TThere is no doubt that the French national team is one of the favorites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a world-class and talented squad led by Kylian Mbapp. But Didier Deschamps’ side will need to break the curse of two historic World Cups weighing heavily on the favorites.
Cursed ranking?
After being recognized as the best team in the world (overtaking Spain for the top spot) in the FIFA rankings, France automatically became one of the main contenders for the World Cup. Nevertheless, history is against them. Since the FIFA rankings have existed, no team has ever reached the point of being the number one team in the world and won the World Cup.
To make matters worse, France also currently have Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Demble. This is where the second curse occurs. In the award’s more than 70-year history, a team with a Ballon d’Or winner in its squad has never lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy.
This trend continues inexorably, even among great legends. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both dominated the Ballon d’Or for more than 15 years, but neither country has ever won a World Cup while holding the Ballon d’Or. Strangely, the current Ballon d’Or winner was Karim Benzema, who missed the tournament due to injury, but Argentina lifted the title at the 2022 edition in Qatar.
With just three months left until the start of the 2026 World Cup (starting June 11), France are the clear favorites to win, according to betting odds and soccer experts. But if they want to win a third World Cup title, they need to break the curse of these two historic World Cups.
