While it’s never easy going into any competition as the defending champion with a target on your back, World Cup winners seem to have a particularly tough time retaining their crown.
Only Italy in 1938 and Brazil in 1962 have ever been able to win back-to-back World Cups.
Below we look at the worst World Cup performances by defending champions.
1950 – Italy – Group stage
With the 1942 and 1946 World Cups cancelled due to World War Two, Italy were still the defending champions in 1950, 12 years after their 1938 success.
Moving from the straight knockout used previously, Italy were drawn alongside Sweden and Paraguay, losing their opening game 3-2.
With Sweden drawing 2-2 with Paraguay, Italy were eliminated prior to their final game.
1966 – Brazil – Group stage
After back-to-back wins in 1958 and 1962, all eyes were on Brazil once more as England hosted the 1966 World Cup. Winning their first game against Bulgaria, the Selecao would be without Pele, who picked up an injury in their 2-0 win, for the defeat to Hungary.
Pele was kicked out of another World Cup game as Portugal ran out 3-1 winners, sending the bookies’ favourites home early.
2002 – France – Group stage
One of the most ignominious and shocking exits in World Cup history saw France dumped out in the group stages. Defending world champions from 1998 and European champions from 2000,
Though Les Bleus were without star man Zinedine Zidane, the African side were expected to pose little threat, but ran out 1-0 winners with France thoroughly underwhelming.
A 0-0 draw in their next game with Uruguay meant Roger Lemerre’s side needed to beat Denmark in their final game to have a chance of qualifying, but a 2-0 defeat saw them eliminated without scoring a single goal.
2010 – Italy – Group stage
Four years after their World Cup win, Italy’s team full of star names looked much more timid by the time South Africa rolled around. Ballon d’Or winner and captain Fabio Cannavaro was now 36 years old, while the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totto, Fabio Grosso, Alessandro Nesta and Marco Materazzi were no more.
The Azzurri were held to a 1-1 by Paraguay before falling to a shock 1-1 draw to New Zealand. A win over Slovakia in their final game would have seen them through, but having gone 2-0 down, late goals from Antonio Di Natale and Fabio Quaglierella weren’t enough with Vladimir Weiss’s men securing a historic 3-2 victory as Italy finished bottom of their group.
2014 – Spain – Group stage
Unquestionably one of the greatest football teams the game has ever seen, Spain created history in winning three consecugive international tournaments with Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
What happened next was unthinkable. Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Villa, Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso still featured for La Roja, but were all the wrong side of 30. Nevertheless, they were expected to get past a very limited Netherlands side, who were heavily reliant on the attacking trio of Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie.
Spain would take the lead from the spot before Van Persie’s iconic stooping header levelled things up. A second-half onslaught saw the Netherlands win 5-1.
With the Netherlands winning their second game and Chile winning their first, a Chilean win against Spain would see Vicente del Bosque’s men exit with a game to spare – and that’s exactly what happened. Chile won 2-0, and Spain departed after two straight losses and seven goals conceded.
2018 – Germany – Group stage
Could Germany break the World Cup winners’ curse? For two straight tournaments, and three of the last four, the winners had exited in the group stage. As it happened, Germany would extend that run.
A defeat in their opening game to Mexico left them with work to do, but with their World Cup hopes hanging in the balance, a Toni Kroos wonder-strike against Sweden secured a 2-1 win to leave their fate in their own hands.
A win in the final game against already-eliminated South Korea would have sent them through, but with Die Mannschaft toiling and chasing a win, the South Koreans broke up the other end to score two stoppage-time goals and send the world champions packing.
