The quarterfinal meeting between France and England was one of the mostly highly anticipated of the 2022 World Cup and it absolutely delivered, with Kylian Mbappe and co. taking the 2-1 victory over Harry Kane and the Three Lions and adding another chapter to England’s troubled history with penalty kicks along the way. Then in the semifinals, France took down Morocco, to make it back to the final for the second consecutive tournament. It will be a tough test for the French, who will take on Lionel Messi and Argentina in the hopes of becoming the third nation in history to win consecutive men’s World Cups. Before that thrilling final, see below for a look France’s World Cup history, including their wins and results year-by-year.
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How many times has France won the World Cup?
France has won the World Cup twice, and is in fact the defending champion after winning the 2018 edition held in Russia, a 4-2 victory over Croatia. France’s first World Cup win came in 1998, when they defeated Brazil 3-0 in the final as the host nation, playing at the Stade de France, just north of Paris. The team has already avoided the curse of the defending champion: before France in 2022, the previous three straight defending champions were eliminated in the group stage of the following World Cup.
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How many times has France played in the World Cup?
The French team has competed in 16 World Cups, including the inaugural edition in 1930 and the 2022 tournament in Qatar. France was the runner-up in 2006 and has finished 3rd twice (1958, 1986). They’ve also hosted the tournament twice (1938, 1998). France last failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1994 - in fact, they did not play in the tournament for 12 years after missing out in both 1990 and 1994, but returned in 1998 to win it all on home soil.
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What teams have won back-to-back World Cup titles?
If Les Bleus get past Morocco and go on to successfully defend their title from 2018, they’d be just the third country in history to win consecutive men’s World Cups. They’d join Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962), meaning they’d be the first side to accomplish the feat in 60 years.
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France World Cup finishes by year
1930: Eliminated in group stage
1934: Eliminated in round of 16
1938: Eliminated in quarterfinals
1950: Did not compete
1954: Eliminated in group stage
1958: Third place
1962: Did not qualify
1966: Eliminated in group stage
1970 - 1974: Did not qualify
1978: Eliminated in group stage
1982: Fourth place
1986: Third place
1990 - 1994: Did not qualify
1998: Tournament champions
2002: Eliminated in group stage
2006: Runners up
2010: Eliminated in group stage
2014: Eliminated in quarterfinals
2018: Tournament champions
How to watch World Cup final - Argentina vs France
Kick off: 10am ET – Sunday, December 18
Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)