Guide

Who Won Most World Cup in Cricket?

Know which team dominates the list of most World Cup wins (cricket) across all three formats - ODIs and T20Is. Also, know who has won most World Cup matches.

Subhayan Dutta
Subhayan Dutta

Last Updated: 2023-10-30

Dillip Mohanty

The Australian cricket team has the most World Cup wins in cricket having won the ODI format trophy five times in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015. They are the only side in world cricket to have won the World Cup three times in a row. The Aussies have won the T20 World Cup title as well, in 2021.

Despite being one of the oldest cricket nations that produced cricketing stalwarts long before West Indies (1975 and 1979 winners) and India (1983 winners), the Aussies had to wait for three World Cup editions before finally putting their hands on the silverware, under the captaincy of Allan Border.

Since 1987, the Kangaroos have won four of the next eight World Cups and during this time, Australia has reached seven finals, winning five of them. Apart from this, Australia are also the team to win the World Cup finals by the biggest margin, both while batting and bowling first. Batting first, they defeated India by a mammoth 125 runs, while bowling first they would defeat Pakistan by eight wickets.

Below is the full list of World Cup winners with editions.

List of Cricket World Cup Winners (ODI)

1975 - 2019

World Cup YearWinnerOpponentFinal Result
1975West IndiesAustraliaWon by 17 Runs
1979West IndiesEnglandWon by 92 Runs
1983IndiaWest IndiesWon by 43 Runs
1987AustraliaEnglandWon by 7 Runs
1992PakistanEnglandWon by 22 Runs
1996Sri LankaAustraliaWon by 7 Wickets
1999AustraliaPakistanWon by 8 Wickets
2003AustraliaIndiaWon by 125 Runs
2007AustraliaSri LankaWon by 53 Runs
2011IndiaSri LankaWon By 6 Wickets
2015AustraliaNew ZealandWon By 7 Wickets
2019EnglandNew ZealandWon on boundaries
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The team with the second most World Cup wins is West Indies, when their dominant side of the 1970s managed to win two back-to-back titles. Apart from Australia, India have won the ODI World Cup twice while West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England have all won the World Cup once.

Australia have also tallied the second-highest total in ODI World Cup history, scoring 417 against Afghanistan in the 2015 edition in Perth. It was the highest team total in any World Cup until South Africa blasted 428 runs against Sri Lanka in the 2023 World Cup.

Highest World Cup Winner (Cricket) in ODIs: Australia’s Tournament History

Having finished as the runners-up in the inaugural World Cup in 1975 the Aussies were one of the tournament favourites in 1979, but they had failed to qualify from the group stages itself. Their World Cup would end in the group stages for the second consecutive time in the 1983 World Cup, but a change in leadership saw the Aussies transform under Allan Border.

Despite not being the tournament favourites, they would leapfrog New Zealand and Zimbabwe to qualify from the second position before beating Pakistan in the semis to reach only their second World Cup final in 12 years. This time, however, they finally managed to cross the rope banking on an inspiring performance by David Boon and beat England in the finale.

Simon O' Donnell World Cup.jpeg

Australia’s next World Cup title would come 12 years down the line. A dangerous-looking team was getting the leadership under Steve Waugh’s captaincy in the 1999 World Cup, as they would win three of their five games to qualify for the knockouts. They needed immense luck in the semi-finals where a draw against South Africa saw them through based on a better Super Six performance. The final against Pakistan was a rather one-sided affair as Australia went on to win their second World Cup by eight wickets.

Thus started domination like no other. While Steve Waugh had retired by the 2003 World Cup, the pedigree ensured a string of talent pool that would remain world beaters for a long time to come. The Aussies won all their seven matches to lift the title by beating India in the final by 125 runs.  The story would repeat in the 2007 edition with the Australian team remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament to lift the title, this time defeating Sri Lanka in the final by 53 runs.

Australia Team Cricket World Cup 2007.jpg

Which Country has won the most cricket world cups (T20I)

World Cup YearWinnerOpponentFinal Result
2007IndiaPakistanBy 5 Runs
2009PakistanSri LankaBy 8 Wickets
2010EnglandAustraliaBy 7 Wickets
2012West IndiesSri LankaBy 36 Runs
2014Sri LankaIndiaBy 6 Wickets
2016West IndiesEnglandBy 4 Wickets
2021AustraliaNew ZealandBy 8 Wickets
2022EnglandPakistanBy 5 Wickets
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The teams with the most World Cup wins in the T20I format are West Indies and England. While The Men in Maroon lifted the title in 2012 and 2014, England went on to win the T20 World Cup in 2010 and 2016. Five-time ODI World Cup winners Australia have managed to get their hands on the T20 World Cup only once,

Archrivals India and Pakistan played the first final of the T20 World Cup in 2007 and went on to lift the titles in 2007 and 2009 respectively. However, the two powerhouses haven’t managed to get their hands on the trophy since, despite both the teams ending as runners-up twice. Sri Lanka is the only other team from the subcontinent that has managed to win the T20 title when they beat India in the 2014 edition.

Quite interestingly, every team finishing as runners-up in T20 World Cup has won the trophy at least once, except for New Zealand. The highest win percentage in T20 World Cup belongs to India, who have won 27 of their 44 matches in the tournament winning 63.95% of their games. They are followed by Australia, who have 25 of their 40 games and sit second with 62.5% wins. 

Subhayan Dutta
Subhayan DuttaSports Writer

An M.A. in English Literature, Subhayan is an experienced journalist and sports writer. Having worked as a journalist at Hindustan Times, Subhayan covered diverse beats including sports, education, and health, showcasing his versatility and in-depth understanding of various subjects.