Argentina made World Cup history this week by reaching back-to-back finals after beating England to set up a meeting with Spain this Sunday. It’s only the eighth time the feat has been accomplished, and the reigning champions are just the second nation to reach consecutive finals more than once.Only two teams have ever retained the title, something not even the great Diego Maradona could manage to do. Will Argentina become just the third ever side to keep hold of the trophy?Every team to reach consecutive World Cup finals: Italy (1934 & 1938)Italy became the first European team to win the World Cup in the competition’s second edition on home soil in 1934, beating Czechoslovakia 2-1 after extra-time. The tournament, though, is drenched in controversy because Benito Mussolini used it for political gain, to promote fascism and the image of a strong country. The dictator was accused of meddling and corruption to give the host nation an unfair advantage.The Azzurri became the first nation to retain the World Cup four years later in France, beating Hungary 4-2.Read – Five of the best players to never win the World Cup (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Brazil (1958 & 1962)Brazil claimed the first of a record five World Cups in 1958 when a certain 17-year-old inspired them to glory in Sweden. Pelé scored twice in a 5-2 victory over the hosts in the final.The Seleçao once again eliminated the host nation in 1958 on their way to a second consecutive title, beating Chile in the semi-finals before trumping Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the decider.Brazil went out in the group stage of the following tournament after Pelé was mercilessly hacked down and injured in games against Bulgaria and Portugal. He vowed never to play in the World Cup again, but returned in Mexico 1970 to lead the side to a third win in 12 years.Read – Five of England’s best ever World Cup goals (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Netherlands (1974 & 1978)The only nation to reach consecutive finals and not win one at least one of them is the Netherlands. Johan Cruyff, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, helped them reach the final in 1974, where they lost 2-1 to hosts West Germany.The Oranje made it to the final again four years later, this time without Cruyff, who refused to travel after his family was the subject of a kidnapping plot. They again lost to the hosts, Argentina, falling to a 3-1 defeat after extra-time.Similar to 1934, the 1978 World Cup was used by the brutal military dictatorship to advance the image of a stable and strong country, all while thousands of citizens were being held captive or murdered by the junta.After losing the 2010 final to Spain, no country has reached the final more times without winning the competition.Read – Five of the best World Cup quarter-final clashes (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});West Germany (1982, 1986 & 1990)Across the seventies and eighties, West Germany were one of the most successful teams in international football. They reached six finals between 1972 and 1986, winning two European Championships and a World Cup.Die Mannschaft were the favourites to win the World Cup in 1982, but were beaten 3-1 in the final by Italy. In 1986, they twice came back from a goal down against Argentina, but were unable to halt the unstoppable force of Maradona, losing 3-2 at the Azteca.The Germans finally got over the line in 1990 when they faced Argentina again, the only time a final has been repeated in consecutive editions, winning 1-0 in Rome.Argentina (1986 & 1990)As mentioned above, Maradona achieved his lifelong ambition of winning the World Cup when he put in a series of phenomenal performances in 1986.Determined to retain the trophy, La Albiceleste endured a much rockier road to the final at Italia 90. After losing the opening game to Cameroon, they squeaked into the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams.Argentina narrowly beat Brazil in the last-16 before being held to a goalless draw by Yugoslavia. They won in a penalty shootout, despite Maradona missing his spot kick. Penalties were required again when they drew 1-1 with Italy in the semi-finals, with Maradona this time scoring the decisive attempt.But they could not get it done against West Germany in the final like they had done four years previously.Read – Henry, Maradona and the most infamous handballs of all timeBrazil (1994, 1998 & 2002)After going 24 years without winning a World Cup, Brazil embarked on a glorious run of success in the nineties and into the noughties.The South American nation beat Italy on penalties in the USA 94 final to end their drought with a record fourth title.On this day in 1994, the last #FIFAWorldCup Final in North America pic.twitter.com/nYy8sWudnN— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 17, 2026They almost emulated the 1962 team who went back-to-back, but lost the 1998 final to France after Ronaldo suffered a convulsive fit on the day of the match.The superstar striker returned to his very best form in Japan and Korea, leading Brazil to victory over Germany in the 2002 final. It was their fifth win in the competition’s history and remains a record to this day.Iconic Performances – Franco Baresi’s display of enduring fortitude in the 1994 World Cup finalFrance (2018 & 2022)After losing the Euro 2016 final to Portugal, France went all the way in the 2018 World Cup, convincingly beating Croatia 4-2 in the final in Russia.Les Bleus reached the final again in Qatar, but were undone by Lionel Messi’s quest to finally match Maradona’s legacy by lifting the trophy. Argentina dominated the match in normal time, but relinquished their two-goal lead late on.Messi put them back in front in extra time with his second goal of the game, but Kylian Mbappe equalised once more, scoring a penalty in the 118th minute for his hat-trick. One of the greatest finals of all time went to a penalty shootout, but with destiny seemingly on their side, Argentina came out on top. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Argentina (2022 & 2026)That famous final in 2022 saw Argentina win the World Cup for the third time in their history, putting them fourth in the list of most successful nations in the competition’s history.After a shaky run through the knockout phase, with teams like Cape Verde and Egypt causing them major problems, they have reached the final yet again. Victory would put them level with Germany and Italy on four wins, but defeat would see them join Germany on four losses in the finals, the most of any side.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 Every team to reach consecutive World Cup finals first appeared on The Football Faithful.