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The belt at the World Cup
Every World Cup the International belt has been to, how it moved, and whether it left with the champion (11 of 14).
The International belt doesn't stop for the World Cup; the holder's World Cup matches are title defenses like any other. Here is every tournament the belt has been to: who carried it in, how it moved during the tournament, who carried it out, and whether that was the team lifting the trophy. The belt left the tournament with the champion 11 times in 14.
| World Cup | Carried it in | How it moved | Carried it out | Champion | Belt games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | England | England → United States → Chile | Chile | Uruguay | 3 |
| 1958 | Argentina | Argentina → Germany → Sweden → Brazil | Brazil | Brazil ✓ | 6 |
| 1962 | Spain | Spain → Czechoslovakia → Mexico | Mexico | Brazil | 3 |
| 1966 | Russia | Russia → Germany → England | England | England ✓ | 6 |
| 1974 | Netherlands | Netherlands → Germany | Germany | Germany ✓ | 7 |
| 1978 | France | France → Italy → Netherlands → Argentina | Argentina | Argentina ✓ | 7 |
| 1982 | Peru | Peru → Poland → Italy | Italy | Italy ✓ | 7 |
| 1986 | Germany | Germany → Denmark → Spain → Argentina | Argentina | Argentina ✓ | 6 |
| 1994 | Romania | Romania → Switzerland → Colombia | Colombia | Brazil | 3 |
| 1998 | Argentina | Argentina → Netherlands → France | France | France ✓ | 5 |
| 2014 | Russia | Russia → Belgium → Argentina → Germany | Germany | Germany ✓ | 6 |
| 2018 | Peru | Peru → Denmark → France | France | France ✓ | 5 |
| 2022 | Croatia | Croatia → Argentina | Argentina | Argentina ✓ | 4 |
| 2026 | Spain | kept it all tournament | Spain | Spain ✓ | 8 |
A World Cup without the holder in the field leaves the belt frozen for the month; those tournaments don't appear here.