England 5th, France closing on Italy…
From the first tournament in 1930 to the present day, the World Cup has grown into the biggest sporting competition on the planet with billions of people expected to watch some of the 2026 edition.
But who are the most successful sides in World Cup history?
It won’t surprise anybody to see five-time winners Brazil at the top of our list, but Germany, who have lifted the trophy four times and reached another four finals, aren’t too far behind them despite exiting in the group stages of the last two World Cups.
Argentina are third, overtaking Italy thanks to their triumph four years ago.
France have been Europe’s most successful side since 1998 – two victories and two runner-up finishes – leapfrog both England and Spain in recent tournaments.
A number of sides are flying up the rankings in 2026: the United States, Morocco, Canada and Japan have all risen strongly this tournament.
Historic World Cup countries that aren’t in North America this summer include Italy, Russia, Hungary, Poland and Serbia.
We’ve crunched the numbers from every World Cup to present the all-time table.
The system used in the World Cup up to 1990 was two points for a win. In this ranking, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. As per statistical convention, games decided by penalty shoot-out are listed as draws, regardless of whether the team has won or lost.
Germany’s results include those of West Germany, Yugoslavia’s come under Serbia while Czechoslovakia’s result are included with the Czech Republic’s. Indonesia competed as the Dutch East Indies in 1938 and DR Congo competed as Zaire in 1974.
A team in bold participated at the 2026 World Cup finals.
1. Brazil – 257 points
2. Germany – 232 points
3. Argentina – 170 points
4. Italy – 156 points
5. France – 146 points
6. England – 131 points
7. Spain – 120 points
8. Netherlands – 112 points
9. Uruguay – 90 points
10. Belgium – 81 points
11. Mexico – 78 points
12. Sweden – 77 points
13. Russia – 67 points
14. Portugal – 65 points
15. Serbia – 63 points
16. Switzerland – 60 points
17. Poland – 57 points (GD: -1)
18. Croatia – 53 points
19. Hungary – 48 points
20. Austria – 44 points (GD: -7)
21. United States – 44 points (GD: -20)
22. Czech Republic – 42 points
23. Colombia – 40 points (GD: +6)
24. Chile – 40 points (GD: -9)
25. Paraguay – 36 points
26. South Korea – 34 points
27. Denmark – 33 points (GD: +2)
28. Morocco – 33 points (GD: -1)
29. Japan – 32 points
30. Romania – 29 points
31. Costa Rica – 23 points (GD: -17)
32. Cameroon – 23 points (GD: -25)
33. Ghana – 22 points (GD: -6)
34. Scotland – 22 points (GD: -19)
35. Norway – 21 points (GD: +2)
36. Senegal – 21 points (GD: 0)
37. Ecuador – 21 points (GD: -2)
38. Nigeria – 21 points (GD: -7)
39. Australia – 21 points (GD: -20)
40. Turkey – 19 points (GD: +1)
41. Peru – 18 points (GD: -12)
42. Bulgaria – 17 points
43. Ivory Coast – 16 points (GD: 0)
44. Algeria – 16 points (GD: -10)
45. Iran – 16 points (GD: -18)
46. Saudi Arabia – 16 points (GD: -34)
47. Republic of Ireland – 14 points (GD: 0)
48. South Africa – 14 points (GD: -7)
49. Northern Ireland – 14 points (GD: -10)
50. Tunisia – 14 points (GD: -21)
51. East Germany – 8 points (GD: 0)
52. Egypt – 8 points (GD: -5)
53. Greece – 8 points (GD: -15)
54. Ukraine – 7 points (GD: -2)
55. Bosnia & Herzegovina – 7 points (GD: -3)
56. Wales – 7 points (GD: -5)
57. Canada – 7 points (GD: -7)
58. Slovakia – 4 points (GD: -2)
59. Slovenia – 4 points (GD: -5)
60. Cuba – 4 points (GD: -7)
61. DR Congo – 4 points (GD: -14)
62. North Korea – 4 points (GD: -15)
63. New Zealand – 4 points (GD: -16)
64. Cape Verde – 3 points (GD: -1)
65. Jamaica – 3 points (GD: -6)
66. Honduras – 3 points (GD: -11)
67. Angola – 2 points (GD: -1)
68. Israel – 2 points (GD: -2)
69. Iceland – 1 point (GD: -3)
70. Kuwait – 1 point (GD: -4, Goals Scored: 2)
71. Trinidad & Tobago – 1 point (GD: -4, Goals Scored: 0)
72. Curacao – 1 point (GD: -8)
73. Qatar – 1 point (GD: -14)
74. Bolivia – 1 point (GD: -19)
75. Jordan – 0 points (GD: -5, Goals Scored: 3)
76. Togo – 0 points (GD: -5, Goals Scored: 1)
77. Indonesia – 0 points (GD: -6)
78. United Arab Emirates – 0 points (GD: -9, Goals Scored: 2)
79. Uzbekistan – 0 points (GD: -9, Goals Scored 2)
80. China – 0 points (GD: -9, Goals Scored: 0)
81. Panama – 0 points (GD: -13)
82. Iraq – 0 points (GD: -14)
83. Haiti – 0 points (GD: -18)
84. El Salvador – 0 points (GD: -21)
READ MORE: A definitive ranking of every World Cup since 1990 from worst to best
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every player that’s made 15+ World Cup appearances?
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