The 2022 FIFA World Cup is set to begin in Qatar soon with 32 of the best nations in world football willing to lay it all on the line in their quest to win the World Cup for the first time in the Middle East. Four South American teams have qualified for the 2022 World Cup which will start on November 20 and conclude on December 18 with the final taking place at the Lusail Iconic Stadium later this year.
Before the grand opening of the famous tournament next month, let’s take a look at the most successful South American teams in World Cup history.
1. Brazil (Five-time Winners)
The South American nation has won the World Cup five times in its history (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). Brazil remains the most successful South American country in World Cup history and has appeared in all 22 different versions of the competition.
2. Argentina (Two-time Winners)
Argentina won the famous trophy twice in their history back in 1978 and later, in 1986. They have appeared in 18 different World Cup tournaments thus far.
3. Uruguay (Two-time Winners)
Like Argentina, Uruguay won the FIFA World Cup twice back in 1930 and later, in 1950. The South American giants have made 14 different appearances in World Cup football.
Chile, Paraguay, Colombia, and Peru have all made it through to the Round of 16 stages of the competition at least once but are yet to taste success in World Cup football.
Here is a breakdown of the South American countries ranked by the number of FIFA World Cups they have participated in so far.
| Country | WC Appearances | Record streak | Active streak | WC Debut | Most Recent WC | Best result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Brazil | 22 | 22 | 22 | 1930 | 2022 | Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) |
 Argentina | 18 | 13 | 13 | 1930 | 2022 | Winners (1978, 1986) |
 Uruguay | 14 | 4 | 4 | 1930 | 2022 | Winners (1930, 1950) |
 Chile | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1930 | 2014 | Third place (1962) |
 Paraguay | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1930 | 2010 | Quarter-finals (2010) |
 Colombia | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1962 | 2018 | Quarter-finals (2014) |
 Peru | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1930 | 2018 | Quarter-finals (1970, 1978) |
 Ecuador | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2002 | 2022 | Round 2 (2006) |
 Bolivia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1930 | 1994 | Round 1 |
Let’s also look at the most successful South American teams based on their overall records in World Cup football.
| Country | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 109 | 73 | 18 | 18 | 229 | 105 | +124 | 237 |
| Argentina | 81 | 43 | 15 | 23 | 137 | 93 | +44 | 144 |
| Uruguay | 56 | 24 | 12 | 20 | 87 | 74 | +13 | 84 |
| Chile | 33 | 11 | 7 | 15 | 40 | 49 | −9 | 40 |
| Paraguay | 27 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 30 | 38 | −8 | 31 |
| Colombia | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 32 | 30 | +2 | 30 |
| Peru | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 21 | 33 | −12 | 18 |
| Ecuador | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 13 |
| Bolivia | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 20 | −19 | 1 |
It is clear from all the aforementioned data that Brazil is undoubtedly the most successful South American nation in FIFA World Cup history, having won the trophy five times. However, both Argentina and Uruguay have every reason to be proud of their achievements in World Cup football so far.
Now we can expect Tite’s Brazil, Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina, and Diego Alonso’s Uruguay to go all out in search of another World Cup trophy when the prestigious FIFA competition kicks off in Qatar next month.
