The World Cup has a history of nearly 100 years, and in the last 100 years, the World Cup has been changing. One of the most obvious is a change in scale. The early World Cup was small because of the immature format, the uneven development of soccer in different regions, and the unstable world situation. This is Serie A fixtures. Even in the first World Cup, many European teams didn’t want to travel all the way to South America, which is unthinkable now. Who wouldn’t want to be in the World Cup now? Just not strong enough to get in.
From 1930 to 2022, the history of the World Cup can be divided into four stages in terms of scale. The first was from 1930 to 1950, when the World Cup did not form a stable pattern and was not entirely consistent in scale. For example, in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, only 13 teams took part. In 1934 and 1938, there were 16 teams.
The second stage was from 1954 to 1978, when the World Cup officially entered the era of 16 teams, and the size of each World Cup was completely determined.
The third phase was from 1982 to 1994, when the team was 24.
The fourth phase will be from 1998 to 2022, which will be the 32-team era.
It is not difficult to imagine that different scale, the background of the World Cup, the difficulty of winning the title, the pattern must also be different. So it is somewhat unfair to generalize about the most successful team in World Cup history. There are a lot of teams that were great in the black and white period, but now they are not. Overall, their status will be affected, but at a certain stage, such teams will get enough recognition and respect.
Let’s take a look at the most successful teams in each of these four stages.
Phase I (1930 — 1950)
This is an interesting stage, with Uruguay and Italy tied with two titles each. But if you break it down, it’s not a big difference. First, Italy’s two titles came at a time when, objectively speaking, factors other than football were at work. By contrast, Uruguay’s two victories are purer.
Secondly, these four World Cups are very different from each other in terms of the format. The first and fourth editions were the traditional group format we are familiar with, while the second and third editions were one-on-one elimination matches from the start, with fewer games in total. Moreover, in the 1934 World Cup, Italy played at home and drew with Spain in the quarterfinals, only to win 1-0 after one extra game to reach the last four. They are also the only Final Four team not to go straight through.
In short, in terms of overall performance, Uruguay was superior. And let’s not forget that Uruguay played a role in the famous Maracana massacre in World Cup history. This incident is a terrible one for Brazil, but for Uruguay and the history of the World Cup, it is worthy of a memorable upset.
The Second Stage (1954-1978)
This is the longest of the four stages. It can be seen that the 16-team World Cup, in the history of weight is still very heavy. And the most successful team at this stage is not in doubt, Brazil.
In 1958, 1962 and 1970, Brazil won the World Cup three times, once and for all established the status of the football kingdom. This is the period when the Brazilian dynasty was officially established. At the same time, Pele is also at this stage on the top of the pyramid of stars.
Of course, Germany have also won two titles at this stage, but compared to Brazil, the gap is still clear. Not to mention other teams.
The third stage (1982-1994)
This is also a very obvious stage, Germany.
From a championship standpoint alone, this stage is a four-way tie, with Italy, Argentina, Germany and Brazil each winning once. But after all, Germany reached three World Cup finals in a row from 1982 to 1990. No other team can match that.
The fourth phase (1998-2022)
On the surface, this stage is still a head-to-head contest, with France, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Germany and Argentina all crowned champions. But two details are worth noting. First, only France has won twice at this stage. Second, France has reached four finals in seven World Cups at this stage.
So the most successful team at this stage should be France.
A final look at the future. In 2026, the World Cup will enter its fifth phase, the 48-team era. How long this era is, and whether there will be a sixth phase in the future, we do not know. So which team will be the standout at this stage? Perhaps the results of the 2026 World Cup will provide a guide. Let’s wait and see.