Argentina's record in FIFA World Cup Final - Wins, losses and complete history
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La Albiceleste played in back-to-back finals of the mega competition.
The Argentina national football team took down England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal to secure a spot in their seventh final on the grandest stage of them all. They faced Spain in the showpiece event but suffered a 1-0 loss after extra time.
La Albiceleste are considered one of the most successful nations in FIFA World Cup history. They have won the mega competition on three occasions (1978, 1986 and 2022). Argentina are also the third nation to complete 50 wins in the flagship tournament after Brazil and Germany.
Overall, they have been part of seven FIFA World Cup finals. They have secured three wins. In the other four occasions, they ended up as the runners-up.
Lionel Messi and company won the competition in 2022, but failed to become only the third nation to successfully defend their World Cup title.
Also Read: Top five teams with most goals in single FIFA World Cup edition
Argentina’s record in World Cup Finals
- Appearances: 7
- Wins: 3
- Defeats: 4
1. 1930: Argentina 2-4 Uruguay
It was the first-ever edition of the FIFA World Cup. The Argentines did not lose a single game during their whole campaign until they met Uruguay in the final. The Argentina national football team gave away the lead early, but were quick to equalise after Carlos Desiderio Peucelle’s goal in the 20th minute.
La Albiceleste took the lead in the 37th minute after Guillermo Stábile fired the ball at the back of the net. Their defence quite literally failed. Uruguay scored three more goals in the second half.
The Argentine squad ended up as the runners-up.
2. 1978: Argentina 3-1 Netherlands
Mario Kempes broke the deadlock and gave Argentina an advantage in the first half. Things were going quite smoothly until the Netherlands scored an equaliser late in the second half. This moved the game into extra time.
Kempes completed his brace after giving La Albiceleste a lead in the 105th minute. Ricardo Bertoni scored the third goal, leading Argentina to their first-ever World Cup crown.
3. 1986: Argentina 3-2 West Germany
Both of these nations battled hard till the final whistle. But La Albiceleste were the better side and secured their second FIFA World Cup title.
The Argentina national football team took the lead early after a goal by José Luis Brown. Jorge Valdano doubled the lead for his nation in the 56th minute. The Germans retaliated by equalising the scoreline in the 81st minute.
Jorge Luis Burruchaga stepped up to score the match-winner for Diego Maradona’s Argentina.
4. 1990: Argentina 0-1 West Germany
La Albiceleste were so close to securing their third World Cup crown. But their performance against the Germans was not quite enough. They finished their campaign as the runners-up.
The fixture was not a high-scoring one. Neither of these nations scored a goal in the first half. After a slight mistake by the Argentine defence, the opponents were awarded a penalty.
Andreas Brehme was successful from the spot and led West Germany to glory.
5. 2014: Argentina 0-1 Germany
It was once again the Germany national football team that became the nemesis for Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final.
Nothing separated the two sides till the end of normal time. Neither of the top names like Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero or Miroslav Klose scored a goal for their respective nations. The fixture moved to extra time.
Mario Götze scored the match-winning goal for the DFB team.
6. 2022: Argentina 3-3 France (4-2 on penalties)
This contest is considered one of the most electrifying games in the history of the FIFA World Cup.
Argentina took the lead after they were awarded a penalty in the 23rd minute. Angel Di Maria doubled the lead for them in the 36th minute.
But France’s Kylian Mbappe came up with a sensational brace late in the game, ending the match 2-2 in normal time. Lionel Messi completed his brace in the 108th minute to give Argentina an advantage once again. But Mbappe did not back down and scored the equaliser once again.
With 3-3 after extra time, it was time for the penalties. Argentina scored four of them. France were only able to score two.
La Albiceleste came out on top to win their third World Cup crown.
7. 2026: Argentina 0-1 Spain
Argentina have secured a spot in the FIFA World Cup final for the second straight time, marking their seventh appearance in the fixture. However, La Albiceleste failed to defend their crown, losing 1-0 to La Roja after extra time.
The South American giants were extremely disappointing in the match, failing to have a shot for the entire 90 minutes of regulation time. They also went a man down in the second half when Enzo Fernández was shown a second yellow card.
Spain continued to batter the Argentine goal and finally found their breakthrough in the 106th minute of extra time. Ferran Torres netted the winner after being set up perfectly by Nico Williams.
How many times have Argentina won the FIFA World Cup?
La Albiceleste have won the World Cup crown three times (1978, 1986 and 2022).
Who won the Spain vs Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026 final?
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 final at MetLife Stadium on July 19, with Ferran Torres scoring the winning goal.
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Dilpreet is a dedicated football writer with a keen eye for World Football. As a proud Real Madrid fan, we believe his work reflects the same ambition and precision. Since joining Khel Now in 2025, he has crafted stories beyond scores, diving into tactics, culture, and emotion. With a strong background in content writing, he blends clarity with creativity, always aiming to bring the beautiful game closer to readers.