As we near the start of the World Cup, everyone is talking about who will be the favorites. The best thing to do is to look at the past tournaments and see who was named World Cup Champion.
Here you will find the list of the past 10 World Cup Champions and the year in which they brought home the precious trophy.
The last 10 tournaments equal 40 years of World Cup play. And a lot has changed and evolved in the soccer world, consider the following:
- There are more players playing today.
- There are more coaches in the game.
- There are more youth soccer clubs.
- There are more semi pro and professional teams.
- There are more leagues.
- There are more televised games.
- There is more access to coaching resources for players and coaches.
- There are more multi generational families active in the game.
- There are more stadiums.
- There is more of everything, so who are the previous Champions?
List of World Cup Champions
10. Year 1982 – Italy was the Champion.
- The tournament was in Spain. Germany was the Runner Up with Poland in 3rd Place.
9. Year 1986 – Argentina was the Champion.
- The tournament was in Mexico. Germany was the Runner Up with France in 3rd Place.
8. Year 1990 – Germany was the Champion.
- The tournament was in Italy. Argentina was the Runner Up with Italy in 3rd Place.
7. Year 1994 – Brazil was the Champion.
- The tournament was in the United States. Italy was Runner Up with Sweden in 3rd Place.
6. Year 1998 – France was the Champion.
- The tournament was in France. Brazil was the Runner Up with Croatia in 3rd Place.
5. Year 2002 – Brazil was the Champion.
- The tournament was in South Korea and Japan. Germany was the Runner Up with Turkey in 3rd Place.
4. Year 2006 – Italy was the Champion.
- The tournament was in Germany. France was Runner Up with Germany in 3rd Place.
3. Year 2010 – Spain was the Champion.
- The tournament was in South Africa. The Netherlands finished Runner Up with Germany in 3rd Place.
2. Year 2014 – Germany was the Champion.
- The tournament was in Brasil. Argentina were Runners Up with the Netherlands in 3rd Place.
1. Year 2018 – France was the Champion.
- The tournament was in Russia. Croatia was Runner Up with Belgium in 3rd Place.
It is an impressive list and one that seems to have a few names showing up with a regularity that most Nations can only dream of for their future. Many of the teams in the upcoming World Cup 2022 are not even mentioned in the list of the last 10 years!
Take a look at this years’ schedule click here.
