13 participating teams
Post-war withdrawals left the Brazil tournament with 13 teams and a four-team final round rather than a one-match final.
Tournament database · 1950–2026
World Cup Teams by Year
Compare every World Cup edition represented in the 7a0 archive by year, host, champion, tournament size and available historic squads. Open the completed tournament guides or continue into national-team and squad pages.
Tournament editions20
Historic squads302
Champion nations through 20268
Detailed year guides7
Browse World Cup teams and squads by tournament year
A year-based directory answers a different question from the national-team database. The teams page compares one country across several generations, while this page starts with a specific tournament and shows its host, champion, field size and current 7a0 squad coverage. This makes it easier to move from a broad historical edition into a complete year guide or an individual squad.
Tournament size changed several times between 1950 and 2026, so the number of teams in the historical competition is not the same as the number of squads currently available in the game. Both values are shown separately to avoid suggesting that every participating nation already has a playable archive roster.
Original guides with groups, players and tournament context
Published World Cup year guides
Only editions with complete editorial coverage receive an indexable guide and sitemap entry.
1970
Mexico
Brazil champions · 10 archive squads
Open tournament guide →
1986
Mexico
Argentina champions · 16 archive squads
Open tournament guide →
1998
France
France champions · 16 archive squads
Open tournament guide →
2002
South Korea and Japan
Brazil champions · 19 archive squads
Open tournament guide →
2010
South Africa
Spain champions · 19 archive squads
Open tournament guide →
2014
Brazil
Germany champions · 21 archive squads
Open tournament guide →
2022
Qatar
Argentina champions · 24 archive squads
Open tournament guide →
Hosts · winners · field size · game coverage
World Cup teams by year: 1950 to 2026
The 2026 row records Spain's 1–0 extra-time victory over Argentina in the final on 19 July 2026.
| Year | Host | Champion / status | Tournament teams | 7a0 squads | Edition note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Brazil | Uruguay | 13 | 12 | Final round rather than a one-match final |
| 1954 | Switzerland | West Germany | 16 | 13 | West Germany defeated Hungary in the final |
| 1958 | Sweden | Brazil | 16 | 12 | Brazil's first title and Pelé's breakthrough |
| 1962 | Chile | Brazil | 16 | 12 | Brazil successfully defended the trophy |
| 1966 | England | England | 16 | 11 | England's first and only title through 2026 |
| 1970 | Mexico | Brazil | 16 | 10 | Brazil won all six matches |
| 1974 | West Germany | West Germany | 16 | 10 | A second group stage replaced quarterfinals |
| 1978 | Argentina | Argentina | 16 | 11 | Argentina's first title on home soil |
| 1982 | Spain | Italy | 24 | 13 | The field expanded from 16 to 24 teams |
| 1986 | Mexico | Argentina | 24 | 16 | Maradona led an unbeaten champion |
| 1990 | Italy | West Germany | 24 | 13 | West Germany defeated Argentina in the final |
| 1994 | United States | Brazil | 24 | 13 | The first final decided by a penalty shootout |
| 1998 | France | France | 32 | 16 | The field expanded from 24 to 32 teams |
| 2002 | South Korea and Japan | Brazil | 32 | 19 | The first World Cup staged in Asia |
| 2006 | Germany | Italy | 32 | 16 | Italy defeated France on penalties |
| 2010 | South Africa | Spain | 32 | 19 | The first World Cup staged in Africa |
| 2014 | Brazil | Germany | 32 | 21 | Germany became the first European champion in the Americas |
| 2018 | Russia | France | 32 | 21 | France won its second title |
| 2022 | Qatar | Argentina | 32 | 24 | Argentina won its third title |
| 2026 | Canada, Mexico and United States | Spain | 48 | 20 | Spain defeated Argentina 1–0 after extra time in the first 48-team World Cup |
From 13 teams to a 48-team tournament
How the World Cup field expanded
16-team era
Most tournaments in this period used a 16-team field, although competition formats changed between knockout rounds and second group stages.
24-team era
The field expanded to 24 in Spain 1982 and later adopted a round of 16 after the group phase.
32-team era
Eight groups of four became the familiar structure, sending 16 teams into the knockout stage.
48-team era begins
Canada, Mexico and the United States hosted the first 48-team edition, with 12 groups and a new round of 32.
World Cup winners across the archive years
The rows from 1950 through 2026 include champions from South America and Europe. Brazil appears five times, West Germany or Germany four times, Argentina three times, Italy twice, and France, Spain and Uruguay twice each. England appears once. Spain's 2026 victory was the country's second title.
What the 7a0 squad count means
The archive column is derived from the synchronized game index at build time. A value such as 19 squads for 2002 means nineteen national-team rosters from that edition are currently available in 7a0; it does not change the historical fact that 32 teams played in the tournament. This distinction keeps the directory useful both as a history reference and as a map of playable content.
World Cup teams by year FAQ
How many teams played in each World Cup?
The field changed over time. The 1950 tournament had 13 teams, most editions from 1954 through 1978 had 16, the 1982–1994 editions had 24, tournaments from 1998 through 2022 had 32, and the 2026 edition expanded to 48.
Which World Cup years have detailed guides on 7a0?
The 1970, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2022 editions currently have full tournament guides. Other years remain visible as database rows until their editorial pages contain enough original team, match and player information.
Does the archive contain every team from every World Cup?
No. The tournament-team column describes the complete historical field for each edition, while the 7a0 archive column counts only the squads currently available in the game data.
Who has won the most World Cups through 2026?
Brazil holds the record with five titles: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.
Who won the 2026 World Cup?
Spain won the 2026 World Cup by defeating Argentina 1–0 after extra time in the final on 19 July 2026. It was Spain's second men's World Cup title.
Build a Dream XI from World Cup history
Use the year table to compare eras, open a detailed guide, or enter the game and combine players from different tournaments.
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