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Three World Cup jinxes are said to prevent teams from lifting the trophy, and one of them could haunt Argentina in Sunday's final against Spain, according to Spanish sports daily Marca.
Two of these jinxes have already played out during the 2026 World Cup. The first states that no team featuring the current Ballon d'Or winner has ever gone on to become world champions. This year, that player is Ousmane Dembélé, whose France side lost 0-2 to Spain in the semi-finals and will now face England for third place.
The second jinx concerns the coaching staff: no previous World Cup winner has been led by a foreign coach during their triumph. In the current tournament, two of the favorites were indeed managed by foreign specialists. Brazil, under Italian Carlo Ancelotti, crashed out in the Round of 16 after a surprising 1-2 loss to Norway, while England, led by German Thomas Tuchel, suffered a defeat to Argentina by the same scoreline in the semi-finals.
Only one jinx remains, and it directly affects one of the finalists, Argentina. This particular curse suggests that since the introduction of the FIFA rankings in 1992, no team starting the World Cup as the number one ranked nation has ever won the tournament. Currently, the "Albiceleste" sit atop the rankings. Interestingly, they climbed to the top spot just before the World Cup began, pushing France to third, while Spain remained second after holding the top position until April 1st.
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