7 Countries That Competed in the World Cup but No Longer Exist

7 Countries That Competed in the World Cup but No Longer Exist

#7 Zaire   Zaire has the same borders in concept, but the country does not exist in its previous form. It was the name of a Central African military dictatorship that lasted between 1971 and 1997, but is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

#6 Czechoslovakia  Czechoslovakia was among the most successful countries in the World Cup, which no longer exists. From 1920 to 1993, Team existed. Since then, the country has been divided into two parts: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

#5 Dutch East Indies Even die-hard football fans may be unaware that the Dutch East Indies actually qualified for the World Cup! The country by that term no longer exists.

#4 Soviet Union   From 1917 through 1991, the Soviet Union Team existed. Since 1991, 16 countries have covered the former Soviet Union's territory. FIFA transferred all Soviet Union records to the present Russian squad.

#3 Yugoslavia From 1918 through 2003, the team existed. During the Yugoslav wars in 1992, the squad was barred from competing in international competition as part of a United Nations penalty. Serbia's national  football team inherited Yugoslavia's place in FIFA and UEFA and is regarded as the only successor of Yugoslavia by both organizations.

#2 East Germany East Germany team existed from 1952 – 1990. Prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, modern-day Germany was divided into East and West Germany. Both squads competed in the World Cup.

#1 West Germany From 1908 until 1900, the team existed. West Germany is the most successful World Cup country that no longer exists in the same way. The country won the competition three times and lost in the finals twice.

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