There have been 22 World Cup finals since the competition’s inception in 1930. Only eight different countries have lifted the iconic trophy in that time, proving it’s the hardest piece of silverware to win in football.

But which are the 20 most successful nations when it comes to the all-time World Cup table? Well, Transfermarkt have answered that question.

The format of the World Cup makes things a little tricky. The group stages speak for themselves; a win is three points, a draw is one point and a loss is zero points. As for the knockout rounds, the study has given out three points for a win inside 90 minutes, while any game that went to extra time has seen both teams pick up one point. That said, let’s take a look at the top 20 countries in World Cup history.

10

Sweden

Sweden isn’t a country that is synonymous with the World Cup. They aren’t always guaranteed qualifiers and often get knocked out in the group stages, but have managed to reach the semi-finals three times and were runners-up in 1958.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson are among the European nation’s greatest players. But even they weren’t able to reach the heights of the 20th century. Still, having more World Cup points than Portugal, for example, is very impressive.

9

Uruguay

Despite reaching the lofty heights of ninth in this table, it’s actually been quite a fall from grace for Uruguay. Considering they won the first two World Cups they entered – in 1930 and 1950 – the South Americans have since flattered to deceive.

Three fourth-place finishes are the closest they’ve come to winning the trophy since 1950, which is still impressive. They’d likely be even higher if they hadn’t missed four World Cups between 1974 and 2002.

8

Netherlands

The Netherlands are the only nation to have picked up more than 100 points in this system without actually winning the World Cup. They came closest in 1974 and 1978, when they were beaten in the final.

History repeated itself in 2010, when the Dutch were narrowly beaten by Spain in a final that saw the winner become a world champion for the first time ever. Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit and Dennis Bergkamp are among the best players to never win the competition, but they still dazzled and picked up many wins over the years.

7

Spain

Heading into the 2026 World Cup as one of the favourites to add to their trophy cabinet, Spain have picked up 110 points from 67 matches. It took a long time for the nation to get their hands on the trophy, winning it in 2010 for the first time.

They might be a powerhouse in world football now, but Spain didn’t feature in six of the first 10 World Cups for various reasons. From failing to qualify to being rejected by FIFA due to the Spanish Civil War, La Roja didn’t act like serious contenders until the 21st century. To have broken the 100-point mark, with all things considered, is a credit to the country’s progression in the game.

6

England

Bobby Moore 1966 World Cup

Football hasn’t come home in 60 years now. England have played at 15 World Cups, but have an inconsistent history. They famously won it in 1996 with players like Sir Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore leading the way.

Since then, the Three Lions have advanced to at least the quarter-finals five times. England have only failed to qualify for three World Cups since becoming a FIFA member, but the closest they’ve been to the trophy is a 2018 semi-final. To be ahead of Spain and two-time champions Uruguay is an impressive feat.

5

France

The wealth of talent at France’s disposal in recent times makes them instant favourites at any World Cup. However, Les Bleus have a chequered history in the iconic competition.

Two-time winners in their own right, the French have failed to get past the group stage on six occasions. They also withdrew from the 1950 tournament in Brazil, while they didn’t qualify four times (1970, 1974, 1990,1994). That said, France have accumulated 131 points overall, which is more than England in fewer matches.

4

Italy

It’s quite impressive that a nation that have only played in two World Cups since they won it in 2006 is so high in these rankings. Italy failed to qualify for the 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions of the tournament, and didn’t even make it past the 2010 or 2014 group stages.

While recent history isn’t on their side, there’s no arguing with their pedigree in the competition. The Azzurri won two of the first three World Cups, and have since added two more. Only Brazil have won it more times than Italy.

3

Argentina

It’s impressive that Argentina are third in the all-time table with 158 points in just 88 games. La Albiceleste refused to take part in the 1938, 1950 and 1954 tournaments due to a hosting dispute. However, the reigning champions are now one of the most successful nations in World Cup history, lifting the trophy on three occasions.

With two of the greatest players in football history, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, playing big roles in those triumphs, it’s hardly surprising that Argentina have been a formidable opponent. The last time they failed to get out of their group was all the way back in 2002.

2

Germany

Germany have an interesting history at the World Cup. A nation that is now united and lifted the 2014 trophy in Brazil was once split in two. West Germany won three world titles in 1954, 1974 and 1990, while East Germany were regular participants.

The European giants are just one of two countries to have picked up more than 200 points at the World Cup based on this system. Miroslav Klose remains the top goalscorer in the competition’s history, while 1990 winner Lothar Matthaus has the second-most appearances in history (25), only behind Lionel Messi (26).

1

Brazil

The most successful nation in the competition’s history, Brazil, were always likely to be top of the pile. The five-time winners haven’t lifted the iconic trophy since 2002, but have still amassed an incredible 247 points in total.

Even in the years when they haven’t won the silverware, Brazil are masters at getting past the group stages, meaning they’ve played more World Cup matches than any other country. The likes of Pele, Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldinho are just some of the world-class icons that have risen to the occasion for the Selecao on the biggest stage of all.

Rangers could be on the brink of earning a major cash injection this summer, after Galatasaray entered the race to sign one Ibrox star.

The Glasgow side are expecting a major squad overhaul for Danny Rohl after a disappointing season in which they finished third in the Scottish Premiership, and have already strengthened their striker position by signing Lawrence Shankland from Hearts on a free transfer.

That could now see another Ibrox forward on the move during the upcoming transfer window, with the Turkish champions keeping a close eye on one star in particular.

Galatasaray Eyeing Rangers Star Chermiti

According to Turkish journalist Seren Dag, Galatasaray have added Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti to their shortlist of transfer targets.

Chermiti, who has been described as ‘seriously talented’ by Russell Martin, was the club’s top scorer in all competitions this season, netting 15 goals following his move from Everton. That included huge goals against league winners Celtic and title challengers Hearts, and clubs are now paying attention to his availability.

As a result, Rangers have now put a €25m (£21.5m) asking price on the Portuguese forward’s head. That fee would be a club-record fee for Rangers to receive for a player, gazumping the €23m (£19.8m) they received from Ajax for Calvin Bassey.

It’s currently unclear if the Istanbul club would be willing to pay that, or whether Chermiti would be open to the move, but with Galatasaray playing in the Champions League next season, it is likely to appeal to the 22-year-old.

Rangers signed Chermiti for just £10m last summer, so cashing in for more than double that just 12 months later would be a huge coup for the Light Blues.

Rohl Can Make Do Without Chermiti

It’s evident that Chermiti has got some raw potential, and some attributes that could really suit Rangers in their pursuit of success next season.

But it’s also clear to see for anyone who watched him regularly this season that he isn’t a reliable source of goals yet, and will almost certainly find himself behind Shankland this summer. A transfer away shouldn’t be something that is actively being pursued, but should a big offer arrive, there’s no reason not to cash in.

Rangers have Bojan Miovski and Shankland already, both who have a proven goal record in Scotland, and £20m from one player would be absolutely huge for what they would be capable of doing in the market to strengthen other areas of the squad.

Just hours before he takes part in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, a veteran F1 driver has admitted that he “should not be racing”.

One of the most iconic fixtures on the sport’s calendar, Sunday’s race will see the Principality shut down its streets to accommodate the Circuit de Monaco, allowing for some truly breathtaking visuals.

However, in an astonishing rant, one F1 driver has admitted that he has already given up on securing a decent finishing position.

F1 Driver Savages ‘Worst Car Ever’ Ahead of Monaco GP

Speaking to the media ahead of the race, two-time Drivers’ Championship winner Fernando Alonso labelled his Aston Martin car as the “worst he had ever driven around Monaco.”

Many drivers have taken aim at the new technical changes that were brought in at the start of the 2026 season, but none have been as scathing as Alonso’s claim that his car isn’t fit to race.

“This is probably the worst generation of cars I ever drove in Monaco. The way you charge the battery, with braking and lifting off and things like that, obviously creates a lot of inconsistency into the engine braking of the car.

“Sometimes you have less, sometimes you have push and sometimes not. If the battery is completely full, then you don’t recharge because the battery is full. So you don’t have engine breaking. It’s like pushing.

The AMR26 car has proven to be a tricky piece of machinery for both Alonso and his teammate Lance Stroll. The 42-year-old Alonso has been complaining about “random downshifts” that almost caught him out in practice 1.

F1 Driver Narrowly Avoids Nasty Crash in Monaco

He needed all of his experience to avoid a nasty incident having made contact with the wall on approach to the chicane after he briefly lost control of his car.

He stated afterwards:

“Monaco is not the place to have a random downshift, and you have rear [brake] locking or [engine] pushing or something like that. Then you will crash into the wall, and the driver will look stupid.

“So, that’s the thing that we needed to make sure that we make a step in the right direction in Canada, and Monaco will tell the truth.”