How Many World Cups Has Argentina Won?
Argentina has been one of the best soccer countries around the world for a very long time. From players such as Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, the Argentines are consistently in the conversation to win the World Cup. Read below to find how many World Cups Argentina has won.
Men’s World Cup Wins
The Men’s Argentina soccer team has had a rich history in the World Cup. Argentina currently has three World Cup titles, which were won in 1978, 1986, and 2022. In addition, they’ve finished as the runner-up three times, in 1930, 1990, and 2014.
1978 World Cup
In the 1978 World Cup, Argentina was the host country, and their team performed spectacularly for their fans. They went 2-1 in the group stage to advance to the knockouts. However, in the Round of 16, they were nearly eliminated, as they needed to beat Peru by at least four goals to advance to the final. Nevertheless, they did so; led by eventual tournament MVP Mario Kempes, Argentina beat Peru 6-0. They went on to defeat the Netherlands by a score of 3-1 in the final, capturing their first World Cup.
1986 World Cup
Eight years later, Argentina was once again in contention in 1986, as it had one of the best players in the world, Diego Maradona. In the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup, which was hosted by Mexico, Argentina met England in what was a tightly-contested contest that’s mired in controversy. In the 51st minute, Maradona scored a goal using his hand, but the refs didn’t see it, and as a result, the goal counted to give his team the lead. The Argentines went on to win that game 2-1, then defeated Belgium to advance to the final against West Germany. Argentina led 2-0 in the latter stages of the game, but the Germans scored in the 74th and 81st minutes to tie the score. However, the tie was short-lived, as Jorge Burruchaga raced down the left wing to score the eventual game-winner in the 84th minute, leaving the final score 3-2 and earning Argentina their second World Cup.
2022 World Cup
Argentina’s third and most recent World Cup win came in 2022, when Lionel Messi finally got his first World Cup win at age 35 against defending champions France. Argentina only lost one game in the entire tournament, a shocking upset in which they were defeated by Saudi Arabia during the Group Stage. However, they beat both Mexico and Poland to move on to the knockout stage. After beating Australia, Netherlands, and defending runner-up Croatia, Argentina met defending champions France in the final.
In what is regarded as one of the best World Cup Final games of all time, Messi and Argentina took down Kylian Mbappé and France by a score of 3 (4) - 3 (2), with the match ending in penalties. Argentina jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but two late-game goals by Mbappé within two minutes tied the game up for the French. The game went to extra time, where both teams scored once again, taking the game to penalties. Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez was able to stop two French penalty kicks to win the game for Argentina. Messi would go on to win the Golden Ball, while Emiliano Martínez won the Golden Glove.
Women’s World Cup Wins
While the Argentine men’s team has enjoyed tremendous success on the world stage, their women’s team has only qualified for the World Cup three times (2003, 2007, and 2019) and has never advanced to the knockout round. In fact, the Argentines have never even won a game at the World Cup, with their overall record currently at 0-2-7, and their goal differential is -32.
However, the women have fared better in other international competitions, such as Copa America. Argentina advanced to the final round four straight times from 1995-2006, and won the whole thing in 2006.
Men’s Leading Scorers
One of the greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi, owns the record for most goals by an Argentine in the World Cup with 13 goals. Messi played in a total of five World Cups between 2006 and 2022. Seven of his 13 goals were scored in the 2022 tournament, where he came in second place in the Golden Boot rankings to Kylian Mbappé, who scored eight.