A small group of nations have reached the World Cup and never won a match at the finals and 888sport look through the record books.
Bolivia hold the longest winless record despite qualifying three times. Canada were the most recent to escape the club, beating Qatar 6-0 in 2026 for their first-ever World Cup win.
Teams to Never Win a World Cup Match
Of the 84 teams to have qualified for a World Cup, 21 teams have never won a World Cup match. Honduras and New Zealand, with nine World Cup matches apiece, share the record for the most matches played at the finals without a win.
Here are the teams that have never won at the World Cup:
- New Zealand
- Cape Verde
- Honduras
- Angola
- Israel
- Iceland
- Kuwait
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Curaçao
- Qatar
- Bolivia
- Jordan
- Togo
- Indonesia
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- China
- Panama
- Iraq
- Haiti
- El Salvador
What “Winless” Means
For this purpose, being winless in World Cup matches is focused entirely on matches played at the finals. Wins in qualifying or playoffs are not included. All victories – whether in the group stage or knockout rounds – are accounted for.
The 21 teams listed above have played in at least one World Cup without registering a victory.
There’s a range of World Cup experience in the list. Indonesia, for example, have only played one World Cup match. New Zealand and Honduras have had nine attempts at grabbing a World Cup win.
Bolivia’s Long Wait
Bolivia have played six World Cup matches across three editions. They first appeared at the inaugural tournament in 1930, losing both of their matches without scoring. In 1950, their lone fixture was an 8-0 defeat.
Since 1950, the South Americans made their lone World Cup appearance in the United States in 1994. They were drawn with South Korea, Germany, and Spain, and picked up their first World Cup point with a draw against South Korea.
Canada Get on the Board
Canada failed to win their first seven World Cup matches across the 1986, 2022, and 2026 tournaments. A 6-0 win over Qatar on matchday two of the 2026 group stage was the Canucks’ first World Cup win.
Jonathan David, the country’s all-time leading scorer, was the star of the show with a hat-trick.
Honourable Draws
In 1970, Israel drew with eventual runners-up Italy and registered a 1-1 draw with Sweden in Toluca. It was Israel’s only World Cup appearance to date.
Qatar, after losing all three matches in 2022, drew with Switzerland in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup, but failed to register their first tournament win. They ultimately suffered defeats to Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Cape Verde’s World Cup story is the most remarkable of any of the winless teams. Draws with Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia took the minnows into the knockout phase of the 2026 World Cup, where they forced extra time against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
FAQs
Which team has the worst World Cup record?
Bolivia hold the longest winless run at the finals, with no victories across their appearances.
Did Canada ever win a World Cup match?
Yes — their first came at the 2026 finals, a 6-0 win over Qatar.
Has Israel ever won a World Cup match?
No. Their only appearance was 1970, where they drew with Italy and Sweden but did not win.
