How many times Germany won FIFA World Cup?

Germany have won the FIFA World Cup four times in their history – 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014.

Germany are one of the most popular countries in the world when it comes to football. Having produced a plethora of stars and legends over the years, Die Mannschaft are almost always the favourites when it comes to a World Cup.

Germany have a rich and storied legacy in World Cup history and have made it to several finals and have lifted the trophy on multiple occasions. They also have their names on several FIFA World Cup records.

Going into the 2022 Qatar World Cup, they will undoubtedly be in the reckoning to go a long way once again, especially after the debacles of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But how many times Germany won FIFA World Cup?

How many times Germany won FIFA World Cup and when did they win it?

1954 FIFA World Cup

Germany, who were then playing as West Germany, secured the first of their four FIFA World Cups in 1954 in Switzerland. 16 countries from four different football confederations took part in that tournament. The final between Germany and Hungary, now dubbed as the ‘Miracle of Bern’ is widely considered one of the greatest World Cup finals in football history.

Hungary were arriving into the final on the back of a dominant campaign and were regarded as the favourites in the World Cup final. The pinnacle of their golden generation – The Mighty Magyars – was unbeaten in 31 official international matches before setting foot in the final and their squad boasted legendary players such as Sándor Kocsis and Ferenc Puskás.

Having faced West Germany earlier in the tournament, Hungary had already taught them a footballing lesson and ran riot against them with an 8-3 scoreline. Therefore, it seemed like a matter of time before Hungary would lift the World Cup in Switzerland.

Puskas and Zoltan Czibor put Hungary 2-0 up inside the first 10 minutes and it seemed like the pre-tournament favourites would end up with the World Cup title. However, a spirited comeback from Germany within the next 10 minutes saw the scoreline being restored to parity following goals from Max Morlock and Helmut Rahn.

With just six minutes remaining on the clock, the underdogs did the unthinkable as Rahn scored once again and completed a historic comeback against a dogged Hungarian side. The West German players became instantaneously famous in Germany as the Heroes of Bern following the final and were immortalised in German football history.

Also Read: FIFA World Cup winners’ list

1974 FIFA World Cup

West Germany hosted the FIFA World Cup for the very first time in 1974 and it was in that same year that they became only the fourth hosts to lift the World Cup trophy after Uruguay in 1930, Italy in 1938, and England in 1966. Funnily enough, West Germany were actually beaten by their neighbours East Germany during the group stage which meant that they finished in second place.

However, they made no further errors and reached the final of the 1974 World Cup against The Netherlands. The Netherlands, back then, had embarked on their Total Football revolution which had dazzled all the opponents in the competition.

Led by manager Rinus Michels on the sidelines and the brilliant Johan Cruyff in the field, the Dutch players took the lead inside just two minutes as Johan Neeskens scored from the penalty spot inside 86 seconds, the earliest goal in a World Cup final. German players couldn’t even get a proper touch of the ball by that period.

However, much like their feat 20 years ago, West Germany had to come from behind and they ended up accomplishing exactly that when Paul Breitner scored the equaliser from the penalty spot on the 25th minute mark while Gerd Muller scored the winning goal just before half-time.

Germany coming from behind to win meant that seven of the first nine World Cup final winners (excluding 1950 which had no official final) had done so despite going behind in that final, a feat that has only been achieved once since (Italy in 2006).

1990 FIFA World Cup

Franz Beckenbauer, who had captained West Germany to World Cup success on home soil in 1974 and was now the head coach of the national team. Going into this tournament, Germany had qualified for the finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups but ended as the runners-up in both those competitions. They made their way to the final this time around as well, becoming the first team to reach three successive finals in World Cup history.

Captain Lothar Matthäus played every minute of Germany’s successful campaign, putting him on his way to becoming the player with the most appearances in the history of the competition (25). He would also finish as the Germans’ top scorer at the tournament with four goals.

The 1990 FIFA World Cup final was a rematch of the 1986 final between West Germany and Argentina. However, on this occasion, Diego Maradona’s side were left short-handed as Andreas Brehme scored the only goal of the game with just five minutes left on the clock. Argentina also saw two of their players receive their marching orders, with Pedro Monzón (65 minutes) and Gustavo Dezotti (87 minutes) becoming the first players to ever be sent off in the showpiece event.

West Germany became the first team to keep a clean sheet in a men’s World Cup final, while it was the first time that a European team had defeated a South American side in the final match.

2014 FIFA World Cup

Germany won the FIFA World Cup for the fourth and most recent time in 2014 in Brazil. They became only the third nation after Brazil and Italy to be crowned world champions for four times in their history.

Joachim Löw’s team started their campaign with a 4-0 win over Portugal – who exited at the group stage – before knocking out Algeria, France and Brazil before beating Argentina in the final.

The semi-final victory over hosts Brazil in Belo Horizonte was one of the biggest moments of the tournament. The German players handed the hosts a thumping 7-1 loss in one of the craziest matches in World Cup history. That game also saw Miroslav Klose overtaking Ronaldo’s record to become the highest goal-scorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

Germany were up against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the final, a rematch of the 1986 and 1990 World Cup finals. However, despite being underdogs, Argentina had the best chances in the match but the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Rodrigo Palacio couldn’t keep their shots on target.

Die Mannschaft’s 1-0 win over Argentina came via an extra-time goal from substitute midfielder Mario Götze, who became just the fourth substitute to score in a men’s World Cup final and the first since striker Rudi Völler in 1986, also for Germany against Argentina, but this time it led to a happier ending for the Germans.

In winning the 2014 World Cup, Germany became the first team from Europe to win a World Cup in the Americas. It was also their first World Cup title following the reunification of Germany in 1990.

Germany’s performances in the FIFA World Cup over the years

FAQs

In which group are Germany placed in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar?

Germany are in Group E of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They have been placed alongside Spain, Japan, and Costa Rica.

When was the last time Germany hosted the FIFA World Cup?

Germany last hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Italy won the World Cup on that occasion.

Who is the coach of the Germany national team in the 2022 FIFA World Cup?

Former Bayern Munich head coach and former assistant coach of the national team Hansi Flick is in charge of the German national team heading into the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Who is the top-scorer for Germany in FIFA World Cup history?

Miroslav Klose is not only the top-scorer for Germany, he is the leading goal-scorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup and has scored 16 goals.