Argentina will contest their seventh men’s FIFA World Cup final when they take on Spain this Sunday The three-time champions will be looking to deny La Roja a second world title and move into joint-second on the competition’s honours list.But where does the South American nation rank among the teams with the most appearances in the final in the tournament’s history?The nations with the most men’s FIFA World Cup final appearances:1. Germany – 8Years won: 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014Years lost: 1966, 1982, 1986, 2002No nation has played in more World Cup finals than Germany. Neither has any nation lost more finals than Germany.Die Mannschaft caused an upset when they claimed their first title in 1954, beating the favourites Hungary 3-2 in what became known as the Miracle of Bern.West Germany lost to England in the 1966 final at Wembley, beat Netherlands in 1972 decider on home soil, and lost two consecutive finals to Italy and then Argentina in the eighties.They bested Argentina at Italia 90 just as the country was about to reunify, which was meant to herald an era of domination. But they only won one trophy (Euro 96) in the following two decades.Brazil defeated them in the 2002 final, but they finally got their fourth star when they beat old rivals Argentina in 2014.Read – Every team to reach consecutive World Cup finals (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});=2. Brazil – 7Years won: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2022Years lost: 1950, 1998The most successful nation in World Cup history, Brazil’s first World Cup final actually resulted in heartbreak as they lost to Uruguay at the Maracana in 1950.Eight years later, 17-year-old Pelé inspired them to their first victory in the competition, beating hosts Sweden 5-2 in the final. They went on to win two of the following three tournaments to become the first side to lift the trophy three times.Brazil had to wait another 24 years before they even reached another final, beating Italy on penalties at USA 94. This started a run of three consecutive final appearances, in which they lost to France in 1998 before beating Germany in 2002. They haven’t gotten back to that point ever since.Read – Five of the best players to never win the World Cup (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});=2. Argentina – 7 Years won: 1978, 1986, 2022Years lost: 1930, 1990, 2014TBD: 2026Argentina competed in the very first World Cup final, but had to wait another 48 years to actually win one. Cesar Luis Menotti guided them to their first triumph in 1978 while playing an attractive style of attacking football, despite leaving a teenage Diego Maradona out of the squad.Carlos Bilardo led La Albiceleste to their second win eight years later with a much more defensive and physical approach, this time with Maradona as the central pillar of the team. They reached a second successive final at Italia 90, but fell to a 1-0 defeat to West Germany, the side they had bested in 1986.They had to wait another 24 years for their next appearance in a final, which saw them come up against Germany once again. And just like in 1990, they lost to a single goal.Argentina's last #FIFAWorldCup Final… pic.twitter.com/VCYXURDLAl— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 16, 2026In 2022, Lionel Messi finally claimed the Holy Grail when Argentina beat France in a penalty shootout after an enthralling 3-3 draw. This Sunday they will look to become just the third team to retain their title.Read – Henry, Maradona and the most infamous handballs of all time4. Italy – 6Years won: 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006Years lost: 1970, 1994Italy became the first nation to retain the World Cup when they won the competition in both 1934 and 1938. All football was suspended for the duration of World War II, meaning they were world champions for 16 years, the longest reign in the competition’s history.The Azzurri didn’t appear in another final until 1970, which they lost to Brazil. From this point they began reaching the final every twelve years, winning in 1982 and losing in 1994 before beating France in the 2006 final. Remarkably, they have not won a knockout game since then.Iconic Performances – Franco Baresi’s display of enduring fortitude in the 1994 World Cup final (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});5. France – 4Years won: 1998, 2018Years lost: 2006, 2022No nation has reached more World Cup finals over the past three decades than France, who won their first title in 1998 and immediately followed it up by winning Euro 2000.After going out in the groups in 2002, Les Bleus reached the final in 2006 on the back of some stirring performances by Zinedine Zidane. He netted the opening goal against Italy with a panenka, but that infamous headbutt in extra time ended his career in spectacular fashion before the side lost in a shootout.Didier Deschamps resurrected the national after a period of turmoil, guiding a team of superstars such as Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante to glory in 2018. They reached the final again in 2022, but lost to Argentina on penalties.Read – Five of England’s best ever World Cup goals (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});6. Netherlands – 3Years lost: 1974, 1978, 2010The Netherlands have played in more World Cup finals without winning than any other nation in the competition’s history.The Oranje reached back-to-back finals in the seventies, but had the misfortune of facing the hosts on both occasions, losing to West Germany in 1974 and Argentina in 1978.They reached the 2010 decider while playing a very anti-Dutch style of play, but it wasn’t enough to stop Spain from claiming the trophy for the first time.=7. Spain – 2Years won: 2010TBD: 2026For a country that has produced so many magnificently talented players in its history, it is peculiar that they had only played in one World Cup final up until now.The all-conquering tiki-taka team of the late noughties into the 2010’s is arguably the best international side ever seen, becoming world champions either side of winning two European Championships.Spanish history #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/SKOIzCZ0XQ— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 17, 2026=7. Uruguay – 2Years won: 1930, 1950Technically, Uruguay have only been to one World Cup final. They hosted and won the first edition of the competition in 1930, topping their group before thrashing Yugoslavia 6-1 in the semi-finals and beating Argentina 4-2 in the final.La Celeste won the trophy for a second time 20 years later, when it was hosted in Brazil. This particular edition featured a group stage, from which the winners of the four groups would enter the ‘final round’, which was essentially a round robin phase.Brazil topped the table on four points following wins over Spain and Sweden ahead of their final game against Uruguay, who were one point behind in second place. This match effectively acted as the final to decide the champions, and took place at the same time as Spain and Sweden’s ‘third-place play-off’.Only needing a draw to claim the trophy for the first time, Brazil were heavily favoured to win the match, but let a one-goal lead slip late on to lose 2-1. The upset became known as the Maracanaço.Uruguay remain the only country to play in more than one final and not lose.Read – Five of the best World Cup quarter-final clashes (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});=7. Hungary – 2Years lost: 1938, 1954Hungary were once one of the strongest football nations in the world, boasting some seriously talented players. They reached the final of the third ever World Cup in 1938, losing 4-2 to holders Italy.The golden era of Hungarian football, though, arrived in the fifties. The Mighty Magyars won Olympic gold, which was then considered on a par with the World Cup, in 1952. The following year they demolished England 6-3 at Wembley in what became known as the Match of the Century, and humiliated them again a year later with a 7-1 victory.Hungary were a free-scoring force of nature, which was evident at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. They netted 27 goals at the tournament, a record that stands to this day. However, they were outscored by West Germany in a 3-2 defeat. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});=7. Czechoslovakia – 2Years lost: 1934, 1962Czechoslovakia, a country that no longer exists, has appeared in more World Cup finals than England. Granted, England has actually won a World Cup final and the Czechoslovaks did not, but that is a remarkable statistic nonetheless.They took hosts Italy to extra-time in the 1934 final, before ultimately falling to a 2-1 defeat. Just like the film, they made a return 28 years later, but came up against one of the greatest teams of all time and lost 3-1 to Brazil in Chile.Czechoslovakia did, though, eventually get their hands on a major trophy when they defeated West Germany on penalties to win Euro 76.Countries with one World Cup final appearance: Croatia (2018), England (1966), Sweden (1958).Read – England criticised for lack of bravery in possession after Argentina defeatSee Also – Argentina extend remarkable World Cup semi-final recordFollow the Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTokThe post The nations with the most FIFA World Cup final appearances first appeared on The Football Faithful.