England fans are in meltdown after the Three Lions’ flat performance in their goalless draw with USA on Friday evening. It didn’t take long for those who were calling for Gareth Southgate’s head before the World Cup to come out of the woodwork after one disappointing display, even though they were likely singing ‘it’s coming home’ as they thrashed Iran 6-2 in their opener.
Just because you drop points in the group stage doesn’t automatically end your chances of becoming world champions. After all, England are still top of Group B with four points. You’ll be surprised at just how many World Cup winners who went all the way without taking maximum points in the Group Stage. Let’s not forget that in Euro 2020, England suffered a similar result and performance against Scotland in their second match of the tournament… And we all know how far they went.
To put supporters’ minds at ease, we take a look back at the previous World Cup winner dating back to 1990 and looking at how they fared in the group stage.
1990 - West Germany
Germany are one of the most decorated nations in the World Cup having claimed four titles. It was Italia ‘90 where they collected their third. Despite boasting the likes of Lothar Matthaus and Jurgen Klinsmann, Die Mannschaft had to settle for a draw against Colombia in the group.
Group stage results:
West Germany 4-1 Yugoslavia
West Germany 5-1 United Arab Emirates
West Germany 1-1 Colombia
They then battled their way through to the final, beating England in the semi-finals, before defeating Argentina 1-0 in Rome.
1994 - Brazil
Brazil are the most successful nation in World Cup history with five titles and despite all their flair and brilliance, even they were left frustrated by Sweden in the early stages of the tournament.
Group stage results:
Brazil 2-0 Russia
Brazil 3-0 Cameroon
Brazil 1-1 Sweden
Brazil defeated Italy in the final 3-2 on penalties after a goalless final in Pasadena.
1998 - France
France claimed their maiden World Cup title on home soil in 1998, becoming the sixth nation to do so as hosts. They became just the second side in history to win all their group matches before going on to become world champions.
Group stage results:
France 3-0 South Africa
France 4-0 Saudi Arabia
France 2-1 Denmark
Les Bleus then inflicted a 3-0 defeat on Brazil in Saint-Denis for the tournamen’s showpiece, with Zinedine Zidane netting a brace.
2002 - Brazil
Following in France’s footsteps from four years earlier, Brazil went all the way in 2002 having also taken maximum points from the group stage to become only the third side in history to accomplish that feat - having also been the first back in 1970.
Group stage results:
Brazil 2-1 Turkey
Brazil 4-0 China
Costa Rica 2-5 Brazil
A Selecao went on to beat Germany 2-0 in the final in Yokohama, giving themselves a cushion with their titles record as they were crowned world champions for the fifth time. Legendary striker Ronaldo was the hero, scoring both goals in the victory.
2006 - Italy
Italy have largely been regarded as a side that make themselves hard to beat, which has mostly served them well, and it certainly did in 2006. But they too were forced to settle for a draw in the group stage, against the USA, before they kicked on in the knockout stages to go all the way.
Group stage results:
Italy 2-0 Ghana
Italy 1-1 USA
Czech Republic 0-2 Italy
The Azzurri defeated France 5-3 on penalties in the final in Berlin after they played out a 1-1 draw. The most memorable moment of the match was Zinedine Zidane getting sent off in what was his final career appearance for a headbutt on Marco Materazzi.
2010 - Spain
The world was hypnotised by the team Spain boasted between 2008-12 and despite having the best team in their history, they still suffered a setback in their World Cup opener in South Africa.
Group stage results:
Spain 0-1 Switzerland
Spain 2-0 Honduras
Chile 1-2 Spain
La Roja evolved as the tournament wore on and they defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in the final thanks to Andres Iniesta’s strike.
2014 - Germany
Everyone remembers how explosive Die Mannschaft’s attack were under Joachim Low in 2014, but even they weren’t exempt from dropping points in the group stage.
Group stage results:
Germany 4-0 Portugal
Germany 2-2 Ghana
USA 0-1 Germany
Germany looked better and better as they progressed through each of the knockout rounds and no one will ever forget how they humiliated hosts Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals before denying Lionel Messi’s Argentina 1-0 in the final thanks to the heroics of Mario Gotze.
2018 - France
When it came to strength in depth, France were clear of all their opponents in Russia four years ago. But even they couldn’t match the feat made by their predecessors in 1998 as they suffered a draw in the group stage.
Group stage results:
France 2-1 Australia
France 1-0 Peru
Denmark 0-0 France
On their route to the final, France beat Argentina 4-3 in the round of 16 in what many describe as one of the greatest games of football in history. In the final, they proved to be too much for surprise finalists Croatia as they defeated them comfortably 4-2.
Hopefully that will put a lot of Three Lions followers’ minds at ease. This shows just how rare it is for a World Cup winning side to win all three group matches on their pathway to glory, with Brazil (1970, 2002) and France (1998) being the only teams on record to do so (since the format of three group matches).
If you need further reassurance, when Italy won the 1982 edition, they drew all three of their group stage clashes. It’s not how you start the tournament, it’s how you finish it.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
