Winning the FIFA World Cup once is one of the most difficult achievements in sports. Doing it twice in a row is even rarer. In the tournament’s nearly century-long history, only two national teams have managed to defend the title: Italy and Brazil.
Now, with the next edition approaching, Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team will attempt to join that exclusive club at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. If anybody can achieve it, it’s none other than one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
Italy, the first one to ever do it
The first team to win consecutive World Cups was Italy. The Azzurri captured the trophy at the 1934 FIFA World Cup on home soil, defeating Czechoslovakia national football team in the final. Four years later, they entered the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France as defending champions and in dominant form.
Led by legendary head coach Vittorio Pozzo, Italy was in the middle of a remarkable unbeaten streak that eventually stretched to 30 matches between 1935 and 1939. That run included an Olympic gold medal at the 1936 Olympic Football Tournament and another successful World Cup campaign.
Italy defeated Norway, France and Brazil on the way to the final, where they faced Hungary. The championship match ended with a 4-2 victory for the Italians, securing their second consecutive world title. Their hopes of chasing an unprecedented third straight championship were interrupted by global events, as the outbreak of World War II postponed the tournament until 1950. When the competition returned, Italy was eliminated in the group stage, ending the streak.
Brazil steps to the plate
More than two decades later, Brazil became the second nation to repeat as world champion. The team won the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden in spectacular fashion. A 17-year-old Pelé emerged as the breakout star of the tournament, helping Brazil reach the final where they defeated the host nation 5-2.
Brazil defended its title four years later at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile. Pelé suffered an injury during the group stage and missed the remainder of the tournament, but the team still had enough talent to dominate. Players such as Garrincha, Vavá and Amarildo stepped up, guiding Brazil through the knockout rounds.
In the final, Brazil defeated Czechoslovakia 3-1 to claim back-to-back championships. The team attempted to become the first nation to win three straight titles at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, but the run ended abruptly when Brazil was eliminated in the group stage after losses to Hungary and Portugal.
Many have tried and they all failed
Several teams have come close to joining Italy and Brazil but fell just short. Argentina nearly achieved the feat in the early 1990s. After winning the 1986 FIFA World Cup behind the leadership of Diego Maradona, the team returned to the final at the 1990 FIFA World Cup but lost to Germany.
Brazil also had a chance to repeat decades later. The team entered the 1998 FIFA World Cup as defending champion after winning in 1994, but suffered a heavy defeat to host nation, France, in the final. The most recent near miss occurred at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. France came within a single game of repeating as champion after its 2018 victory, but Argentina prevailed in a dramatic final that ended in a penalty shootout.
That result not only secured Argentina‘s third world title but also preserved the exclusivity of one of soccer’s rarest accomplishments. As the 2026 tournament approaches, Messi and Argentina will try to accomplish what only two teams have done before. History suggests the odds are steep, but the opportunity to join Italy and Brazil in the record books remains one of the biggest storylines heading into the next World Cup.
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