Who has won the most FIFA World Cups - A look at the history of the FIFA World Cup

In May 1904, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in Paris, comprising associations from Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. 

Football was excluded from the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles as the sport was not popular in the United States, prompting FIFA to organise the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay. 

Sixteen teams were meant to contest the inaugural World Cup; however, Egypt missed their ship, and Japan and Siam withdrew, leaving 13 teams in the tournament, including Mexico, United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Belgium, France, Romania, and Yugoslavia, with hosts Uruguay beating Argentina 4-2 in the final. 

The 1934 and 1938 editions of the FIFA World Cup, held in Italy and France, started from the round of 16 onwards. Italy became the first nation to win back-to-back titles by defeating Czechoslovakia 2-1 and Hungary 4-2. 

Brazil became the dominant force in football, with Pele playing a pivotal role in securing his country's three FIFA World Cups in four tournaments, lifting the trophy in Sweden in 1958, Chile in 1962, and Mexico in 1970. 

The 1974 World Cup witnessed one of the greatest rivalries in football, as West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer and the Netherlands's Johann Cruyff faced off in the final, with the Germans edging their more fancied opponents 2-1 on their home turf. 

Mexico in 1986 saw the round of 16 return for the first time since 1938 when four of the best third-placed teams progressed with the top two teams from the six groups into the knockout stages, with the tournament going down as one of the greatest ever World Cups after Diego Maradona showcased his dazzling skills and led Argentina to glory after beating Germany 3-2 in the final. 

At the 1998 World Cup, 32 nations were divided into eight groups of four teams, with the top two sides in each pool progressing to the knockout stages, which included the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, 3rd-place playoff match, and the final. Ronaldo's Brazil played well throughout the tournament but were swept aside by host nation France 3-0 in the final. 

For the 2022 edition, the Middle East was the centre of attention after Qatar became the host nation. Lionel Messi finally added the World Cup trophy to his cabinet when Argentina defeated Kylian Mbappe's France on penalties after the score had ended 3-3 at the end of extra time. 

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will see 48 teams contest the tournament for the first time in its history, with the return of the best third-placed teams in groups qualifying for the round of 32 knockout phase. 

Notable records achieved by individuals at all FIFA World Cup tournaments since its inception:

Miroslav Klose of Germany is the leading scorer at the FIFA World with 16 goals in 24 matches from 2002 to 2014. 

France's Just Fontaine holds the record for scoring the most goals in a single tournament, with 13 at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.