Several teams reached the ultimate prize before then sinking to a nightmare just four years later.

DAN MULLAN

World Cup 2026

The Champions’ Curse: Every defending World Cup winner that suffered a shocking group stage collapse

Update: Jun 24th, 2026 05:38 EDT

The reigning World Cup winner usually arrives at the next tournament carrying the weight of expectation. Champions are often viewed as the team to beat, armed with the confidence of having conquered the world four years earlier. Yet World Cup history shows that success can be fleeting. In fact, enough defending champions have suffered shock early exits to fuel talk of a so-called “champion’s curse.”

Of the 22 completed World Cups, six have seen the reigning champion eliminated in the group stage. The most recent victim was Germany in 2018, and as the 2026 tournament reaches its decisive moments, Argentina faces the possibility of joining that unwanted list after lifting the trophy in Qatar.

Italy: the first and only two-time victim

Italy was the first nation to experience the curse and remains the only country to have suffered it twice.

The first setback came in 1954. With only 16 teams in the tournament, the Azzurri found themselves grouped with England, Switzerland and Belgium. Despite entering the competition as defending champions, they could only finish third and failed to reach the quarterfinals.

The Champions’ Curse: Every defending World Cup winner that suffered a shocking group stage collapse — Fabio Cannavaro reacts after a missed chance during their 2010 World Cup Group F match against Slovakia.STEFANO RELLANDINI

More than half a century later, history repeated itself in South Africa in 2010. Italy failed to win a single group-stage game against Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand, crashing out in a stunning disappointment for a nation that had already collected four World Cup titles.

Brazil’s reign ends in 1966

The next defending champion to fall was Brazil.

The Seleção arrived in England in 1966 as back-to-back world champions after triumphs in 1958 and 1962. Expectations were enormous, particularly with stars such as Pelé and Garrincha leading the squad. However, Brazil struggled in a difficult group featuring Portugal, Hungary and Bulgaria.

Instead of extending their dominance, the South Americans suffered an early exit, one of the biggest surprises of the era and a reminder that even legendary teams are vulnerable.

France’s unforgettable collapse in 2002

France produced one of the most shocking title defenses in World Cup history at Korea/Japan 2002.

Les Bleus entered the tournament not only as reigning world champions after their 1998 triumph but also as European champions following victory at Euro 2000. Many viewed them as favorites to retain the trophy.

Instead, Roger Lemerre’s side endured a disastrous campaign. They opened with a shock defeat to Senegal, followed with a scoreless draw against Uruguay and then lost to Denmark.

France finished bottom of the group and left the tournament without scoring a single goal, an astonishing outcome for one of the most talented squads of its generation.

Spain’s golden era comes to an abrupt end

Spain could not escape the curse either.

After winning the 2010 World Cup and back-to-back European Championships, La Roja arrived in Brazil in 2014 hoping to extend one of the most successful periods in international soccer history.

The dream unraveled almost immediately. Spain was thrashed 5-1 by the Netherlands in its opening game before suffering another defeat against Chile.

A 3-0 victory over Australia in the final group match did little more than avoid a last-place finish, marking the symbolic end of a golden generation that had dominated world soccer.

Germany joins the list in 2018

Germany became the latest reigning champion to fall victim to the trend.

Joachim Löw’s team entered Russia 2018 as one of the favorites after winning the title four years earlier in Brazil. Instead, they produced one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.

Germany opened with a historic defeat to Mexico. Toni Kroos then rescued hopes with a dramatic stoppage-time free kick against Sweden.

But the recovery proved temporary. A 2-0 loss to South Korea sent Germany crashing out at the group stage for the first time in its history, leaving Die Mannschaft at the bottom of the standings and adding another chapter to the legend of the champion’s curse.

Could Argentina be next in 2026?

The examples are spread across decades, generations and continents, suggesting there is no single explanation for the phenomenon. Complacency, aging squads, tactical stagnation and the pressure of defending a title have all been cited as possible causes.

What is certain is that World Cup history offers little protection to reigning champions. Argentina’s fate in 2026 remains undecided, but the record books show that lifting the trophy once is no guarantee of success four years later.