) 		1998
France
(32) 		2002
South Korea
Japan
(32) 		2006
Germany
(32) 		2010
South Africa
(32) 		2014
Brazil
(32) 		2018
Russia
(32) 		2022
Qatar
(32) 		Total
Teams 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 5 5 5 6 5 5 5 49
Top 16 — — — — — — — — — — — 0[p] 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 2 11
Top 8 — 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 4
Top 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Top 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1st 0
2nd 0
3rd 0
4th Morocco 1

CONCACAF

Further information: North, Central American and Caribbean nations at the FIFA World Cup
1930
Uruguay
(13) 		1934
Italy
(16) 		1938
France
(15) 		1950
Brazil
(13) 		1954
Switzerland
(16) 		1958
Sweden
(16) 		1962
Chile
(16) 		1966
England
(16) 		1970
Mexico
(16) 		1974
West Germany
(16) 		1978
Argentina
(16) 		1982
Spain
(24) 		1986
Mexico
(24) 		1990
Italy
(24) 		1994
United States
(24) 		1998
France
(32) 		2002
South Korea
Japan
(32) 		2006
Germany
(32) 		2010
South Africa
(32) 		2014
Brazil
(32) 		2018
Russia
(32) 		2022
Qatar
(32) 		Total
Teams 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 3 4 3 4 46
Top 16 — — — — — — — — — — — 0[p] 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 1 1 15
Top 8 — 0 1 — 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 5
Top 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Top 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1st 0
2nd 0
3rd United States 1
4th 0

CONMEBOL

Further information: South American nations at the FIFA World Cup
1930
Uruguay
(13) 		1934
Italy
(16) 		1938
France
(15) 		1950
Brazil
(13) 		1954
Switzerland
(16) 		1958
Sweden
(16) 		1962
Chile
(16) 		1966
England
(16) 		1970
Mexico
(16) 		1974
West Germany
(16) 		1978
Argentina
(16) 		1982
Spain
(24) 		1986
Mexico
(24) 		1990
Italy
(24) 		1994
United States
(24) 		1998
France
(32) 		2002
South Korea
Japan
(32) 		2006
Germany
(32) 		2010
South Africa
(32) 		2014
Brazil
(32) 		2018
Russia
(32) 		2022
Qatar
(32) 		Total
Teams 7 2 1 5 2 3 5 4 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 4 5 6 5 4 89
Top 16 — — — — — — — — — — — 2[p] 4 4 2 4 2 3 5 5 4 2 37
Top 8 — 0 1 — 2 1 2 2 3 2 3 2 1 1 2 1 2 4 3 2 2 36
Top 4 2 0 1 2 1 1 2 0 2 1 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 2 0 1 23
Top 2 2 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 15
1st Uruguay Uruguay Brazil Brazil Brazil Argentina Argentina Brazil Brazil Argentina 10
2nd Argentina Brazil Argentina Brazil Argentina 5
3rd Brazil Chile Brazil 3
4th Uruguay Uruguay Brazil Uruguay Brazil 5

OFC

Further information: Oceanian nations at the FIFA World Cup
1930
Uruguay
(13) 		1934
Italy
(16) 		1938
France
(15) 		1950
Brazil
(13) 		1954
Switzerland
(16) 		1958
Sweden
(16) 		1962
Chile
(16) 		1966
England
(16) 		1970
Mexico
(16) 		1974
West Germany
(16) 		1978
Argentina
(16) 		1982
Spain
(24) 		1986
Mexico
(24) 		1990
Italy
(24) 		1994
United States
(24) 		1998
France
(32) 		2002
South Korea
Japan
(32) 		2006
Germany
(32) 		2010
South Africa
(32) 		2014
Brazil
(32) 		2018
Russia
(32) 		2022
Qatar
(32) 		Total
Teams 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 4
Top 16 — — — — — — — — — — — 0[p] 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Top 8 — 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Top 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Top 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1st 0
2nd 0
3rd 0
4th 0

UEFA

Further information: European nations at the FIFA World Cup
1930
Uruguay
(13) 		1934
Italy
(16) 		1938
France
(15) 		1950
Brazil
(13) 		1954
Switzerland
(16) 		1958
Sweden
(16) 		1962
Chile
(16) 		1966
England
(16) 		1970
Mexico
(16) 		1974
West Germany
(16) 		1978
Argentina
(16) 		1982
Spain
(24) 		1986
Mexico
(24) 		1990
Italy
(24) 		1994
United States
(24) 		1998
France
(32) 		2002
South Korea
Japan
(32) 		2006
Germany
(32) 		2010
South Africa
(32) 		2014
Brazil
(32) 		2018
Russia
(32) 		2022
Qatar
(32) 		Total
Teams 4 12 12 6 12 12 10 10 9 9 10 14 14 14 13 15 15 14 13 13 14 13 258
Top 16 — — — — — — — — — — — 10[p] 10 10 10 10 9 10 6 6 10 8 99
Top 8 — 8 6 — 6 7 6 5 4 6 5 5 6 7 6 4 6 3 4 6 5 105
Top 4 1 4 3 2 3 3 2 4 2 3 2 4 3 3 3 3 2 4 3 2 4 2 62
Top 2 0 2 2 0 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 29
1st Italy Italy West Germany England West Germany Italy West Germany France Italy Spain Germany France 12
2nd Czechoslovakia Hungary Hungary Sweden Czechoslovakia West Germany Italy Netherlands Netherlands West Germany West Germany Italy Germany France Netherlands Croatia France 17
3rd Germany Sweden Austria France Portugal West Germany Poland Poland France Italy Sweden Croatia Turkey Germany Germany Netherlands Belgium Croatia 18
4th Kingdom of Yugoslavia Austria Sweden Spain West Germany Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Soviet Union Italy France Belgium England Bulgaria Netherlands Portugal   England 15

Active consecutive participations

This is a list of active consecutive participations of national teams in the FIFA World Cup

Team Confederation Managed to qualify since Consecutive participations
 Brazil CONMEBOL 1930 22
 Germany UEFA 1954 18[q]
 Argentina CONMEBOL 1974 13
 Spain UEFA 1978 12
 South Korea AFC 1986 10
 Mexico CONCACAF 1994 9 (automatic qualification as co-host of 2026 tournament)
 England UEFA 1998 7
 France UEFA 1998 7
 Japan AFC 1998 7
 Portugal UEFA 2002 6
 Switzerland UEFA 2006 5
 Australia AFC 2006 5
 Uruguay CONMEBOL 2010 4
 Belgium UEFA 2014 3
 Croatia UEFA 2014 3
 Iran AFC 2014 3
 Costa Rica CONCACAF 2014 3
 Denmark UEFA 2018 2
 Serbia UEFA 2018 2[r]
 Saudi Arabia AFC 2018 2
 Senegal CAF 2018 2
 Poland UEFA 2018 2
 Tunisia CAF 2018 2
 Morocco CAF 2018 2

Droughts

This section is a list of droughts associated with the participation of national football teams in the FIFA World Cups. 1942 and 1946, when the tournament was not held due to World War II, are not included in the calculation of a drought.

Longest active World Cup appearance droughts

Does not include teams that have not yet made their first appearance or teams that no longer exist.

As of 2022 FIFA World Cup
Team Last appearance WC Missed
 Cuba 1938 19
 Indonesia 1938 19
 Israel 1970 13
 DR Congo 1974 12
 Haiti 1974 12
 El Salvador 1982 10
 Kuwait 1982 10
 Hungary 1986 9
 Iraq 1986 9
 Northern Ireland 1986 9
 United Arab Emirates 1990 8
 Bolivia 1994 7
 Austria 1998 6
 Bulgaria 1998 6
 Jamaica 1998 6
 Norway 1998 6
 Romania 1998 6
 Scotland 1998 6
 China 2002 5
 Republic of Ireland 2002 5
 Turkey 2002 5
 Angola 2006 4
 Czech Republic 2006 4
 Togo 2006 4
 Trinidad and Tobago 2006 4
 Ukraine 2006 4
 New Zealand 2010 3
 North Korea 2010 3
 Paraguay 2010 3
 Slovakia 2010 3
 Slovenia 2010 3
 South Africa 2010 3
 Algeria 2014 2
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014 2
 Chile 2014 2
 Greece 2014 2
 Honduras 2014 2
 Italy 2014 2
 Ivory Coast 2014 2
 Colombia 2018 1
 Egypt 2018 1
 Iceland 2018 1
 Nigeria 2018 1
 Panama 2018 1
 Peru 2018 1
 Russia 2018 1
 Sweden 2018 1

Longest World Cup appearance droughts overall

Only includes droughts begun after a team's first appearance and until the team ceased to exist.

As of 2022 FIFA World Cup
Team Prev. appearance Next appearance WC Missed
 Cuba 1938 active 19
 Indonesia[g] 1938 active 19
 Wales 1958 2022 15
 Israel 1970 active 13
 DR Congo[h] 1974 active 12
 Haiti 1974 active 12
 Egypt 1934 1990 11
 Norway 1938 1994 11
 Turkey 1954 2002 11
 Bolivia 1950 1994 10
 North Korea 1966 2010 10
 El Salvador 1982 active 10
 Kuwait 1982 active 10
 United States 1950 1990 9
 Hungary 1986 active 9
 Iraq 1986 active 9
 Northern Ireland 1986 active 9
 Peru 1982 2018 8
 Canada 1986 2022 8
 United Arab Emirates 1990 active 8
 South Korea 1954 1986 7
 Australia 1974 2006 7
 Netherlands 1938 1974 6
 Poland 1938 1974 6
 Paraguay 1958 1986 6
 Colombia 1962 1990 6
 Switzerland 1966 1994 6
 Honduras 1982 2010 6
 New Zealand 1982 2010 6
 Austria 1998 active 6
 Bulgaria 1998 active 6
 Jamaica 1998 active 6
 Romania 1998 active 6
 Scotland 1998 active 6
 Algeria 1986 2010 5
 China 2002 active 5
 Republic of Ireland 2002 active 5
 Portugal 1966 1986 4
 East Germany[a] 1974 dissolved 4
 Iran 1978 1998 4
 Tunisia 1978 1998 4
 Morocco 1998 2018 4
 Angola 2006 active 4
 Czech Republic 2006 active 4
 Togo 2006 active 4
 Trinidad and Tobago 2006 active 4
 Ukraine 2006 active 4
 Argentina 1934 1958 3
 Belgium 1954 1970 3
 Chile 1982 1998 3
 Greece 1994 2010 3
 Senegal 2002 2018 3
 Slovakia 2010 active 3
 Slovenia 2010 active 3
 South Africa 2010 active 3
 Mexico 1930 1950 2
 Serbia[c] 1930 1950 2
1962 1974
 Uruguay 1930 1950 2
1974 1986
1990 2002
 Sweden 1958 1970 2
1978 1990
2006 2018
 France 1966 1978 2
1986 1998
 Spain 1966 1978 2
 England 1970 1982 2
 Russia[e] 1970 1982 2
2002 2014
 Denmark 1986 1998 2
 Costa Rica 1990 2002 2
 Saudi Arabia 2006 2018 2
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014 active 2
 Italy 2014 active 2
 Ivory Coast 2014 active 2
 Germany[a] 1938 1954 1
 Cameroon 1982 1990 1
2002 2010
2014 2022
 Nigeria 2002 2010 1
2018 active
 Croatia 2006 2014 1
 Ecuador 2006 2014 1
2014 2022
 Ghana 2014 2022 1
 Iceland 2018 active 1
 Panama 2018 active 1

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany since 1949, has been represented by the same governing body, Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB), since 1904. After 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 from 1958 to 1990 of their own before joining with West Germany and the DFB in 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.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Host of the tournament.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1930) and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1950–1990) qualified eight times from 1930–1990 under the name Yugoslavia prior to its breakup in 1992 by the secession of many of its constituent republics. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia qualified once in 1998 under the name Yugoslavia, then changed its name to Serbia and Montenegro in 2003, first 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 which 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.
  4. ^ a b Co-host of the tournament.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g The Soviet Union qualified seven times prior to being dissolved in 1991. The 15 nations that were former Soviet Republics now compete separately. FIFA considers Russia as the successor team of the Soviet Union.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Czechoslovakia qualified eight times prior to being divided into Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 1993. FIFA considers the Czech Republic as the successor team of Czechoslovakia. The other national team which resulted from the breakup of the Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, is considered a distinct entity from the Czechoslovakia team. 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.
  7. ^ a b c d Indonesia competed as the Dutch East Indies in 1938.
  8. ^ a b c d The Democratic Republic of the Congo competed as Zaire in 1974.
  9. ^ Austria qualified in 1938, but withdrew to play as part of Germany after being annexed.
  10. ^ On 14 June 1952, FIFA acknowledged that the CFA on Mainland China, not the Republic of China Football Association (ROCFA) located on Taiwan, was the recognized authority over Chinese football with their membership dating to 1931.
  11. ^ Egypt entered qualifying in 1962 and 1966 as the United Arab Republic, but withdrew before playing matches.
  12. ^ Israel competed as Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) in 1934 and in 1938, with a team consisting exclusively of Jewish and British footballers from the Palestine Mandate.
  13. ^ Northern Ireland competed as Ireland in 1950.
  14. ^ Republic of Ireland competed as the Irish Free State in 1934 and 1938 and then as Ireland in 1950.
  15. ^ a b There was no third place match in 1930. The USA and Yugoslavia lost in the semi-finals. Both captains received bronze medals. Currently, FIFA recognizes USA as the third-placed team and Yugoslavia as the fourth-placed team, using the overall records of the teams in the 1930 World Cup.[9]
  16. ^ a b c d e f In 1982, the second round has 12 teams of which 4 progressed to the semi-finals.
  17. ^ Germany between 1950 and 1990 competed as West Germany, as a separate East German team existed then.
  18. ^ This is the third appearance of Serbia at the FIFA World Cup. However, FIFA considers Serbia as the successor team of the Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro, who between them qualified on 10 occasions.

References

  1. ^ "Quiz! Can you name all 79 countries to have appeared at a World Cup finals?". FourFourTwo. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup Teams Statistics: Teams with the most tournament participations". FIFA. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  3. ^ Dawson, Alan (May 28, 2018). "The 2018 World Cup is only 2 weeks away — here's who has won every tournament since 1930". Business Insider. Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  4. ^ "World Cup 2018: Can you name the losing finalists from previous tournaments?". BBC Sport. June 9, 2018. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  5. ^ "World Cup All-Time Tables (including Qualifying)". RSSSF. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  6. ^ "FACT Sheet - FIFA World Cup: All-time ranking 1930-2014" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Technical Report - 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia 2018" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Overview of the Participating Member Associations" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  9. ^ "1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay". FIFA. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015.
  10. ^ Lane, Barnaby (26 November 2022). "Qatar crashed out of the World Cup as hosts after two games, arguably the worst performance of any host nation in history". Insider. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  11. ^ Bond, David (November 30, 2001). "World Cup winners will have to qualify". EveningStandard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2015.