The incredible streak of Bayern players in World Cup finals

Whether in Madrid in 1982, Rome in 1990, Berlin in 2006, Rio de Janeiro in 2014 or most recently in Doha in 2022: in each of the last 11 FIFA World Cups, at least one Bayern player has featured in the final. Only one club worldwide, Inter Milan, can match this incredible run. Among others, club legends like Klaus Augenthaler, Bixente Lizarazu, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger celebrated what were perhaps the greatest victories of their exceptional careers. However, other FC Bayern pros have suffered painful defeats.

A total of 17 FCB players were involved in the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and USA, of whom Harry Kane (England), Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano (both France) have reached the semi-finals and are now just one step away from the final. Will the current generation manage to keep the German record champions’ incredible run alive? fcbayern.com takes a look back and lists the most recent 11 finals involving Munich men.

1982: Breitner misses out on second World Cup title

1982 World Cup final in Madrid: Germany 1-3 Italy

Three FCB players – Paul Breitner, Wolfgang Dremmler and Karl-Heinz Rumenigge – featured in the World Cup final on 11 July 1982. On their way there, the Germany trio first beat Algeria, Chile and Austria in the group stage before advancing to the semi-finals thanks to a draw against England and a victory over hosts Spain in the intermediate round. In the semi-final, on the Night of Seville, Germany engaged in a memorable clash with France led by captain Michel Platini. Thanks to a furious comeback, Jupp Derwall’s team cancelled out a 3-1 deficit in extra time and booked a berth in the final in a penalty shootout. In the final, Germany fell 3-1 to Italy.

Even Paul Breitner, who made his 48th and final appearance for Germany, was unable to alter the outcome. Although Germany’s Footballer of the Year in 1981 scored in the 83rd minute to make it 3-1, the world and European champion (1974 and 1972) was unable to prevent Italy from winning the World Cup. Nevertheless, Breitner made history with that goal. To this day, he remains one of only five players to have scored in two World Cup finals. For Breitner himself, the 1982 goal holds little significance: “When you lose 3-1 in a World Cup final, nobody cares who scored the goal. For me, it’s the penalty in 1974 that counts; the other one means nothing to me,” he later explained in an interview with FC Bayern members' magazine 51.

1986: Matthäus & Co miss out on title despite fightback

1986 World Cup final in Mexico City: Germany 2-3 Argentina

Germany reached the final once again four years later. At the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, the team with Bayern players Klaus Augenthaler, Norbert Eder, Lothar Matthäus and Dieter Hoeneß faced favourites Argentina, led by their star Diego Armando Maradona, in front of 114,000 spectators at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Although the South Americans looked like the winners thanks to a 2-0 lead until the 74th minute, Franz Beckenbauer’s German team fought their way back into the match within seven minutes through goals from Karl-Heinz Rumenigge and Rudi Völler. But the Albiceleste struck back three minutes after the equaliser and claimed their second World Cup title thanks to Jorge Burruchaga’s winner.

Thirty-six years after the final between Argentina and Germany, Bayern legend Matthäus brought the 1986 World Cup back to life. He presented Argentine collector Marcelo Ordás with the shirt worn by Maradona – who passed away in 2020 – in the final, which Matthäus had received after the final whistle. Matthäus himself was overjoyed by this moment: “A piece of history is coming back. That makes me proud. It was always a great honour to play against Diego. He was the best, not only as a player but also as a person.”

1990: The unforgettable night of Rome

1990 World Cup final in Rome: Germany 1-0 Argentina

Third time’s a charm! Following the defeats in the finals in 1982 and 1986, Germany were crowned world champions on Italian soil at the third attempt. In the final in Rome, Germany with the Bavarian sextet of Raimond Aumann, Klaus Augenthaler, Jürgen Kohler, Hans Pflügler, Stefan Reuter and Olaf Thon beat Argentina 1-0, taking revenge for the bitter defeat four years earlier.

In a one-sided final, Franz Beckenbauer’s team prevailed 1-0 thanks to a late penalty dispatched by Andreas Brehme. That it was the former Bayern defender who stepped up to take the penalty is down to a circumstance that remains legendary to this day. The team’s regular taker, Lothar Matthäus – who had converted the decisive spot-kick in the quarter-final against Czechoslovakia – voluntarily stepped aside at Rome’s Olympic Stadium after his boots had to be changed at half-time. The former Bayern midfielder didn’t feel sufficiently confident in his new equipment, so he let Brehme take the spot-kick instead.

8 July 1990, and Germany’s third World Cup triumph that came with it, marked a very special day for Bayern legend Augenthaler too: the libero, who made his Germany debut in 1983 and hung up his boots after the 1990 final, still speaks enthusiastically today about the World Cup victory in Rome: “I was nearly 33 at the time and knew it was my last tournament. And then we became world champions! You can’t achieve more than that,” said Augenthaler in an interview to mark his 65th birthday.

1994: Jorginho and the triumph in Pasadena

1994 World Cup final in Pasadena: Brazil 0-0 Italy a.e.t. (3-2 on penalties)

When the World Cup was staged in the USA for the first time, another Bayern player hoisted the World Cup trophy. In Jorginho – who also won the Bundesliga title with FC Bayern that year – a Munich man won the World Cup for the second time in a row after 1990. Jorginho played on the right wing for both the Seleção and FC Bayern, and was crowned world champion in the final against Italy in Pasadena in front of 94,000 spectators. It was his first and only World Cup triumph. He made 65 appearances for Brazil, who won the fourth of their five World Cup titles in America.

1998: Lizarazu’s crowning glory in Saint-Denis

1998 World Cup final in Paris: France 3-0 Brazil

The third World Cup title in a row for an FCB man: at the second World Cup in France after 1938, it was Bayern left-back Bixente Lizarazu who won the title on home soil. He had moved to the Bavarian capital from Athletic Bilbao in 1997 and was one of the hosts’ key players: in six out of seven matches, the pocket rocket born in Saint-Jean-de-Luz started for Les Bleus and played a crucial role in France’s first World Cup triumph as they won every match in the tournament and deservedly claimed the title on home soil with a 15-2 goal difference. They comfortably beat Brazil 3-0 in the final.

1998 marked the start of the most successful period of Lizarazu’s career. He also won Euro 2000 and the Champions League with FC Bayern in 2001, claiming a total of three big international titles.

2002: Bitter end for the Titan

2002 World Cup final in Yokohama: Germany 0-2 Brazil

On 30 June 2002, Germany contested the World Cup final for the seventh time. They had previously secured the title in 1954 in Bern, 1974 in Munich and 1990 in Rome. However, hardly anyone had expected them to reach the final ahead of the match in Turin. Germany had looked lacklustre in the run-up to the World Cup and had only secured their place in the tournament thanks to their play-off victory over Ukraine. But they showed their true colours in Japan and South Korea, and coach Rudi Völler had already announced “a surprise or two” before the team’s departure.

With Bayern players Oliver Kahn, Thomas Linke, Jens Jeremies and Carsten Jancker in the team, the DFB-Elf backed up those words with action. Thanks to an 8-0 victory over Saudi Arabia, they secured what remains to this day Germany’s biggest-ever win at a World Cup right at the start of the tournament. Following a 1-1 draw against Ireland in their second group match and a 2-0 win over Cameroon in their final group game, Völler’s side deservedly progressed to the knockout stages, where the team impressed above all with their strong defensive performances. One man in particular was in the limelight again and again: Kahn. In the round of 16, the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, Germany won 1-0 each time thanks to the incredible saves by Kahn to advance to the final.

But the “Titan”, who had already been named the tournament’s best player before the final against Brazil, showed he is human. Kahn, who was suffering from a hand injury, kept a clean sheet until the 67th minute, when he parried Rivaldo’s effort from distance and the ball fell to Ronaldo, whose goal put his star-studded team on the path to victory. Brazil went on to win 2-0 thanks to another goal by Ronaldo.

2006: Sagnol’s missed chance

2006 World Cup final in Berlin: France 1-1 Italy a.e.t (3-5 on penalties) 

The 2006 World Cup almost became not only a “summer fairy tale” for German football, but also one for Willy Sagnol, who was a Bayern player at the time. But the former full-back narrowly missed out on the big win in the final in Berlin, as his Équipe Tricolore were narrowly defeated in a penalty shootout by Italy, led by captain and FIFA World Player of the Year Fabio Cannavaro.

France, who had been knocked out in the group stage at the 2002 World Cup as reigning champions, gradually improved as the 18th World Cup progressed. Having come through the group stage in second place behind Switzerland with just one win and two draws, Raymond Domenech’s side were finally able to show what they were capable of as the tournament continued. They deservedly beat Spain 3-1 in the round of 16 and laid down a marker in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over record world champions Brazil. In the semi-finals, France secured their place in the final in Berlin thanks to another 1-0 victory over Portugal. In a dramatic match, renowned for the headbutt from French midfield maestro Zinedine Zidane against Marco Materazzi, Les Bleus were only defeated on penalties by the Squadra Azzurra, who lifted their fourth World Cup trophy at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

2010: Robben and the battle with ‘San Iker’

2010 World Cup final in Johannesburg: Spain 1-0 Netherlands a.e.t.  

Netherlands and Spain met in 2010, the first time in 32 years that the final was contested by two countries who’d never won the title before. Bayern pair Arjen Robben and Mark van Bommel were included in the starting line-up picked by Dutch coach Bert van Marwajik for the final in Johannesburg. The Oranje, who’d fought their way into a final again after 1974 and 1978, were hoping it would be third time lucky. However, the football gods were again not on the side of the 1988 European champions in South Africa. In a hard-fought and niggly contest, the Dutch had several opportunities to clinch victory, but in the end it was Spain’s Andrés Iniesta who hit the winning goal late in extra time. 

The outcome of the final could’ve been different. Robben ran through on goal in the 62nd minute but the winger, normally so composed in front of goal, met his match in Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas on this occasion, and “San Iker” crucially deflected the ball wide with his outstretched right foot. The moment “still haunts me”, recalled the 2013 Champions League winner later, describing it like a film that repeats itself again and again.

2014: Fourth star for Germany!

2014 World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro: Germany 1-0 Argentina a.e.t.  

1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014! In Brazil, coach Joachim Löw’s Germany side secured a fourth world title thanks to a 1-0 win after extra time against a star-studded Argentina team led by Lionel Messi. Germany impressed from the start on their way to the final in Rio de Janeiro, winning their group thanks to wins over Portugal and USA as well as a draw against Ghana. In the last 16, they saw off an impressive Algeria side 2-1 in extra time thanks in part to an outstanding display from Manuel Neuer. The DFB-Elf then beat France in the quarter-finals to set up a dream semi-final match-up against Brazil. In only the second World Cup clash between these two heavyweights of international football, the German team handed the Brazilians their heaviest World Cup defeat in history with a 7-1 victory in Belo Horizonte and stormed into the final in spectacular fashion. No fewer than six Bayern players started the final in Rio in Neuer, Thomas Müller, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jérôme Boateng, Philipp Lahm and Toni Kroos. The seventh, Mario Götze, came on in the 88th minute and scored the most important goal of his career just 15 minutes later.

Müller, meanwhile, did not manage to get on the scoresheet in the final, meaning he failed to defend his Golden Boot crowd from the previous tournament. Not that it mattered to the Bayern stalwart, who explained this to an English-speaking journalist in his typical jovial manner and strongest Bavarian dialect. “We’re world champions, we’ve got the trophy,” Müller said, adding “you can keep your Golden Boot” before disappearing into the stadium’s tunnels in high spirits.

2018: Tolisso becomes Bayern’s most recent world champion

2018 World Cup final in Moscow: France 4-2 Croatia 

There was Bayern representation again in the 2018 final in the form of Corentin Tolisso. The former Reds midfielder replaced Blaise Matuidi in the 73rd minute of the final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 15 July. With a 4-2 victory over Croatia, “Coco” became a world champion at the age of just 23 as Les Bleus sealed their second World Cup success after 1998. On his return to Munich, Tolisso was presented with a cake by then board member for sport Hasan Salihamidžić in honour of his achievement.

“The biggest dream you have as a child is winning the World Cup. France are the best team in the world, and I’m part of it,” said Tolisso afterwards, who featured in five matches in total at the tournament. After starting the opening group match against Australia (2-1), he came off the bench in the knockout games against Argentina (4-3), Uruguay (2-0) and Belgium (1-0) as well as the final.

2022: Upamecano and Co lose to Argentina

2022 World Cup final in Doha: Argentina 3-3 France a.e.t (4-2 on penalties)

The last World Cup final also featured Bayern players on the pitch. Dayot Upamecano played the entirety of the dramatic defeat to Argentina, while Kingsley Coman came on after around an hour and proved to be a tragic hero in the final. The Équipe Tricolore had finished top of their group, ending the curse of the holders after Italy, Spain and Germany had all previously been eliminated at the group stage as defending champions. After beating Poland (3-1), England (2-1) and Morocco (2-0), Argentina and Messi awaited in the final.

The first ever final to be held in December turned out to be one of the most entertaining in World Cup history. The score was 3-3 after 120 minutes following goals from Angel Di María and a brace from Messi for the South Americans, and a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappé for France. The contest had to be settled by penalties – where Coman, along with Aurelien Tchouameni, failed to convert his spot-kick and Argentina were able to clinch victory. Upamecano could at least console himself with one record after the defeat: according to Opta stats, no starting defender from one of the finalists had ever gone the whole tournament without being dribbled past before the Bayern man.