The thrilling history of the FIFA World Cup finals that began at Montevideo's Centenario Stadium is set to converge at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. From that first final in 1930 to the upcoming 2026 clash -- the World Cup final has been an epic of frenzy for billions of football lovers over these 96 years. Just as the stories of Brazil's silence at the Maracanã or Lionel Messi gaining immortality at the Lusail Stadium remain untouched in the pages of history, a new fairytale is set to be written at MetLife Stadium on the night of July 19.
This segment covers the history, thrilling statistics, and all known and unknown information regarding the final battle for football's ultimate golden trophy.
So far, only 13 teams have achieved the glory of playing in a FIFA World Cup final. Although a total of 80 teams participated in the main stages across 22 editions held from 1930 to 2022, only these few could reach the title-deciding stage. They are Brazil, Germany (including the then West Germany), Italy, Argentina, France, Uruguay, Spain, England, Netherlands, the then Czechoslovakia, Croatia, Hungary, and Sweden.
Among the 13 teams that played the final, eight teams have won the World Cup title: Brazil (record five times), Germany (four times), Italy (four times), Argentina (three times), France (twice), Uruguay (twice), Spain (once), and England (once).
Although 22 editions of the World Cup have taken place, 21 finals have been held. There was no final match in the 1950 edition. The 13 participating teams were divided into four groups. A four-team final round was organized with the top team from each group. In this round-robin stage, every team faced each other, and the team at the top of the points table became the champion.
Interestingly, the last match of the tournament between hosts Brazil and Uruguay turned into an unofficial final. A draw would have secured the title for Brazil. On the other hand, Uruguay needed a win. Despite trailing in the match, Uruguay won -1 with goals from Juan Schiaffino and Alcides Ghiggia to become champions.
Germany has played the highest number of FIFA World Cup finals—eight times. They appeared in the title-deciding matches in 1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, 2002, and 2014. However, until 1990, they were known as West Germany. Brazil is second on this list, having played seven finals. Italy and Argentina are jointly in third place with six finals each.
Brazil is the most successful team in the World Cup, winning five out of the seven finals they played. Germany has won four out of eight finals, and Italy has won four out of six. Conversely, the record for losing the most finals (four times) is also held by Germany. Argentina has lost three out of six finals, and the Netherlands has lost all three finals they played.
Argentina and Germany have faced each other three times in World Cup finals. While Argentina became champions in 1986, Germany lifted the trophy in the 1990 and 2014 editions.
Among the 21 finals held so far, a total of eight matches went to extra time as they were tied during the regulation 90 minutes. Extra time was required for the first time in the 1934 final between hosts Italy and Czechoslovakia. Italy won that match 2-1.
Among these eight finals, five were decided in extra time. The results of the remaining three matches were decided by penalty shootouts. The 1994 final between Brazil and Italy was the first instance of finding a champion through a tiebreaker. Brazil won 3-2 in that shootout.
A total of seven goals were scored in the 1958 final, the highest in the history of the tournament. Brazil became champions by defeating Sweden 5-2. Additionally, they set the record for a team scoring the most goals (5) in a specific final that year. On the other hand, the 1994 final between Brazil and Italy was goalless through regulation and extra time. This is the only final in World Cup history where no team found a goal.
So far, only teams from Europe (UEFA) and South America (CONMEBOL) have competed in the finals. European teams have participated 29 times and become champions 12 times. In contrast, South American teams have played 15 times and won the title 10 times.
Kylian Mbappé of France holds the record for the most goals in World Cup finals with four—scoring one against Croatia in 2018 and a hat-trick against Argentina in 2022. Besides him, four players—Pelé of Brazil, Vavá of the same team, Zinedine Zidane of France, and Geoff Hurst of England—have each scored three goals on the title-deciding stage.
Only five footballers have achieved the feat of scoring in the finals of two different editions: Vavá of Brazil (1958 and 1962), his compatriot Pelé (1958 and 1970), Paul Breitner of Germany (1974 and 1982), Zidane of France (1998 and 2006), and Mbappé of the same team (2018 and 2022).
The only footballer to play three World Cup finals is Cafu of Brazil. He came on as a substitute for the injured Jorginho in the first half against Italy in 1994. He then played against France in 1998 and captained the team against Germany in 2002.
Notably, although Pelé holds the record of winning three World Cups as the only player, he could not take the field in the 1962 final due to injury. Additionally, his compatriot Ronaldo and Germany's Lothar Matthaus and Pierre Littbarski were in their respective national squads for three World Cup finals, but none of them played more than two matches in the tournament.
Luis Monti is the only footballer in history to play the World Cup final for two different teams. He played for his native Argentina against Uruguay in 1930 and for Italy against Czechoslovakia in 1934.
Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, is the only stadium in the world to have the glory of hosting the World Cup final more than once. Brazil became champions there by defeating Italy in 1970, and Argentina by defeating West Germany in 1986. However, if the final match of the round is considered, two finals have also been held at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Uruguay won the title there in 1950 and Germany in 2014.
Only three individuals possess this rare honor. They are Mario Zagallo of Brazil (as a player in 1958 and 1962 and as a coach in 1970), Franz Beckenbauer of Germany (as a player in 1974 and as a coach in 1990), and Didier Deschamps of France (as a player in 1998 and as a coach in 2018).
A total of five footballers have left the field after receiving a red card in the history of the World Cup final. In 1990, Pedro Monzón and Gustavo Dezotti of Argentina were the first to join this unwanted list. Subsequently, Marcel Desailly of France in 1998, Zinedine Zidane of the same team in 2006, and finally John Heitinga of the Netherlands in 2010 received red cards.
