For the first time since 1998, the World Cup group stage ends with no country having won three

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Brazil was the last team that had the chance to end the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar with 100% success. This Friday (2), in Lusail, they ended up defeated by 1-0.

With the Canadian team already classified for the round of 16, Tite chose a team made up entirely of reserves and, despite putting pressure on the Africans, especially in the final stage, not only did he not manage to reach the goal, but he conceded one in the end.

The same expedient of saving the main pieces was also used by some of the teams that are in the tournament, such as France, current world champion. Against Tunisia, on Wednesday (30), Didier Deschamps took advantage of the previous classification to give rest to players like Kylian Mbappé.

Like the Brazilians, the French were also defeated, by 1 to 0.

In this way, the best campaigns in the first phase ended up being Holland, England and Morocco, with two wins and a draw each.

For the first time since the 1998 World Cup —the first since the tournament started to have 32 teams—, the competition reached the end of the group stage without any team achieving 100% success.

It has not been easy, however, to achieve such an income. The editions that had more “perfect” teams before the knockout stage were those held in 2014, in Brazil, and 2006, in Germany, both with four teams that added three victories in their groups.

In 2018, in Russia, three countries achieved this: Uruguay, Belgium and Croatia, the latter finalist and defeated by France in the decision.

The 1998, 2002 and 2010 World Cups each had two countries with 100% success in the group stage.

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