World cup champions curse

As the world gears up for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, one question continues to dominate football discussions: Can Argentina successfully defend their title and end a drought that has lasted more than six decades?

In the tournament’s 96-year history, 22 teams have been crowned world champions, but only two nations, Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962), have managed to retain the trophy. Since Brazil’s triumph in 1962, every reigning champion has failed to lift the World Cup again at the next edition. As Lionel Messi’s Argentina prepare to enter the tournament as defending champions, they have the opportunity to break one of football’s most enduring patterns and etch their names into history once more.