How many teams have won Euros and World Cup? Women's, men's teams to win tournament double in history

2023-08-18
4 min read

England are on the brink of a special achievement as they prepare to face Spain in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final.

It is the first time the England Women's team have reached the final of the Women's World Cup and the first time since 1966 that either senior team has reached this stage.

Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses won the 2022 European Championship after beating Germany at Wembley Stadium. They could join an elite list of teams to hold both the World Cup and Euros simultaneously.

The Sporting News looks at the teams who have previously managed to be crowned champions of Europe and the world at the same time.

MORE: Have England ever won the Women's World Cup? Lionesses' record

How many teams have won Euros and World Cup?

In both men's and women's football, there have been a total of four different teams to have won the Euros and World Cup in back-to-back tournaments.

West Germany, 1972-1974

West Germany became the first team in history to hold the World Cup and the Euros at the same time in the early 1970s. Gerd Muller was at the heart of the achievement.

Muller scored four goals in the final two matches of the 1972 Euros as his side beat Belgium and the Soviet Union to win their first European title. The striker then led West Germany to their second World Cup trophy two years later in 1974, scoring the winner in the final against the Netherlands.

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France, 1998-2000

Didier Deschamps became the third manager to win the World Cup as both a manager and a player in 2018, but he also won the Euros during his playing days.

A France side featuring the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires won the 1998 FIFA World Cup on home soil before winning the Euros two years later against Italy in the final.

MORE: What time is the Women's World Cup final?

Germany Women, 2001-2009

Germany Women did something special between 2001 and 2009. They won a total of five major competitions: three consecutive European Championships, and back-to-back World Cups.

Three of their eight European successes came in 2001, 2005 and 2009, while they also won the 2003 and 2007 World Cups in that time. They are the only team to have won two Euros in a row and one of two teams to have won consecutive World Cups.

Spain, 2008-2012

Between 2008 and 2012, Spain showed their dominance in the men's game. A team featuring graduates from Barcelona's famed academy, La Masia, such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and Pedro, brought their club chemistry to the international stage.

They won the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 while also winning their first World Cup in 2010. Iniesta scored the winner in extra time against the Netherlands.