France became the first defending World Cup winner to qualify for the round of 16 since Brazil in 2006, in the FIFA World Cup 2022, after it beat Denmark at the Stadium 974 in Qatar, on Saturday.
Afterwards, Argentina won three major tournaments in a row: the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, finally breaking the curse.
Only one team -- Spain in 2010 -- has ever lost their opening game at a World Cup and gone on to lift the trophy.
The World Cup winners' curse has been haunting teams for six decades. If France beat Argentina on Sunday, they will become the first team to retain the World Cup since the Brazil side of Pelé and Garrincha in 1962.
Brazil defended their title in 1962. England went on to win their first, and to date only, FIFA World Cup trophy in 1966.
Morocco has kept four clean sheets in five appearances so far at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has been a key player to make that possible. What is more impressive is that the Atlas Lions have kept nine clean sheets in their last 10 matches across all competitions.
During the 1982 FIFA World Cup, West Germany and Austria played a game on 25 June known as the Disgrace of Gijón due to accusations that both teams had fixed the match.
Picking Qatar to host the World Cup was a mistake 12 years ago, FIFA's president at the time Sepp Blatter said Tuesday, again citing a meeting between Nicolas Sarkozy and Michel Platini for swaying key votes.
Perhaps the most infamous curse in sports, the Billy Goat Curse began in 1945 when Chicago Cubs fan William Sianis brought his goat to Game 4 of the World Series. He was kicked out and furiously claimed the Cubs would never win the World Series.
Balloons and inflatable balls have been banned in the stadiums, per TOI. Similarly, musical instruments that cause a loud noise, cigarettes and vapes are also prohibited. As per Outlook India, raising a pride flag – that which represents a segment of the LGBT community – is also prohibited at the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The record number of 0-0 draws at a World Cup is seven, now shared by five different editions of the tournament.
Italy, 1938
Vittorio Pozzo the man who coached the side in their triumph in 1934 was still the manager when Italy won the world cup again in 1938. What made this victory extra special was that Italy managed to win each and every game on their way to 2nd successive world cup title.
The 1998 World Cup was a disaster for the U.S., which lost all three of its group-stage games. The gulf in class between the Americans and their adversaries was immediately apparent in their opening match against then-three-time champions Germany.
Kuwait. In 2016, Kuwait had to forfeit a qualifying match for the 2018 World Cup against Myanmar. FIFA had previously suspended the country's football association, alleging government interference in the country's local football association. The ban lasted for more than two years.
Mjomba, whose real name is Mohammed Al-Hajri, is considered a social media influencer and comedian from the Sultanate of Oman. He and his followers noticed the loss of all the teams he supported in the World Cup matches.
BASE jumping
The sport is illegal in almost all cities, because the jumpers seriously risk sustaining injuries, or causing problems for pedestrians or motorists when they land. In many cases, BASE jumpers illegally access the high points from which they are jumping by breaking and entering or trespassing.
Basketball has the most injuries overall, but the number of injuries varies with each age group. Football is the most dangerous sport for children ages 5 to 14, while basketball has the highest number of injuries among people ages 15 to 24.
There have been numerous allegations of bribery between the Qatar bid committee and FIFA members and executives, some of whom—including Theo Zwanziger and Sepp Blatter—were later recorded regretting awarding Qatar the tournament.
The controversy surrounding Qatar's hosting of the World Cup, arising in relation to the country's alleged violations of human rights, and specifically migrant worker rights, persisted from 2010 until the conclusion of the tournament in 2022.
In practice, penalty shootouts did not occur before 1982. Three times, in 1994, 2006, and 2022, the World Cup title has been decided by a penalty shoot-out. Of the 35 shoot-outs that have taken place in the competition, only two reached the sudden death stage after still being tied at the end of "best of five kicks".
The Cup used to be kept by the winning team until the final draw of the next tournament, however, that is no longer the case. Instead the winners of the tournament receive a bronze replica which is gold-plated rather than solid gold.