As the FIFA World Cup 2026 draws closer, a curious statistic is once again gaining attention in the football world: the so-called “FIFA Ranking Curse.” Since the official world ranking was introduced in 1992, no national team arriving at a World Cup as the world number one has gone on to win the tournament.

The trend has already affected some of the sport’s biggest powers and now places Argentina, the reigning world champions and current FIFA No. 1, under the spotlight.

A TREND WORKING AGAINST THE FAVOURITES

Football heavyweights such as Brazil, France, Germany and Spain have all fallen short of confirming their status at the top of the rankings with World Cup glory.

The record shows that in eight editions of the tournament, no world No. 1 has lifted the trophy. Brazil came closest at France 1998, finishing runners-up after losing to the hosts in the final.

Four top-ranked teams were eliminated in the quarter-finals (Germany at USA 1994; Brazil at Germany 2006, South Africa 2010 and Qatar 2022), while three failed to progress beyond the group stage (France at Korea/Japan 2002, Spain at Brazil 2014 and Germany at Russia 2018).

Interestingly, the teams responsible for knocking out the world No. 1 were often surprise contenders who themselves did not go on to win the title—such as Bulgaria in 1994, Senegal, Denmark and Uruguay in 2002, France in 2006, the Netherlands in 2010, Chile, the Netherlands and Australia in 2014, Mexico, South Korea and Sweden in 2018, and Croatia in 2022. The only exception was France in 1998, who defeated Brazil in the final on their way to lifting their second World Cup.

Argentina head into the 2026 World Cup carrying a significant historical burden. Not only will they attempt to defend the title won in Qatar 2022, but they will also try to break the curse that has followed every top-ranked team.

Managed by Lionel Scaloni, Argentina arrive as one of the dominant forces in world football, backed by a golden generation that has won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América.

However, history suggests that arriving as favourites guarantees nothing.

ARGENTINA’S OTHER CHALLENGE

Beyond breaking this negative trend, Argentina are also chasing a historic back-to-back World Cup triumph—something achieved only by Italy under Giuseppe Meazza (1934 and 1938) and Brazil led by Pelé (1958 and 1962).

Should they retain their crown, Scaloni’s side would not only make history with consecutive World Cup titles but also put an end to the so-called FIFA Ranking Curse.

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