How many World Cups have Argentina won? Documenting Argentina's performance in World Cups

Argentina will be making their eighteenth appearance in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar which is set to kick off on November 21, 2022. Lionel Messi will lead the Argentine squad and will be eager to get his hands on the World Cup trophy as this will possibly be his last chance to do so.  

How many World Cups have Argentina won?

Argentina have won the World Cup on two occasions in 1978 and 1986. Whereas they have finished three times as runners-up in 1930, 1990, and 2014.

How did Argentina qualify for the 2022 World Cup?

Argentina qualified directly for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after finishing second to Brazil in the CONMEBOL qualifiers.

When did Argentina make their World Cup debut?

Argentina made their World Cup debut on July 15, 1930, against France and won the match 1-0, courtesy of a goal from Luis Monti. They advanced to the knockout stage as group toppers after winning all three matches. In the knockouts, they met United States and scored six past them. A brace from Guillermo Stabile and Carlos Peucelle each set up a dominating win for Argentina. In the final they met Uruguay but lost 4-2 to finish as the runners-up.

Argentina's 1978 World Cup win

Argentina were the hosts for the 1978 World Cup. After losing the final in 1930 they reached the acme of success on home soil 48 years later. Mario Kempes was their key man and won the golden shoe with six goals to his name. They qualified for the second round from the first group stage behind Italy with four points from three matches. In the second group stage, Argentina finished level on points with Brazil but they advanced to the final having a better goal difference than their South American rivals.

In the final, they met Netherlands at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. It was a Kempes show right from the first whistle as the striker proved to be a handful for the Dutch defence. In the 38th-minute, he opened the scoring for the hosts which sent the 71,000 strong crowd into a frenzy. However, just before the end, Dick Nanninga equalised and took the match into extra time. Kempes once again scored in the 105th minute before Ricardo Bertoni added the third.

Argentina's 1986 Word Cup win

In 1986, Maradona was named as the skipper. In this tournament, he established himself as one of the legends of the game scoring five goals and providing as many assists. In the very first match against South Korea, he assisted thrice to demolish the Asian side 3-1. His first goal came in the next match against Italy in a 1-1 draw.

The quarterfinals against England remains one of the most controversial games in World Cup history. This match was also politically significant as it was played against the backdrop of the Falklands war. Maradona scored both the goals in a 2-1 win to propel Argentina to the semifinals. The first became notoriously popular as the 'Hand of God' as it was scored with his arm and not with the head. He described the goal as "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God". Whereas the next went on to become the 'Goal of the Century' as he dribbled past five English defenders before beating Peter Shilton in goal with a slight feint.

In the semifinal, he once again dazzled the stage and scored two goals to beat Belgium. Meanwhile, in the final against West Germany, he beat Lothar Matthaus to set up Jorge Burruchaga who scored the winning goal.

He was involved in 10 of the 14 goals Argentina scored, attempted or created 52% of all Argentina’s shots during the finals and embarked on 90 dribbles, more than three times as many as any other player. He was also fouled 53 times, winning almost twice as many free-kicks as any other player.

Argentina's performance in World Cups

Notable Records of Argentina in FIFA World Cup

Top Goalscorers for Argentina in World Cups