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Which National Teams Have Participated in the FIFA World Cup?
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Brazil at the World Cup World map showing FIFA World Cup participation by country since 1930, shaded in blues and gray to indicate number of appearances, with most frequent participants in darkest blue.
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Brazil at the World Cup
Brazil at the World Cup Brazilian fans cheering at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup at Arena Corinthians in SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil, June 12, 2014. Brazil is the only country to qualify for every edition of the World Cup since the tournament's inauguration in 1930.

Which National Teams Have Participated in the FIFA World Cup?

Written by
Will Gosner
Will Gosner is an associate editor covering general interest topics, including film, television, and sports. He has a B.A. from the University of Chicago. He joined Britannica in 2014.
Will Gosner
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Britannica Editors
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History
Top Questions

How many national teams have participated in the FIFA World Cup?

Which national team has participated in every FIFA World Cup?

How many teams have won the men’s FIFA World Cup?

Since the inaugural World Cup, held in 1930 in Uruguay, about 88 different men’s national teams have participated at least once in the quadrennial football (soccer) tournament. Some teams have made only one appearance—that list includes Cuba (1938), China (2002), and Angola (2006), among others.

What About the Women’s World Cup?

The first FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in 1991. It initially featured 12 teams, and the field expanded to 16 teams in 1999, 24 teams in 2015, and 32 teams in 2023. A total of 44 national teams have participated in at least one edition.

Brazil has the distinction of being the only team to qualify for all 23 editions of the World Cup. Of the many participants, only eight teams have won the tournament: Brazil, Italy, Germany, Argentina, Uruguay, France, England, and Spain.

The first World Cup featured 13 national teams. The field size expanded to 16 teams in 1934, 24 teams in 1982, and 32 teams in 1998. The 2026 World Cup features 48 squads, the largest number in history. Making their World Cup debut in 2026 are Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan.

National Teams That Have Participated in the FIFA World Cup
national team years participated total number of World Cups notes
Algeria 1982, 1986, 2010, 2014, 2026 5
Angola 2006 1
Argentina 1930, 1934, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 19
Australia 1974, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 7
Austria 1934, 1954, 1958, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1998, 2026 8
Belgium 1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 15
Bolivia 1930, 1950, 1994 3
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014, 2026 2
Brazil 1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 23
Bulgaria 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1986, 1994, 1998 7
Cabo Verde 2026 1
Cameroon 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, 2022 8
Canada 1986, 2022, 2026 3
Chile 1930, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1998, 2010, 2014 9
China 2002 1
Colombia 1962, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2014, 2018, 2026 7
Costa Rica 1990, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 6
Cîte d’Ivoire 2006, 2010, 2014, 2026 4
Croatia 1998, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 7
Cuba 1938 1
Curaçao 2026 1
Czechia (Czech Republic ) 2006, 2026 2
Czechoslovakia 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1982, 1990 8 not shown on map
Democratic Republic of the Congo 1974, 2026 2 competed as Zaire in 1974
Denmark 1986, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2018, 2022 6
East Germany 1974 1 not shown on map
Ecuador 2002, 2006, 2014, 2022, 2026 5
Egypt 1934, 1990, 2018, 2026 4
El Salvador 1970, 1982 2
England 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 17
France 1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 17
Germany 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 21 represented by West Germany from 1954 to 1990
Ghana 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022, 2026 5
Greece 1994, 2010, 2014 3
Haiti 1974, 2026 2
Honduras 1982, 2010, 2014 3
Hungary 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986 9
Iceland 2018 1
Indonesia 1938 1 competed as Dutch East Indies
Iran 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 7
Iraq 1986, 2026 2
Ireland 1990, 1994, 2002 3
Israel 1970 1
Italy 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 18
Jamaica 1998 1
Japan 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 8
Jordan 2026 1
Kuwait 1982 1
Mexico 1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 18
Morocco 1970, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2018, 2022, 2026 7
Netherlands 1934, 1938, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022, 2026 12
New Zealand 1982, 2010, 2026 3
Nigeria 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, 2018 6
North Korea 1966, 2010 2
Northern Ireland 1958, 1982, 1986 3
Norway 1938, 1994, 1998, 2026 4
Panama 2018, 2026 2
Paraguay 1930, 1950, 1958, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2026 9
Peru 1930, 1970, 1978, 1982, 2018 5
Poland 1938, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2022 9
Portugal 1966, 1986, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 9
Qatar 2022, 2026 2
Romania 1930, 1934, 1938, 1970, 1990, 1994, 1998 7
Russia 1994, 2002, 2014, 2018 4
Saudi Arabia 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2022, 2026 7
Scotland 1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2026 9
Senegal 2002, 2018, 2022, 2026 4
Serbia 2010, 2018, 2022 3
Serbia and Montenegro 2006 1
Slovakia 2010 1
Slovenia 2002, 2010 2
South Africa 1998, 2002, 2010, 2026 4
South Korea 1954, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 12
Spain 1934, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 17
Sweden 1934, 1938, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2026 13
Switzerland 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1994, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 13
Togo 2006 1
Trinidad and Tobago 2006 1
Tunisia 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2022, 2026 7
TĂŒrkiye (Turkey) 1954, 2002, 2026 3
U.S.S.R. 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990 7 not shown on map
Ukraine 2006 1
United Arab Emirates 1990 1
United States 1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022, 2026 12
Uruguay 1930, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 15
Uzbekistan 2026 1
Wales 1958, 2022 2
Yugoslavia 1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1974, 1982, 1990, 1998 9 not shown on map
Will Gosner
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