Qatar World Cup is set to begin in November with 32 different countries vying to win the prestigious trophy.
One Of the major jinxes that is yet to be broken in any of the World Cups is that no team ranked first in FIFA ranking ahead of the World Cup has ever won the cup the same year.
Being ranked first is awesome cause you’d likely be the most favorite to win the tournament but that does not mean you will win it.
All the countries that have been top-seeded are yet to win the tournament since it’s inception in 1930.
However, in the course of this article we will be looking at the rankings era and teams that ranked first but failed to win the tournament.
Stay with me so I’d walk you through the list of countries that have been ranked first and didn’t win.
FIFA World Cup of 1994
The 15th FIFA World Cup, an international competition for men’s national soccer teams, took place in 1994.
It was held in nine locations across the nation from June 17 to July 17, 1994, and the United States served as its host.
Germany was ranked 1st in the 1994 World Cup but they could not make it past the quarter-finals round and were sent home.
Brazil defeated Italy 3-2 in a penalty shootout to win the match, which had ended 0-0 after extra time, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, not far from Los Angeles. It was the first World Cup championship game decided by spot kicks.
With the victory, Brazil became the first country to win four World Cup titles in a row.
FIFA World Cup of 1998
The 16th FIFA World Cup, an international competition for men’s national football teams, took place in 1998. From June 10 to July 12, 1998, France hosted the finals tournament.
FIFA chose the nation to host the event for the second time in the tournament’s history, defeating Morocco in the bidding process.
The competition was contested for the ninth time in Europe and for the second time in France (the first time was in 1938). It is the longest World Cup ever staged, lasting 32 days.
France, the tournament’s host nation, defeated Brazil 3-0 in the championship match to claim victory. Brazil was ranked first in that years World Cup but France won the tournament.
FIFA World Cup 2002
The 17th edition of the FIFA World Cup, which is held every four years and is put on by FIFA, took place in 2002.
It took place in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30, 2002, with Japan hosting the final game at the International Stadium in Yokohama.
Ronaldo scored twice as Brazil defeated Germany in the World Cup final in Yokohama, Japan, to win the tournament.
Germany was ranked first in the 2002 World Cup after they won the tournament in 1998 they could not make it past the group stage as they were sent packing earlier.
FIFA World Cup 2006
The 18th edition of the FIFA Global Cup, an international association football world championship tournament, was held in 2006 in Germany.
Germany, which had earned the right to host the event in July 2000, hosted it from 9 June to 9 July 2006. The qualification process began in September 2003, and teams from 198 national football associations across all six inhabited continents took part.
This method resulted in 31 teams, including the hosts Germany, earning spots in the finals competition.
Italy defeated France 5-3 in a penalty shootout to win the tournament and win their fourth World Cup title after extra time ended in a 1-1 tie.
Brazil were ranked first after winning the previous outing, but this time they could not make it past quarter-finals.
FIFA World Cup 2010
The men’s national association football teams’ world championship, the FIFA World Cup, took place for the 19th time in 2010. It happened in South Africa between June 11 and July 11, 2010.
Only African countries were eligible to participate in the bidding process to host the tournament finals. South Africa became the first country in Africa to host the finals in 2004, winning out over Egypt and Morocco in the FIFA vote.
Spain, the defending European champions, defeated the Netherlands, a third-time losing finalist, 1-0 in extra time to claim the world championship.
Again, the power country Brazil was ranked first in 2010 World Cup and again, they failed to make it past the quarter-finals.
FIFA World Cup 2014
The 20th edition of the FIFA World Cup, which is held every four years and is put on by FIFA, took place in 2014.
Brazil was chosen as the host nation in 2007, and the event was held there from June 12 to July 13, 2014.
It was the fifth time that the competition had taken place in South America and the second time that Brazil had hosted it, the previous being in 1950.
This World Cup’s edition is regarded as one of the best ever by both fans and experts.
Germany won the tournament and its fourth world championship by defeating Argentina 1-0 in the championship game after extra time.
This victory was the first since German reunification in 1990, when West Germany defeated Argentina by the same score in the World Cup final after 90 minutes. G
Germany became the first European team to win a World Cup held in the Americas. Following Spain in 2010 and Italy in 2006, this victory made Germany the third European team to win the title in a row.
Spain topped the ranking in the 2014 World Cup but could not even make it past the group stage as they were sent to sit home and watch the rest of the tournament.
FIFA World Cup 2018
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was an international football competition between men’s national teams that was held in Russia from June 14 to July 15, 2018.
It was the 21st FIFA World Cup, an annual international football competition. The championships were contested for the first time in Eastern Europe and for the eleventh time overall in Europe.
Up until Qatar 2022, it was the most costly World Cup, with an estimated cost of about $14.2 billion.
Germany was the top-seeded team and was expected to win the cup, but they were unable to advance past the group round.
Qatar World Cup 2022
We are in for another ride and another set of action as Qatar host this year’s FIFA World Cup late in 2022.
Brazil has now been ranked first after overtaking Belgium on the ranking list.
Will the curse be lifted? Given that the South America giants are now rated first in the world, will Brazil win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar? We will wait to see whether Brazil can break this jinx between November and December 2022.
