The Curse of the Defending Champion
This is the big one. For a stretch of the 21st century, winning the World Cup was like touching a cursed artifact. The defending champion would arrive at the next tournament and completely implode. It started with France, who won in 1998 and then crashed
out in the 2002 group stage without scoring a single goal. The trend continued with shocking consistency: Italy (champions in '06, out in '10 group stage), Spain (champions in '10, out in '14 group stage), and Germany (champions in '14, out in '18 group stage). Why does it happen? Theories range from team complacency and aging squads to the immense pressure of being the team everyone wants to beat. Argentina, the current champion, will be hoping the curse stays broken, as 2022 finalist France was the first defending champ to avoid an early exit since Brazil in 2006. Watch this space in 2026.
The Ballon d'Or Jinx
The Ballon d'Or is awarded annually to the world's best soccer player. You’d think having this player on your team would be a huge advantage at the World Cup. You’d be wrong. Historically, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner has never lifted the World Cup trophy. From Johan Cruyff in 1974 to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the 2010s, the game's biggest individual stars have consistently fallen short on the world's biggest stage right after being crowned its best player. The 2022 tournament added a weird twist: Karim Benzema won the award just before the tournament but missed it entirely due to injury, proving the jinx finds a way. The curse is a perfect example of the "team vs. individual" debate that rages in soccer, suggesting that World Cup glory requires more than a single superstar at the peak of their powers.
Mexico's 'Quinto Partido' Nightmare
For decades, Mexico was haunted by a very specific number: five. The "quinto partido," or fifth game, refers to the World Cup quarter-finals. From 1994 to 2018, Mexico's national team, El Tri, pulled off an amazing and agonizing feat: they successfully advanced from the group stage in seven consecutive tournaments, only to be eliminated in the very next round (the Round of 16) every single time. The curse became a national obsession, a psychological barrier the team just couldn't break. Fans watched in horror as losses piled up against opponents like Germany, Argentina, and the Netherlands. In 2022, the curse took on a new, crueler form: Mexico didn't even get the chance to lose in the Round of 16, as they failed to advance from their group for the first time in 44 years. For 2026, as a host nation, the pressure to finally reach that fifth game will be immense.
England and the Penalty Shootout
No nation has a more tortured relationship with penalty shootouts than England. For the uninitiated, a shootout is how knockout games are decided if the score is still tied after 120 minutes of play. It's a high-pressure, nerve-shredding test of skill and luck. And for decades, England failed that test spectacularly. They were knocked out of the World Cup on penalties in 1990, 1998, and 2006, creating a deep-seated national trauma. Every tournament brought the same dreaded narrative of brave failure from 12 yards out. However, there's been a recent vibes shift. The team finally won a World Cup shootout in 2018 against Colombia, a victory that felt like a national exorcism. While they lost the European Championship final on penalties in 2021, the feeling is different now. The curse may not be entirely broken, but it no longer feels like an inevitability.
The Curse That Finally Died
Curses aren't forever, and Lionel Messi is living proof. For years, a powerful jinx seemed to follow the winner of the Copa América, South America’s continental championship. Teams that won it often struggled mightily at the subsequent World Cup. Uruguay won in 2011 and flamed out in 2014; Chile won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 but failed to even qualify for the 2018 World Cup. When Argentina, led by Messi, won the 2021 Copa América, many wondered if they'd fall victim to the same fate. Instead, they did the opposite. In 2022, Argentina marched through the tournament and won the whole thing, giving Messi the one trophy that had eluded him and shattering a continental curse in the most dramatic fashion possible.
