Germany / West Germany at the World Cup.
The story
Germany have made eight finals — more than any other nation — and won four. The "Miracle of Bern" in 1954 is the foundational moment of modern German football: Hungary, the heavy favorites, were beaten 3-2 in the final. 1974 at home with Beckenbauer captaining produced a 2-1 final win over Cruyff's Netherlands. 1990 in Italy was Andreas Brehme's penalty in a tight final against Argentina — the last West German title before reunification. 2014 in Brazil is the most modern chapter: the 7-1 semi-final demolition of the hosts, followed by Mario Götze's extra-time winner against Argentina. No team has been more consistently elite.
Famous Germany / West Germany players
Franz Beckenbauer · Gerd Müller · Lothar Matthäus · Jürgen Klinsmann · Miroslav Klose · Thomas Müller · Manuel Neuer.
See our full top-20 World Cup legends list for tournament-by-tournament impact.
Germany / West Germany in 2026
For Germany / West Germany's 2026 World Cup campaign — group, fixtures, results — see our World Cup 2026 hub, the group standings and the match schedule.
More from the World Cup category
- → World Cup category index
- → World Cup 2026 — live hub
- → All-time top scorers
- → Country rankings — all-time medals
- → Finals history (1930-2022)
- → Golden Ball winners
- → Golden Glove winners
- → World Cup records
- → Famous supporter groups
- → Player legends — top 20
- → Country histories (Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Italy, France, Uruguay, Spain, England)