This Sunday, for the second time in history, a World Cup final will be contested between two Spanish-speaking, majority-Catholic countries: one that brought the faith to the Americas, and another that gave the Church the first Pope from the continent.
A “Catholic World Cup”?
From 1930 through the 2022 World Cup, the trophy has largely been “lifted by Catholics.” There is also an added detail: the tournament itself was promoted by a Catholic, Jules Rimet, FIFA president in the 1920s, whose vision gave rise to the World Cup as we know it.
So not only do most champions come from countries with a Catholic tradition, but the very history of the Cup is rooted in the vision of a son of the Church.
Although 23 World Cups have been held, only eight countries have won the title. Of those, six are majority Catholic: Brazil, Italy, Argentina, Uruguay, France, and Spain, while only two are not: Germany and England.
Those six Catholic-majority countries have won 17 of the 22 titles already contested, and the 2026 trophy will go to either Spain or Argentina—two of the most emblematic Catholic nations.
The Faith That Traveled from Spain to Argentina
Five centuries ago, the Catholic faith reached what is now Argentina
