Germany has finished runners-up the most times, losing four World Cup finals. The Netherlands is next on the list, having finished second three times. Argentina and Italy have both been knocked out in the quarter-finals twice each.
Spain has won the tournament once before dropping down to third place after losing to Germany in the final match of the 2014 edition. Brazil has won the cup four times previously finishing as runner-up twice. France and Uruguay have also reached the last eight once each.
Italy was the first European team to win the World Cup when it defeated Sweden 5-3 in a match played at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1933. The Italians went on to beat Japan 7-1 in the next round before being eliminated by Canada in the semi-final.
The Germans won their first World Cup in 1954 beating England 4-2 after knocking out Switzerland in another close match that ended 3-3. They then went on to beat France 2-0 in the final match. This remains their only victory so far at the World Cup.
The Dutch reached the final again in 1974 but this time they were beaten by West Germany who went on to win its first cup title. The Dutch failed to qualify for the next two tournaments.
The Dutch first competed in the World Cup in 1934, at Italy. They retain the record for having appeared in the most World Cup finals without ever won the championship as of 2020. They finished second in the World Cups in 1974, 1978, and 2010, losing to West Germany, Argentina, and Spain, respectively. Their only victory came in 1994 when they defeated Australia 2-1 after extra time.
Their world cup qualifying history is as follows: Third place in 1934 (did not qualify), second place in 1938 (lost to Argentina), third place in 1950 (lost to Brazil), second place in 1954 (lost to Switzerland), second place in 1958 (lost to Sweden), second place in 1962 (lost to Mexico), second place in 1966 (lost to England), second place in 1970 (lost to South Korea), second place in 1974 (lost to France), sixth place in 1978 (lost to Argentina), fourth place in 1982 (lost to Argentina), sixth place in 1986 (lost to Mexico), eighth place in 1990 (lost to Saudi Arabia), tenth place in 1994 (won on penalties over Australia).
They failed to qualify for the next two World Cups, in 1998 and 2002, but made it back in 2006 when they reached the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Germany.
Since their last victory in 1994, the Netherlands have been eliminated from the World Cup in the group stage each time.
They are one of the most successful teams in World Cup history, having won the competition four times and reaching the final two times. They failed to qualify this time, the first time they hadn't competed in a finals since 1958. Their last victory was in 1950 under the management of Sir Alf Ramsey.
England's 4 world cups: 1872, 1886, 1890, 1914
They were one of the original 12 nations that played each other in a global tournament. The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Germany, with both England and Germany qualifying for the final stage. England were beaten by Germany who went on to win the tournament thanks to their superior scoring power.
The second World Cup was not held until 1954 in Switzerland. England reached the final but were defeated by Sweden. This was followed by another missing year before the third World Cup in 1958 was held in Sweden. Once again, England reached the final but this time they won the trophy by defeating the Soviet Union 4-2 after being level at 1-1 after 90 minutes. That is England's fourth world cup triumph.
After failing to qualify for the 1962 World Cup, England entered a period of decline which saw them eliminated in the group stages of every subsequent tournament they took part in.
Korea, South After losing 2-0 to South Korea in Kazan, Germany became the third successive nation, after Italy and Spain, to follow World Cup victory with elimination in the group stage of the next tournament, with Sweden and Mexico progressing from Group F.
Brazil Although they were undefeated during the group stages, Brazil was eliminated after losing 1-7 to Germany in Moscow. It was only the second time that had not reached at least the quarterfinals of a World Cup tournament.
The other team who progressed was Mexico, who defeated Sweden 5-1 in their last match to be drawn level with Brazil on three points after both sides finished with a win and a draw in their three matches. This was Mexico's first appearance at a World Cup finals tournament.
Germany had been unbeaten throughout their previous five games at a World Cup finals tournament and had not lost since October 2017 when they were beaten by France 3-1 in Paris. They went into the match against South Korea with hopes of becoming the first team to retain the World Cup trophy. However, South Korea proved too strong for Germany, winning 2-0 and leaving Germany out of the next tournament in Russia.
France were the previous champions but they were unable to progress from their group after losing to Argentina and Colombia. Those two teams met in the last game of the group stage with both teams having one point each.
The Top Ten Nations That Have Not Won the FIFA World Cup
Brazil Brazil is the most successful World Cup squad, with five titles, and the only country to have competed in every World Cup finals competition. Brazil's all-time best performance at a World Cup was considered to be seventh in 1950. After losing their first two games, Brazil beat France 3–2 in overtime on June 24, then defeated Italy 4–2 in front of 70,000 fans at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro for their first world title.
Italy Italia is the second most successful national team at the World Cup, having won the cup twice. Their first victory was in 1934 over Germany. They were also victorious in 1938 over France.
Germany Germany has the third most successful record at the World Cup, having won the cup once. Their only victory came in 1954 over Sweden.
Sweden Sweden has the fourth most successful record at the World Cup, having won the cup once. They were victorious in 1954 over Germany.
France France has the fifth most successful record at the World Cup, having won the cup once. They were victorious in 1934 over Italy.
England England has the sixth most successful record at the World Cup, having won the cup once. They were victorious in 1966 over Uruguay.
They have failed to qualify for the finals three times: in 1974 (West Germany), 1978 (Argentina), and 1994 (United States), and have failed to move beyond the group stages three times: in 1950 (FIFA World Cup), 1958 (FIFA World Cup), and 2014.
England has been knocked out of qualifying matches during each of its previous two campaigns - 2010 and 2018 - and did not even make it past the first round of games last time around.
The Three Lions have never gone more than one match without scoring a goal, but they have never gone beyond the second round of any World Cup either. Their best performance at a World Cup was in 1966 when they reached the quarter-finals before being beaten by West Germany.
Overall, England's record is very poor: it has won four matches out of 42 played since its first World Cup appearance in 1930. The only other team that has lost as many matches as England while still playing competitive football is Argentina, which has done so twice - in 1978 and 1994. England's fourth-place finish in 1950 was its highest ever placing until 2018 when Gareth Southgate's side finished third.
Many people believe that England's failure to progress further at recent World Cups is due to the inexperience of its head coach. Sir Alex Ferguson claimed after England's early exit from Russia 2018 that "only a miracle" could save Southgate's job.
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