Winning one World Cup is difficult enough. Doing it repeatedly, across different generations, is what separates soccer’s great national teams from everyone else.

The men’s and women’s tournaments have produced very different dominant forces. Brazil remains the most successful country in the history of the men’s FIFA World Cup, while the United States has collected more Women’s World Cup trophies than any other nation.

Spain’s victory over Argentina in the 2026 men’s final has changed the standings slightly. La Roja now has two men’s titles, adding the latest trophy to its first triumph in South Africa in 2010. Spain is also the reigning women’s champion following its 2023 victory over England.

Which country has won the most men’s World Cups?

Only eight nations have ever won the men’s global title and Brazil sits alone at the top with five championships, won in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.

Germany and Italy are next with four each. Germany’s total includes the three World Cups won by West Germany before reunification, as FIFA treats those results as part of the modern German national team’s record.

Argentina has three titles, while Spain’s 2026 success moves it alongside France and Uruguay on two. If you know someone English, it’s possible you’ve heard that they won it once, back in 1966, and every four years they believe it will be ‘coming home’.

The complete men’s ranking is:

• Brazil: 5
• Germany: 4
• Italy: 4
• Argentina: 3
• France: 2
• Spain: 2
• Uruguay: 2
• England: 1

Who has won the most Women’s World Cups?

The United States is the most successful team in Women’s World Cup history, winning four of the first eight editions: 1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019.

Germany is the only other country to have won the women’s tournament more than once, claiming back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2007.

Norway, Japan and Spain have each won one. Spain defeated England 1-0 in the 2023 final and will remain the reigning champion until the next tournament, which takes place in Brazil in 2027.

The women’s ranking is:

• United States: 4
• Germany: 2
• Norway: 1
• Japan: 1
• Spain: 1

If we do the math, we see that Germany has the most combined success across both senior FIFA World Cups, with six trophies in total. Brazil follows with five, while the United States and Italy have four each. Spain now has three, and became the first country to hold the men’s and women’s World Cups at the same time.

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