Argentina equals Germany's record with fourth FIFA World Cup final defeat

Key Points

• Argentina equals Germany with four World Cup final defeats
• Germany and Argentina hold the runners-up record
• Only 13 countries have reached a men's World Cup final

Argentina became only the second nation in FIFA Men's World Cup history to finish as runners-up four times after losing the 2026 final to Spain, matching Germany's long-standing record for the most defeats in football's biggest match.

The defeat added the 2026 tournament to Argentina's previous runner-up finishes in 1930, 1990 and 2014, according to FIFA records. Despite those losses, Argentina remains one of the tournament's most successful nations, having won the World Cup in 1978, 1986 and 2022.

Germany also lost four World Cup finals, in 1966, 1982, 1986 and 2002, while winning the trophy four times in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014. No other country has reached the final and lost on as many occasions.

The Netherlands ranks next with three runner-up finishes, having lost the finals in 1974, 1978 and 2010. The Dutch have reached three World Cup finals but are yet to win the tournament.

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Several countries have finished as runners-up twice. Czechoslovakia lost the 1934 and 1962 finals before the country's peaceful dissolution in 1993. Hungary was beaten in the 1938 and 1954 finals despite producing one of the greatest international teams of the 20th century. Italy finished second in 1970 and 1994, while France lost the finals in 2006 and 2022. Brazil's only runner-up finishes came in 1950 and 1998.

Sweden and Croatia are the only nations to have finished second once without subsequently reaching another World Cup final. Sweden lost to Brazil in the 1958 final on home soil, while Croatia was beaten by France in 2018, its first appearance in a World Cup final.

Since the inaugural FIFA World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, only 13 countries have reached the men's World Cup final. Eight have gone on to lift the trophy, while five- the Netherlands, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Croatia- have never won the tournament.