National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup - wikipedia National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup A map showing all nations to have competed in FIFA World Cup tournaments. A map showing host nations and the best performance of each team to have competed in FIFA World Cup tournaments. The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior men 's national teams of the members of the International Federation of Association Football ( FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Football Association ), the sport 's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 when it was not held due to the Second World War. The competition originally featured 16 teams, and later 24, before settling on its current format of 32 teams starting with the 1998 tournament. Teams initially compete in a group stage, with the final 16 progressing to knockout stages to decide the winner. As of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 79 national teams have competed at the final tournaments. Brazil are the only team to have appeared in all 21 tournaments to date, with Germany having participated in 19, Italy in 18, Argentina in 17 and Mexico in 16. To date, eight nations have won the tournament. The inaugural winners in 1930 were Uruguay ; the current champions are France. The most successful nation in the competition are currently Brazil, who have won the cup on five occasions. Five teams have appeared in FIFA World Cup finals without winning, while twelve more have appeared in semi-finals. Contents 1 Ranking of teams by number of appearances 2 Overall team records 3 Debuts by tournament 4 Comprehensive team results by tournament 5 Results of host nations 6 Results of defending champions and runners - up 7 Results by confederation 7.1 AFC 7.2 CAF 7.3 CONCACAF 7.4 CONMEBOL 7.5 OFC 7.6 UEFA 7.7 Overall 8 Footnotes 9 References 10 External links Ranking of teams by number of appearances Team Appearances Record streak Active streak Debut Most recent Best result ( * hosts ) Brazil 21 21 21 1930 2018 Champions ( 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002 ) Germany 19 17 17 1934 2018 Champions ( 1954, 1974 *, 1990, 2014 ) Italy 18 14 0 1934 2014 Champions ( 1934 *, 1938, 1982, 2006 ) Argentina 17 12 12 1930 2018 Champions ( 1978 *, 1986 ) Mexico 16 7 7 1930 2018 Quarterfinals ( 1970 *, 1986 * ) Spain 15 11 11 1934 2018 Champions ( 2010 ) France 15 6 6 1930 2018 Champions ( 1998 *, 2018 ) England 15 6 6 1950 2018 Champions ( 1966 * ) Belgium 13 6 1930 2018 Third place ( 2018 ) Uruguay 13 1930 2018 Champions ( 1930 *, 1950 ) Serbia 12 1930 2018 Fourth place ( 1930, 1962 ) Sweden 12 1934 2018 Runners - up ( 1958 * ) Switzerland 11 1934 2018 Quarterfinals ( 1934, 1938, 1954 * ) Russia 11 1958 2018 Fourth place ( 1966 ) South Korea 10 9 9 1954 2018 Fourth place ( 2002 * ) United States 10 7 0 1930 2014 Third place ( 1930 ) Netherlands 10 0 1934 2014 Runners - up ( 1974, 1978, 2010 ) Hungary 9 0 1934 1986 Runners - up ( 1938, 1954 ) Czech Republic 9 0 1934 2006 Runners - up ( 1934, 1962 ) Chile 9 0 1930 2014 Third place ( 1962 * ) Scotland 8 5 0 1954 1998 Round 1 Poland 8 1938 2018 Third place ( 1974, 1982 ) Paraguay 8 0 1930 Quarterfinals ( 2010 ) Portugal 7 5 5 1966 2018 Third place ( 1966 ) Bulgaria 7 0 1962 1998 Fourth place ( 1994 ) Cameroon 7 0 1982 2014 Quarterfinals ( 1990 ) Romania 7 0 1930 1998 Quarterfinals ( 1994 ) Austria 7 0 1934 1998 Third place ( 1954 ) Japan 6 6 6 1998 2018 Round 2 ( 2002 *, 2010, 2018 ) Nigeria 6 1994 2018 Round 2 ( 1994, 1998, 2014 ) Colombia 6 1962 2018 Quarterfinals ( 2014 ) Australia 5 2018 Round 2 ( 2006 ) Saudi Arabia 5 1994 2018 Round 2 ( 1994 ) Croatia 5 1998 2018 Runners - up ( 2018 ) Tunisia 5 1978 2018 Round 1 Iran 5 1978 2018 Round 1 Costa Rica 5 1990 2018 Quarterfinals ( 2014 ) Peru 5 1930 2018 Quarterfinals ( 1970, 1978 ( top 8 ) ) Morocco 5 1970 2018 Round 2 ( 1986 ) Denmark 5 1986 2018 Quarterfinals ( 1998 ) Algeria 0 1982 2014 Round 2 ( 2014 ) Ghana 0 2006 2014 Quarterfinals ( 2010 ) Ivory Coast 0 2006 2014 Round 1 Norway 0 1938 1998 Round 2 ( 1998 ) Honduras 0 1982 2014 Round 1 Greece 0 1994 2014 Round 2 ( 2014 ) Ecuador 0 2002 2014 Round 2 ( 2006 ) Northern Ireland 0 1958 1986 Quarterfinals ( 1958 ) Republic of Ireland 0 1990 2002 Quarterfinals ( 1990 ) South Africa 0 1998 Round 1 Egypt 1934 2018 Round 1 Bolivia 0 1930 1994 Round 1 Turkey 0 1954 2002 Third place ( 2002 ) Senegal 2002 2018 Quarterfinals ( 2002 ) North Korea 0 1966 Quarterfinals ( 1966 ) El Salvador 0 1970 1982 Round 1 New Zealand 0 1982 Round 1 Slovenia 0 2002 Round 1 Cuba 0 1938 1938 Quarterfinals ( 1938 ) Indonesia 0 1938 1938 Round 1 Wales 0 1958 1958 Quarterfinals ( 1958 ) Israel 0 1970 1970 Round 1 DR Congo 0 Round 1 East Germany 0 Quarterfinals ( 1974 ( top 8 ) ) Haiti 0 Round 1 Kuwait 0 1982 1982 Round 1 Canada 0 1986 1986 Round 1 Iraq 0 1986 1986 Round 1 United Arab Emirates 0 1990 1990 Round 1 Jamaica 0 1998 1998 Round 1 China PR 0 2002 2002 Round 1 Angola 0 2006 2006 Round 1 Togo 0 2006 2006 Round 1 Trinidad and Tobago 0 2006 2006 Round 1 Ukraine 0 2006 2006 Quarterfinals ( 2006 ) Slovakia 0 Round 2 ( 2010 ) Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 2014 2014 Round 1 Iceland 2018 2018 Round 1 Panama 2018 2018 Round 1 Breakdown of successor teams Team # of appearances Record streak Active streak Debut Most recent Best result ( * hosts ) Czech Republic ( since 1998 ) 0 2006 2006 Round 1 Czechoslovakia ( 1930 -- 1994 ) 8 0 1934 1990 Runners - up ( 1934, 1962 ) Team # of appearances Record streak Active streak Debut Most recent Best result ( * hosts ) Germany ( since 1994 ) 7 7 7 1994 2018 Champions ( 2014 ) West Germany ( 1954 -- 1990 ) 10 10 0 1954 1990 Champions ( 1954, 1974 *, 1990 ) East Germany ( 1954 -- 1990 ) 0 Quarterfinals ( 1974 ( top 8 ) ) Germany ( 1930 -- 1938 ) 0 1934 1938 Third place ( 1934 ) Team # of appearances Record streak Active streak Debut Most recent Best result ( * hosts ) Russia ( since 1994 ) 1994 2018 Quarterfinals ( 2018 * ) Soviet Union ( 1930 -- 1990 ) 7 0 1958 1990 Fourth place ( 1966 ) Team # of appearances Record streak Active streak Debut Most recent Best result ( * hosts ) Serbia ( since 2010 ) 2018 Round 1 Serbia and Montenegro ( 2006 ) 0 2006 2006 Round 1 Yugoslavia ( 1994 -- 2002 ) 0 1998 1998 Round 2 ( 1998 ) Yugoslavia ( 1950 -- 1990 ) 7 0 1950 1990 Fourth place ( 1962 ) Yugoslavia ( 1930 -- 1938 ) 0 1930 1930 Fourth place ( 1930 ) Overall team records As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot - outs are counted as draws. 3 points per win, 1 point per draw and 0 points per loss. Rank Team Pld GF GA GD Points Topscorer ( s ) Num of Goals Brazil 109 73 18 18 229 105 + 124 237 Ronaldo 15 Germany 109 67 20 22 226 125 + 101 221 M. Klose 16 Italy 83 45 21 17 128 77 + 51 156 C. Vieri, R. Baggio, P. Rossi 9 Argentina 81 43 15 23 137 93 + 44 144 G. Batistuta 10 5 France 66 34 13 19 120 77 + 43 115 J. Fontaine 13 6 England 69 29 21 19 91 64 + 27 108 G. Lineker 10 7 Spain 63 30 15 18 99 72 + 27 105 D. Villa 9 8 Netherlands 50 27 12 11 86 48 + 38 93 J. Rep 7 9 Uruguay 56 24 12 20 87 74 + 13 84 Ó. Míguez 8 10 Sweden 51 19 13 19 80 73 + 7 70 H. Larsson, K. Andersson 5 11 Belgium 48 20 9 19 68 72 − 4 69 M. Wilmots, R. Lukaku 5 12 Russia 45 19 10 16 77 54 + 23 67 O. Salenko 6 13 Serbia 46 18 8 20 66 63 + 3 62 D. Jerković 14 Mexico 57 16 14 27 60 98 − 38 62 L. Hernández, J. Hernández 15 Poland 34 16 5 13 46 45 + 1 53 G. Lato 10 16 Hungary 32 15 14 87 57 + 30 48 S. Kocsis 11 17 Portugal 30 14 6 10 49 35 + 14 48 Eusébio 9 18 Switzerland 37 12 8 17 50 64 − 14 44 J. Hügi 6 19 Czech Republic 33 12 5 16 47 49 − 2 41 O. Nejedlý 7 20 Austria 29 12 13 43 47 − 4 40 E. Probst 6 21 Chile 33 11 7 15 40 49 − 9 40 M. Salas, L. Sánchez 22 Croatia 23 11 8 35 26 + 9 37 D. Šuker 6 23 Denmark 20 9 5 6 30 26 + 4 32 J.D. Tomasson 5 24 Paraguay 27 7 10 10 30 38 − 8 31 N. Cuevas 25 Colombia 22 9 10 32 30 + 2 30 J. Rodríguez 6 26 United States 33 8 6 19 37 62 − 25 30 L. Donovan 5 27 Romania 21 8 5 8 30 32 − 2 29 F. Răducioiu 28 South Korea 34 6 9 19 34 70 − 36 27 Ahn Jung - hwan, Park Ji - sung, Son Heung - min 29 Nigeria 21 6 12 23 30 − 7 21 A. Musa 30 Japan 21 5 5 11 20 29 − 9 20 K. Honda 31 Costa Rica 18 5 5 8 19 28 − 9 20 R. Gómez, P. Wanchope 32 Scotland 23 7 12 25 41 − 16 19 J. Jordan 33 Cameroon 23 7 12 18 43 − 25 19 R. Milla 5 34 Peru 18 5 10 21 33 − 12 18 T. Cubillas 10 35 Bulgaria 26 8 15 22 53 − 31 17 H. Stoichkov 6 36 Turkey 10 5 20 17 + 3 16 Suat M., Burhan S., İlhan M. 37 Ghana 12 5 13 16 − 3 15 A. Gyan 6 38 Republic of Ireland 13 8 10 10 0 14 R. Keane 39 Northern Ireland 13 5 5 13 23 − 10 14 P. McParland 5 40 Ecuador 10 5 10 11 − 1 13 A. Delgado, E. Valencia 41 Senegal 8 11 10 + 1 12 P. Bouba Diop 42 Algeria 13 7 13 19 − 6 12 S. Assad, A. Djabou, I. Slimani 43 Morocco 16 5 9 14 22 − 8 11 A. Hadda, A. Khairi, S. Bassir 44 Saudi Arabia 16 11 11 39 − 28 11 S. Al - Jaber 45 Ivory Coast 9 5 13 14 − 1 10 W. Bony, A. Dindane, D. Drogba, Gervinho 46 South Africa 9 11 16 − 5 10 S. Bartlett, B. McCarthy 47 Tunisia 15 9 13 25 − 12 10 W. Khazri 48 Iran 15 9 9 24 − 15 10 multiple 49 Australia 16 10 13 31 − 18 10 T. Cahill 5 50 Norway 8 7 8 − 1 9 K. Rekdal 51 East Germany 6 5 5 0 8 J. Streich 52 Greece 10 6 5 20 − 15 8 multiple 53 Ukraine 5 5 7 − 2 7 A. Shevchenko 54 Wales 5 0 6 I. Allchurch 55 Slovakia 5 7 − 2 R. Vittek 56 Slovenia 6 5 10 − 5 multiple 57 Cuba 5 12 − 7 H. Socorro 58 North Korea 7 5 6 21 − 15 Pak Seung - zin 59 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 0 E. Džeko, V. Ibišević, M. Pjanić, A. Vršajević 60 Jamaica 0 9 − 6 T. Whitmore 61 New Zealand 6 0 14 − 10 W. Reid, S. Smeltz, S. Sumner, S. Wooddin 62 Honduras 9 0 6 14 − 11 E. Laing, H. Zelaya, C. Costly 63 Angola 0 − 1 Flávio 64 Israel 0 − 2 M. Spiegler 65 Egypt 7 0 5 5 12 − 7 A. Fawzi, M. Salah 66 Iceland 0 5 − 3 A. Finnbogason, G. Sigurðsson 67 Kuwait 0 6 − 4 F. Al - Dakhil, A. Al - Buloushi 68 Trinidad and Tobago 0 0 − 4 -- 69 Bolivia 6 0 5 20 − 19 E. Sánchez 70 Iraq 0 0 − 3 0 A. Radhi 71 Togo 0 0 6 − 5 0 M. Kader 72 Canada 0 0 0 5 − 5 0 -- 73 Indonesia 0 0 0 6 − 6 0 -- 74 Panama 0 0 11 − 9 0 F. Baloy 75 United Arab Emirates 0 0 11 − 9 0 A. Jumaa, K. Ismaïl 76 China PR 0 0 0 9 − 9 0 -- 77 Haiti 0 0 14 − 12 0 E. Sanon 78 DR Congo 0 0 0 14 − 14 0 -- 79 El Salvador 6 0 0 6 22 − 21 0 L. Ramírez Source : Breakdown of successor teams Team Pld GF GA GD Points Czechoslovakia ( 1934 -- 1990 ) 30 11 5 14 44 45 − 1 38 Czech Republic ( since 2006 ) 0 − 1 Team Pld GF GA GD Points Germany ( 1934 -- 1938 ) 6 14 13 + 1 10 West Germany ( 1954 -- 1990 ) 62 36 14 12 131 77 + 54 122 Germany ( since 1994 ) 40 28 5 7 81 33 + 48 89 Team Pld GF GA GD Points Soviet Union ( 1958 -- 1990 ) 31 15 6 10 53 34 + 19 51 Russia ( since 1994 ) 14 6 24 20 + 4 16 Team Pld GF GA GD Points Yugoslavia ( 1930 ) 0 7 7 0 6 Yugoslavia ( 1950 -- 1990 ) 30 12 7 11 48 35 + 13 43 Yugoslavia ( 1998 ) 5 + 1 7 Serbia and Montenegro ( 2006 ) 0 0 10 -- 8 0 Serbia ( since 2010 ) 6 0 7 - 3 6 Debuts by tournament Portugal ( top ) and Croatia ( bottom ) each finished third in their debut FIFA World Cup appearances, in 1966 and 1998. Cuba, Northern Ireland, the Soviet Union, the Republic of Ireland, Senegal and Ukraine ( pictured from top to bottom ) all progressed to the quarter - finals of their debut FIFA World Cup tournament. The inaugural FIFA World Cup tournament in 1930 featured 13 teams. Since then, every instance of the competition has featured at least one team making their debut appearance. List of national team debuts in FIFA World Cup tournaments Year Total Debuts Debut % Debuting teams Team Result Participating teams Best performance 1930 13 13 100 % Argentina Belgium Bolivia Brazil Chile France Mexico Paraguay Peru Romania United States Uruguay Yugoslavia Uruguay Winners 1934 16 10 62.5 % Austria Czechoslovakia Egypt Germany Hungary Italy Netherlands Spain Sweden Switzerland Italy Winners 1938 15 26.67 % Cuba Dutch East Indies Norway Poland Cuba Quarter - finals 1950 13 7.69 % England England Group stage 1954 16 18.75 % Scotland South Korea Turkey Scotland South Korea Turkey Group stage 1958 16 18.75 % Northern Ireland Soviet Union Wales Northern Ireland Soviet Union Wales Quarter - finals 1962 16 12.5 % Bulgaria Colombia Bulgaria Colombia Group stage 1966 16 12.5 % North Korea Portugal Portugal Third place 1970 16 18.75 % El Salvador Israel Morocco El Salvador Israel Morocco Group stage 16 25 % Australia East Germany Haiti Zaire East Germany Group stage 2 1978 16 12.5 % Iran Tunisia Iran Tunisia Group stage 1 1982 24 5 20.8 % Algeria Cameroon Honduras Kuwait New Zealand Algeria Cameroon Honduras Kuwait New Zealand Group stage 1 1986 24 12.5 % Canada Denmark Iraq Denmark Round of 16 1990 24 12.5 % Costa Rica Republic of Ireland United Arab Emirates Republic of Ireland Quarter - finals 1994 24 12.5 % Greece Nigeria Saudi Arabia Nigeria Saudi Arabia Round of 16 1998 32 12.5 % Croatia Jamaica Japan South Africa Croatia Third place 2002 32 12.5 % China PR Ecuador Senegal Slovenia Senegal Quarter - finals 2006 32 6 18.75 % Angola Ghana Ivory Coast Togo Trinidad and Tobago Ukraine Ukraine Quarter - finals 32 3.1 % Slovakia Slovakia Round of 16 2014 32 3.1 % Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Group stage 2018 32 6.25 % Iceland Panama Iceland Panama Group stage 2022 32 Qatar 2026 48 Comprehensive team results by tournament Legend 1st -- Champions 2nd -- Runners - up 3rd -- Third place 4th -- Fourth place QF -- Quarterfinals ( 1934 -- 1938, 1954 -- 1970, and 1986 -- present : knockout round of 8 ) R2 -- Round 2 ( 1974 -- 1978, second group stage, top 8 ; 1982 : second group stage, top 12 ; 1986 -- 2022 : knockout round of 16 ) R1 -- Round 1 ( 1930, 1950 - 1970 and 1986 - present : group stage ; 1934 - 1938 : knockout round of 16 ; 1974 - 1982 : first group stage ) q -- Qualified for upcoming tournament -- Qualified but withdrew -- Did not qualify × -- Did not enter / Withdrew / Banned / Entry not accepted by FIFA -- Hosts -- Not affiliated to FIFA % -- Success rate of reaching the World Cup Finals, only counting the times the team entered the tournament The team ranking in each tournament is according to FIFA. The rankings, apart from the top four positions ( top two in 1930 ), are not a result of direct competition between the teams ; instead, teams eliminated in the same round are ranked by their full results in the tournament. In recent tournaments, FIFA has used its world rankings for seeding in the final tournament draw. For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament are shown ( in parentheses ). Team view talk 1930 ( 13 ) 1934 ( 16 ) 1938 ( 15 ) 1950 ( 13 ) 1954 ( 16 ) 1958 ( 16 ) 1962 ( 16 ) 1966 ( 16 ) 1970 ( 16 ) ( 16 ) 1978 ( 16 ) 1982 ( 24 ) 1986 ( 24 ) 1990 ( 24 ) 1994 ( 24 ) 1998 ( 32 ) 2002 ( 32 ) 2006 ( 32 ) ( 32 ) 2014 ( 32 ) 2018 ( 32 ) 2022 ( 32 ) 2026 ( 48 ) Total partici - pations Qualifying percentage Algeria Part of France × R1 13th R1 22nd R1 28th R2 14th TBD TBD 4 / 13 30.8 Angola Part of Portugal × R1 23rd TBD TBD 1 / 9 11.1 Argentina 2nd R1 T - 9th × × × R1 13th R1 10th QF 5th R2 8th 1st R2 11th 1st 2nd R2 10th QF 6th R1 18th QF 6th QF 5th 2nd R2 16th TBD TBD 17 / 18 94.4 Australia × × × × × × × R1 14th R2 16th R1 21st R1 30th R1 30th TBD TBD 5 / 14 35.7 Austria × 4th × 3rd R1 15th × R2 7th R2 8th R1 T - 18th R1 23rd TBD TBD 7 / 18 38.9 Belgium R1 11th R1 15th R1 13th × R1 12th R1 T - 10th R2 10th 4th R2 11th R2 11th R1 19th R2 14th QF 6th 3rd TBD TBD 13 / 20 65 Bolivia R1 12th × × R1 13th × R1 21st TBD TBD 3 / 18 16.7 Bosnia and Herzegovina Part of Yugoslavia × R1 20th TBD TBD 1 / 6 16.7 Brazil R1 6th R1 14th 3rd 2nd QF 5th 1st 1st R1 11th 1st 4th 3rd R2 5th QF 5th R2 9th 1st 2nd 1st QF 5th QF 6th 4th QF 6th TBD TBD 21 / 21 100 Bulgaria × × R1 15th R1 15th R1 13th R1 12th R2 15th 4th R1 29th TBD TBD 7 / 19 36.8 Cameroon Part of France × × R1 17th QF 7th R1 22nd R1 25th R1 20th R1 31st R1 32nd TBD TBD 7 / 13 53.8 Canada × × × × × × × R1 24th TBD q 1 / 14 7.1 Chile R1 5th × × R1 9th 3rd R1 T - 13th R1 11th R1 22nd × R2 16th R2 10th R2 9th TBD TBD 9 / 18 50 China PR Republic of China × × × × × × × R1 31st TBD TBD 1 / 11 9.1 Colombia × × × R1 14th R2 14th R1 19th R1 21st QF 5th R2 9th TBD TBD 6 / 16 37.5 Costa Rica × × × × × R2 13th R1 19th R1 31st QF 8th R1 29th TBD TBD 5 / 16 31.3 Croatia Part of Yugoslavia × 3rd R1 23rd R1 22nd R1 19th 2nd TBD TBD 5 / 6 83.3 Cuba QF 8th × × × × × × × TBD TBD 1 / 13 7.7 Czech Republic × 2nd QF 5th × R1 14th R1 9th 2nd R1 15th R1 19th QF 6th R1 20th TBD TBD 9 / 19 47.4 Denmark × × × × × × R2 9th QF 8th R2 10th R1 24th R2 11th TBD TBD 5 / 15 33.3 DR Congo Part of Belgium × × R1 16th × TBD TBD 1 / 12 9.1 East Germany Part of Germany × × R2 6th Part of Germany 1 / 9 11.1 Ecuador × × × × × × R1 24th R2 12th R1 17th TBD TBD 3 / 15 20 Egypt × R1 13th × × × × × × R1 20th R1 31st TBD TBD 3 / 14 21.4 Team 1930 ( 13 ) 1934 ( 16 ) 1938 ( 15 ) 1950 ( 13 ) 1954 ( 16 ) 1958 ( 16 ) 1962 ( 16 ) 1966 ( 16 ) 1970 ( 16 ) ( 16 ) 1978 ( 16 ) 1982 ( 24 ) 1986 ( 24 ) 1990 ( 24 ) 1994 ( 24 ) 1998 ( 32 ) 2002 ( 32 ) 2006 ( 32 ) ( 32 ) 2014 ( 32 ) 2018 ( 32 ) 2022 ( 32 ) 2026 ( 48 ) Total partici - pations Qualifying percentage El Salvador × × × × × × R1 16th R1 24th TBD TBD 2 / 13 15.4 England × × × R1 8th QF 6th R1 11th QF 8th 1st QF 8th R2 6th QF 8th 4th R2 9th QF 6th QF 7th R2 13th R1 26th 4th TBD TBD 15 / 18 83.3 France R1 7th R1 T - 9th QF 6th R1 11th 3rd R1 T - 13th R1 12th 4th 3rd 1st R1 28th 2nd R1 29th QF 7th 1st TBD TBD 15 / 21 71.4 Germany × 3rd R1 10th × 1st 4th QF 7th 2nd 3rd 1st R2 6th 2nd 2nd 1st QF 5th QF 7th 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st R1 22nd TBD TBD 19 / 19 100 Ghana Part of the United Kingdom × × × R2 13th QF 7th R1 25th TBD TBD 3 / 13 23.1 Greece × × R1 24th R1 25th R2 13th TBD TBD 3 / 19 15.8 Haiti × × × × × R1 15th × TBD TBD 1 / 14 7.1 Honduras × × × × × × × R1 18th R1 30th R1 31st TBD TBD 3 / 14 21.4 Hungary × QF 6th 2nd × 2nd R1 10th QF 5th QF 6th R1 15th R1 14th R1 18th TBD TBD 9 / 19 47.4 Iceland × × × × × × × × R1 28th TBD TBD 1 / 13 7.7 Indonesia × × R1 15th × × × × × × TBD TBD 1 / 13 7.7 Iran × × × × × × × × R1 14th × × R1 20th R1 T - 25th R1 28th R1 18th TBD TBD 5 / 10 50 Iraq × × × × × × × × × R1 23rd TBD TBD 1 / 11 9.1 Israel × R1 12th TBD TBD 1 / 20 5 Italy × 1st 1st R1 7th R1 10th R1 9th R1 9th 2nd R1 10th 4th 1st R2 12th 3rd 2nd QF 5th R2 15th 1st R1 26th R1 22nd TBD TBD 18 / 20 90 Ivory Coast Part of France × × × × R1 19th R1 17th R1 21st TBD TBD 3 / 11 27.3 Jamaica Part of the United Kingdom × × × R1 22nd TBD TBD 1 / 12 8.3 Japan × × × × × × R1 31st R2 9th R1 T - 28th R2 9th R1 29th R2 15th TBD TBD 6 / 15 40 Kuwait × × × × × × × × × R1 21st TBD TBD 1 / 12 8.3 Mexico R1 13th × R1 12th R1 13th R1 16th R1 11th R1 12th QF 6th R1 16th QF 6th × R2 13th R2 13th R2 11th R2 15th R2 14th R2 10th R2 12th TBD q 16 / 19 84.2 Morocco Part of France × R1 14th R2 11th R1 23rd R1 18th R1 27th TBD TBD 5 / 14 35.7 Netherlands × R1 T - 9th R1 14th × × 2nd 2nd R2 15th QF 7th 4th R2 11th 2nd 3rd TBD TBD 10 / 18 55.6 New Zealand × × × × × R1 23rd R1 22nd TBD TBD 2 / 13 15.4 Nigeria Part of the United Kingdom × R2 9th R2 12th R1 27th R1 27th R2 16th R1 21st TBD TBD 6 / 14 42.9 North Korea Part of Japan × × QF 8th × × × × R1 32nd TBD TBD 2 / 10 20 Northern Ireland × × × QF 8th R2 9th R1 21st TBD TBD 3 / 18 16.7 Norway × × R1 12th × R1 17th R2 15th TBD TBD 3 / 18 16.7 Team 1930 ( 13 ) 1934 ( 16 ) 1938 ( 15 ) 1950 ( 13 ) 1954 ( 16 ) 1958 ( 16 ) 1962 ( 16 ) 1966 ( 16 ) 1970 ( 16 ) ( 16 ) 1978 ( 16 ) 1982 ( 24 ) 1986 ( 24 ) 1990 ( 24 ) 1994 ( 24 ) 1998 ( 32 ) 2002 ( 32 ) 2006 ( 32 ) ( 32 ) 2014 ( 32 ) 2018 ( 32 ) 2022 ( 32 ) 2026 ( 48 ) Total partici - pations Qualifying percentage Panama × × × × × × × × × × R1 32nd TBD TBD 1 / 11 9.1 Paraguay R1 9th × × R1 11th R1 12th R2 13th R2 14th R2 16th R1 18th QF 8th TBD TBD 8 / 19 42.1 Peru R1 10th × × × × QF 7th R2 8th R1 20th R1 20th TBD TBD 5 / 17 29.4 Poland × R1 11th × × 3rd R2 5th 3rd R2 14th R1 25th R1 21st R1 25th TBD TBD 8 / 18 44.4 Portugal × 3rd R1 17th R1 21st 4th R2 11th R1 18th R2 13th TBD TBD 7 / 20 35 Qatar × × × × × × × × × × q TBD Republic of Ireland × QF 8th R2 16th R2 12th TBD TBD 3 / 20 15 Romania R1 8th R1 12th R1 9th × R1 T - 10th R2 12th QF 6th R2 11th TBD TBD 7 / 20 35 Russia × × × × × QF 7th QF 6th 4th QF 5th R2 7th R2 10th R1 17th R1 18th R1 22nd R1 24th QF 8th TBD TBD 11 / 16 68.8 Saudi Arabia × × × × × R2 12th R1 28th R1 32nd R1 T - 28th R1 26th TBD TBD 5 / 11 45.5 Scotland × × × R1 15th R1 14th R1 9th R1 11th R1 15th R1 19th R1 T - 18th R1 27th TBD TBD 8 / 18 44.4 Senegal Part of France × × × × QF 7th R1 17th TBD TBD 2 / 11 18.2 Serbia 4th R1 5th QF 7th QF 5th 4th R2 7th R1 16th QF 5th × R2 10th R1 32nd R1 23rd R1 23rd TBD TBD 12 / 20 60 Slovakia Part of Czechoslovakia R2 16th TBD TBD 1 / 6 16.7 Slovenia Part of Yugoslavia × R1 30th R1 18th TBD TBD 2 / 6 33.3 South Africa × × × × × × × × × × R1 24th R1 17th R1 20th TBD TBD 3 / 7 42.9 South Korea Part of Japan × R1 16th × × R1 20th R1 22nd R1 20th R1 30th 4th R1 17th R2 15th R1 27th R1 19th TBD TBD 10 / 15 66.7 Spain × QF 5th × 4th R1 12th R1 10th R1 10th R2 12th QF 7th R2 10th QF 8th R1 17th QF 5th R2 9th 1st R1 23rd R2 10th TBD TBD 15 / 19 78.9 Sweden × QF 8th 4th 3rd 2nd R1 9th R2 5th R1 13th R1 21st 3rd R2 13th R2 14th QF 7th TBD TBD 12 / 20 60 Switzerland × QF 7th QF 7th R1 6th QF 8th R1 16th R1 16th R2 15th R2 10th R1 19th R2 11th R2 14th TBD TBD 11 / 20 55 Togo Part of France × × × × × R1 30th TBD TBD 1 / 10 10 Trinidad and Tobago Part of the United Kingdom R1 27th TBD TBD 1 / 14 7.1 Tunisia Part of France × R1 9th R1 26th R1 29th R1 24th R1 24th TBD TBD 5 / 14 35.7 Turkey × × × R1 9th × 3rd TBD TBD 2 / 17 11.8 Ukraine Part of Soviet Union × QF 8th TBD TBD 1 / 6 16.7 United Arab Emirates × × × R1 24th TBD TBD 1 / 9 11.1 United States 3rd R1 16th × R1 10th R1 23rd R2 14th R1 32nd QF 8th R1 T - 25th R2 12th R2 15th TBD q 10 / 20 50 Uruguay 1st × × 1st 4th R1 13th QF 7th 4th R1 13th R2 16th R2 16th R1 26th 4th R2 12th QF 5th TBD TBD 13 / 19 68.4 Wales × × × QF 6th TBD TBD 1 / 18 5.6 Team 1930 ( 13 ) 1934 ( 16 ) 1938 ( 15 ) 1950 ( 13 ) 1954 ( 16 ) 1958 ( 16 ) 1962 ( 16 ) 1966 ( 16 ) 1970 ( 16 ) ( 16 ) 1978 ( 16 ) 1982 ( 24 ) 1986 ( 24 ) 1990 ( 24 ) 1994 ( 24 ) 1998 ( 32 ) 2002 ( 32 ) 2006 ( 32 ) ( 32 ) 2014 ( 32 ) 2018 ( 32 ) 2022 ( 32 ) 2026 ( 48 ) Total partici - pations Qualifying percentage Results of host nations Except in 1934, host nations are granted an automatic spot in the World Cup group stage. The first host ever to fail to advance past the first round was South Africa in 2010. † denotes the best result in the team 's history, ‡ - the best result at the time of the competition ( improved later ). No. Year Host Nation Finish 1930 Uruguay Champions † 1934 Italy Champions † 1938 France Quarter - Final ‡ 1950 Brazil Runners - up ‡ 5 1954 Switzerland Quarter - Final † 6 1958 Sweden Runners - up † 7 1962 Chile Third Place † 8 1966 England Champions † 9 1970 Mexico Quarter - Final † 10 West Germany Champions † 11 1978 Argentina Champions † 12 1982 Spain Round 2 ( Top 12 ) 13 1986 Mexico Quarter - Final † 14 1990 Italy Third Place 15 1994 United States Round of 16 16 1998 France Champions † 17 2002 South Korea Fourth Place † Japan Round of 16 † 18 2006 Germany Third Place 19 South Africa Group Stage † 20 2014 Brazil Fourth Place 21 2018 Russia Quarter - Final 22 2022 Qatar TBD † 23 2026 Canada TBD Mexico TBD United States TBD Results of defending champions and runners - up The defending World Cup champions were formerly granted an automatic spot in the Cup finals field. As of the 2006 tournament, this berth is no longer guaranteed. However, no defending World Cup champion has yet failed to qualify. Automatic berths have never been given for defending World Cup runners - up. Defending runners - up are 15 - for - 18 in qualification efforts for the following World Cup. Year Defending champions Finish Defending runners - up Finish 1934 Uruguay Did not enter Argentina Round 1 ( Round of 16 ) 1938 Italy Champions Czechoslovakia Quarter - Final 1950 Italy Group Stage Hungary Did not enter 1954 Uruguay Fourth Place Brazil Quarter - Final 1958 West Germany Fourth Place Hungary Group Stage 1962 Brazil Champions Sweden Did not qualify 1966 Brazil Group Stage Czechoslovakia Did not qualify 1970 England Quarter - Final West Germany Third Place Brazil Fourth Place Italy Group Stage 1978 West Germany Round 2 ( top 8 ) Netherlands Runners - up 1982 Argentina Round 2 ( top 12 ) Netherlands Did not qualify 1986 Italy Round of 16 West Germany Runners - up 1990 Argentina Runners - up West Germany Champions 1994 Germany Quarter - Final Argentina Round of 16 1998 Brazil Runners - up Italy Quarter - Final 2002 France Group Stage Brazil Champions 2006 Brazil Quarter - Final Germany Third Place Italy Group Stage France Group Stage 2014 Spain Group Stage Netherlands Third Place 2018 Germany Group Stage Argentina Round of 16 2022 France TBD Croatia TBD Results by confederation AFC Main article : Asian nations at the FIFA World Cup South Korea have appeared at ten FIFA World Cup tournaments, more than any other AFC team. They finished fourth in 2002, a confederation record. North Korea were the first AFC team to advance beyond the first stage of a FIFA World Cup tournament, reaching the quarter - finals in 1966. Japan have competed in the FIFA World Cup six times, progressing to the knockout stage thrice, in 2002, 2010, and 2018. List of AFC team appearances in FIFA World Cup tournaments Year Teams Top 16 Top 8 / 12 Top 4 Top 2 Team Result Progress in the tournament Best performance 1938 N / A 0 0 0 Dutch East Indies First round 1954 0 0 0 South Korea Group stage 1966 0 0 North Korea Quarter - finals 1970 0 0 0 Israel Group stage 1978 0 0 0 Iran Group stage 1982 0 0 0 Kuwait Group stage 1986 0 0 0 0 Iraq South Korea Group stage 1990 0 0 0 0 South Korea United Arab Emirates Group stage 1994 0 0 0 Saudi Arabia Round of 16 1998 0 0 0 0 Iran Japan Saudi Arabia South Korea Group stage 2002 0 South Korea Fourth place 2006 0 0 0 0 Iran Japan Saudi Arabia South Korea Group stage 0 0 0 Japan South Korea Round of 16 2014 0 0 0 0 Australia Iran Japan South Korea Group stage 2018 5 0 0 0 Japan Round of 16 Total 37 6 0 South Korea Fourth place CAF Main article : African nations at the FIFA World Cup Cameroon were the first CAF nation to reach the quarter - finals of the FIFA World Cup, the highest stage a team from the confederation has reached, in 1990. Nigeria have participated in six FIFA World Cup tournaments, just one behind the CAF record holders Cameroon. List of CAF team appearances in FIFA World Cup tournaments Year Teams Top 16 Top 8 / 12 Top 4 Top 2 Team Result Progress in the tournament Best performance 1934 N / A 0 0 0 Egypt First round 1970 0 0 0 Morocco Group stage 0 0 0 Zaire Group stage 1978 0 0 0 Tunisia Group stage 1982 0 0 0 Algeria Cameroon Group stage 1 1986 0 0 0 Morocco Round of 16 1990 0 0 Cameroon Quarter - finals 1994 0 0 0 Nigeria Round of 16 1998 5 0 0 0 Nigeria Round of 16 2002 5 0 0 Senegal Quarter - finals 2006 5 0 0 0 Ghana Round of 16 6 0 0 Ghana Quarter - finals 2014 5 0 0 0 Algeria Nigeria Round of 16 2018 5 0 0 0 0 Egypt Morocco Nigeria Senegal Tunisia Group stage Total 44 9 0 0 Cameroon Senegal Ghana Quarter - finals CONCACAF Main article : North, Central American and Caribbean nations at the FIFA World Cup United States finished in third place in the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930, which remains the only semi-finals appearance by a CONCACAF team. Mexico have participated in 16 FIFA World Cup tournaments, behind only Brazil ( 21 ), Germany ( 19 ), Italy ( 18 ) and Argentina ( 17 ). List of CONCACAF team appearances in FIFA World Cup tournaments Year Teams Top 16 Top 8 / 12 Top 4 Top 2 Team Result Progress in the tournament Best performance 1930 N / A N / A 0 United States Third place 1934 0 0 0 United States First round 1938 0 0 Cuba Quarter - finals 1950 N / A 0 0 Mexico United States Group stage 1954 0 0 0 Mexico Group stage 1958 0 0 0 Mexico Group stage 1962 0 0 0 Mexico Group stage 1966 0 0 0 Mexico Group stage 1970 0 0 Mexico Quarter - finals 0 0 0 Haiti Group stage 1978 0 0 0 Mexico Group stage 1982 0 0 0 El Salvador Honduras Group stage 1 1986 0 0 Mexico Quarter - finals 1990 0 0 0 Costa Rica Round of 16 1994 0 0 0 Mexico United States Round of 16 1998 0 0 0 Mexico Round of 16 2002 0 0 United States Quarter - finals 2006 0 0 0 Mexico Round of 16 0 0 0 Mexico United States Round of 16 2014 0 0 Costa Rica Quarter - finals 2018 0 0 0 Mexico Round of 16 Total 42 14 5 0 United States Third place CONMEBOL Main article : South American nations at the FIFA World Cup Brazil are the most successful team in FIFA World Cup history, having won the tournament five times in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. They also finished as runners - up in the 1950 and 1998 tournaments. They are the only team that has played in every FIFA World Cup. Uruguay hosted and won the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930, and later won again in 1950 when Brazil hosted. List of CONMEBOL team appearances in FIFA World Cup tournaments Year Teams Top 16 Top 8 / 12 Top 4 Top 2 Team Result Progress in the tournament Best performance 1930 7 N / A N / A Uruguay Winners 1934 0 0 0 Argentina Brazil First round 1938 0 Brazil Third place 1950 5 N / A Uruguay Winners 1954 0 Uruguay Fourth place 1958 Brazil Winners 1962 5 Brazil Winners 1966 0 0 Argentina Uruguay Quarter - finals 1970 Brazil Winners 0 Brazil Fourth place 1978 Argentina Winners 1982 0 0 Argentina Brazil Group stage 2 1986 Argentina Winners 1990 Argentina Runners - up 1994 Brazil Winners 1998 5 Brazil Runners - up 2002 5 Brazil Winners 2006 0 0 Argentina Brazil Quarter - finals 5 5 0 Uruguay Fourth place 2014 6 5 Argentina Runners - up 2018 5 0 0 Uruguay Brazil Quarter - finals Total 85 33 36 22 14 Brazil Winners ( 5 times ) OFC Main article : Oceanian nations at the FIFA World Cup Australia are the only OFC team to have advanced to the FIFA World Cup knockout stage, which they did in 2006. List of OFC team appearances in FIFA World Cup tournaments Year Teams Top 16 Top 8 / 12 Top 4 Top 2 Team Result Progress in the tournament Best performance N / A 0 0 0 Australia Group stage 1982 0 0 0 New Zealand Group stage 1 2006 0 0 0 Australia Round of 16 0 0 0 0 New Zealand Group stage Total 0 0 0 Australia Round of 16 UEFA Main article : European nations at the FIFA World Cup Italy were the first UEFA team to win the FIFA World Cup, which they did at the second tournament in 1934. They would later also win in 1938, 1982 and 2006. Germany ( including West Germany ) have also won the FIFA World Cup four times and are the reigning champions. They are the European team with the most appearances in the FIFA World Cup. List of UEFA team appearances in FIFA World Cup tournaments Year Teams Top 16 Top 8 / 12 Top 4 Top 2 Team Result Progress in the tournament Best performance 1930 N / A N / A 0 Yugoslavia Fourth place 1934 12 8 Italy Winners 1938 12 6 Italy Winners 1950 6 N / A 0 Sweden Third place 1954 12 6 West Germany Winners 1958 12 7 Sweden Runners - up 1962 10 6 Czechoslovakia Runners - up 1966 10 5 England Winners 1970 9 Italy Runners - up 9 6 West Germany Winners 1978 10 5 Netherlands Runners - up 1982 14 10 Italy Winners 1986 14 10 5 West Germany Runners - up 1990 14 10 6 West Germany Winners 1994 13 10 7 Italy Runners - up 1998 15 10 6 France Winners 2002 15 9 Germany Runners - up 2006 14 10 6 Italy Winners 13 6 Spain Winners 2014 13 6 Germany Winners 2018 14 10 6 France Winners Total 245 81 110 60 28 Germany Italy Winners ( 4 times each ) Overall After the first twenty - one World Cups, all top 2 finishes, and all but two top 4 finishes, have been achieved by European ( UEFA ) and South American ( CONMEBOL ) countries. The other four football regions together have got just one third place, won by the United States in the inaugural 1930 tournament, and one fourth place, won by South Korea on home soil in 2002. Comparison of results between confederations AFC CAF CONCACAF CONMEBOL OFC UEFA Total Nations 11 13 11 9 34 79 Participations 37 44 42 85 245 457 Top 16 6 9 14 33 81 144 Top 8 / 12 5 36 0 110 156 Top 4 0 22 0 60 84 Top 2 0 0 0 14 0 28 42 1st 0 0 0 9 0 12 21 2nd 0 0 0 5 0 16 21 3rd 0 0 0 17 21 4th 0 0 5 0 15 21 Footnotes ^ Jump up to : Serbia is considered the inheritor of the records of the Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro teams, which competed from 1930 to 2006, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia are considered separate teams. ^ Jump up to : There was no third place match in 1930. The USA and Yugoslavia lost in the semi-finals. Both captains received bronze medals. Currently, FIFA recognizes USA as the third - placed team and Yugoslavia as the fourth - placed team, using the overall records of the teams in the 1930 World Cup. ^ Jump up to : Russia is considered the inheritor of the records of the Soviet Union, which competed 1958 -- 1990, while Ukraine is considered a separate team. ^ Jump up to : The Czech Republic is considered the inheritor of the records of Czechoslovakia, which competed 1934 -- 1994, while Slovakia is considered a separate team. ^ Jump up to : Indonesia competed in 1938 as Dutch East Indies. ^ Jump up to : DR Congo was known as Zaire until during the 1998 campaign. ^ Jump up to : Post-reunification Germany is considered the inheritor of the records of pre-war Germany ( competed 1934 -- 1938 ) and West Germany ( competed 1954 -- 1990 ), while East Germany is considered a separate team. Jump up ^ Austria qualified in 1938, but withdrew to play as part of Germany after being annexed. Jump up ^ Israel competed as Eretz Yisrael ( Land of Israel ) in 1934 and in 1938, with a team consisting exclusively of Jewish and British footballers from the Palestine Mandate. Jump up ^ Republic of Ireland competed as the Irish Free State in 1934 and then as Ireland in 1938 and 1950. Jump up ^ Qatar will debut in the tournament in 2022, so its result will also be its best result in history. ^ Jump up to : From 1930 to 1978, the FIFA World Cup finals tournament featured 16 or fewer teams, while in 1982, the tournament featured 24 teams and a second round with 12 teams. ^ Jump up to : The 1982 edition in Spain had a format with a second round consisting of 12 teams from which 4 teams qualified to the semi-final round. ^ Jump up to : The 1930 and 1950 tournaments progressed directly from the first round to semi-finals. ^ Jump up to : Australia has participated as part of OFC and AFC Jump up ^ The 1930 and 1950 tournaments did not have a quarter - final round, while 1982 had a second round consisting of 12 teams, of which 4 advanced. References Jump up ^ `` The History of the FIFA World Cup ''. FIFA. Retrieved June 26, 2018. Jump up ^ `` World Cup ''. Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved June 26, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Formats of the FIFA World Cup final competitions 1930 -- 2010 '' ( PDF ). FIFA. Retrieved June 26, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Quiz ! Can you name all 79 countries to have appeared at a World Cup finals ? ''. FourFourTwo. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018. Jump up ^ `` FIFA World Cup Teams Statistics : Teams with the most tournament participations ''. FIFA. Retrieved June 26, 2018. Jump up ^ Dawson, Alan ( May 28, 2018 ). `` The 2018 World Cup is only 2 weeks away -- here 's who has won every tournament since 1930 ''. Business Insider. Retrieved June 26, 2018. Jump up ^ `` World Cup 2018 : Can you name the losing finalists from previous tournaments ? ''. BBC Sport. June 9, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018. Jump up ^ `` World Cup All - Time Tables ( including Qualifying ) ''. Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved June 26, 2018. Jump up ^ `` FIFA World Cup TM Teams Statistics ''. FIFA. Jump up ^ `` 1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay : Teams ''. FIFA. Retrieved June 26, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Fact Sheet - FIFA World Cup TM : All - time ranking '' ( PDF ). FIFA. ( through 2010 ) Jump up ^ `` OC for FIFA Competitions approves procedures for the Final Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup ''. FIFA. 14 Sep 2017. Jump up ^ `` 1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay ''. FIFA.com. FIFA. Jump up ^ Bond, David ( 30 November 2001 ). `` World Cup winners will have to qualify ''. EveningStandard. Retrieved 14 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` FIFA World Cup All Time Statistics ''. FIFA. Retrieved June 26, 2018. External links FIFA World Cup Teams Statistics at FIFA.com FIFA World Cup Tournaments Uruguay 1930 Italy 1934 France 1938 Brazil 1950 Switzerland 1954 Sweden 1958 Chile 1962 England 1966 Mexico 1970 West Germany 1974 Argentina 1978 Spain 1982 Mexico 1986 Italy 1990 United States 1994 France 1998 South Korea -- Japan 2002 Germany 2006 South Africa 2010 Brazil 2014 Russia 2018 Qatar 2022 Canada -- Mexico -- United States 2026 2030 2034 Qualification 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Finals 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Squads 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Seedings 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Broadcasters 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Bids 2014 2018 and 2022 2026 2030 Statistics 2002 2006 2014 2018 Disciplinary record 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Team appearances AFC CAF CONCACAF CONMEBOL OFC UEFA Teams with no appearances Overall records All - time table Goalscorers top goalscorers finals goalscorers hat - tricks own goals Penalty shoot - outs Player appearances Red cards Referees Winners Miscellaneous Openings Stadiums Awards Balls Economics Final draw History Hosts Mascots Official films Official anthems & songs Organisers Trophy Video games Notes : There was no qualification for the 1930 World Cup as places were given by invitation only. In 1950, there was no final ; the article is about the decisive match of the final group stage. Countries at the FIFA World Cup Team appearances Teams with no appearances All - time table AFC Australia China Indonesia Iran Iraq Japan Kuwait North Korea Saudi Arabia South Korea United Arab Emirates CAF Algeria Angola Cameroon DR Congo Egypt Ghana Ivory Coast Morocco Nigeria Senegal South Africa Togo Tunisia CONCACAF Canada Costa Rica Cuba El Salvador Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Panama Trinidad and Tobago United States CONMEBOL Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay OFC New Zealand UEFA Austria Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark East Germany England France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name ( s ). Have been member of multiple confederations. Team and national federation no longer exist. International association football FIFA Federations Teams Competitions World Cup U-20 U-17 Confederations Cup Olympics Youth Olympics Universiade World Rankings The Best FIFA Football Awards Timeline of association football Comparison of association football and futsal Africa CAF -- Africa Cup of Nations U-23 U-20 U-17 Regional ( CECAFA, CEMAC, COSAFA, WAFU ) Intercontinental ( UAFA ) Asia AFC -- Asian Cup U-23 U-19 U-16 U-14 Regional ( ASEAN, EAFF, SAFF, CAFA, WAFF ) Intercontinental ( UAFA ) Europe UEFA -- European Championship U-21 U-19 U-17 Nations League North America, Central America and the Caribbean CONCACAF -- Gold Cup U-20 U-17 U-15 Nations League Regional ( CFU, UNCAF ) Oceania OFC -- Nations Cup U-19 U-17 South America CONMEBOL -- Copa América U-20 U-17 U-15 Non-FIFA NF - Board -- Viva World Cup CONIFA -- ConIFA World Football Cup ConIFA European Football Cup IIGA -- Island Games Games African Games Asian Games Central America Central America and Caribbean East Asian Games Francophonie Games Indian Ocean Island Lusophony Games Mediterranean Games Pan American Games Pan Arab Games Pacific Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games West Asian Games See also Geography Codes Player / Club of the Century Women 's football Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_team_appearances_in_the_FIFA_World_Cup&oldid=852861421 '' Categories : Countries at the FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup statistics National association football team records and statistics Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia עברית Қазақша Latviešu मराठी Português Română Русский ไทย Türkçe اردو Tiếng Việt West - Vlams 中文 11 more Edit links This page was last edited on 31 July 2018, at 21 : 31 ( UTC ). 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Question: which country has played the most world cup matches
Answer: Brazil