Opinion – Tayguara Ribeiro: Could the Qatar Cup have an unprecedented champion?

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In a World Cup with so many upsets in the first phase and football powers falling by the wayside sooner than expected, it would not be absurd to imagine that we could have an unprecedented champion in Qatar. But that is not what the tournament history shows.

Since the dispute was created, only eight countries have had the honor of lifting the cup of football’s main competition. And joining this group is usually neither quick nor simple. In general, it occurs when exceptional generations emerge in a country.

To get an idea, only four selections concentrate 15 titles. Brazil (5), Germany (4), Italy (4) and Argentina (2). Have more. In just two occasions, a World Cup final did not feature one of these four nations, in 2010 and in 2018. In all other tournaments, played since 1930, one of them was involved in the decision.

The other teams that have already won a World Cup are France (2), Uruguay (2), England (1) and Spain (1). In all, they gather 6 titles in the 21 tournaments already played.

In this century, only one team made it to the group. The last unprecedented champion occurred in 2010, with the victory of Spain, against the Netherlands. With a spectacular generation, the best in the history of the country. Led by Xavi and Iniesta, Spaniards joined the club of world champions.

Before them, an unprecedented champion took place in 1998, with Zinédine Zidane’s France. Needless to talk about. For the quality of the player. For the team as a whole, which Brazilians remember well, since the loser in that final was the green and yellow team.

The French, on the occasion, broke a drought of unprecedented champions that lasted since the 1978 World Cup.

In the last ten World Cups, in fact, only two teams “surprised”. I put the word in quotation marks precisely because the quality of the generations that France and Spain formed does not allow us to consider a title strange. The surprise is due to the unusual frequency of conquests obtained by new countries in the World Cup.

It is true that 3 of the 8 world champions are not playing in the Cup at the moment. Italy, who didn’t even qualify, and Germany and Uruguay, who fell in the first phase.

Other results in this tournament held in Qatar also contribute to this glimpse. Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia. Germany lost to Japan. Morocco beat Belgium and qualified first in its group. Korea beat Portugal and took a place in the round of 16, in place of the Uruguayans.

Still had Japan in first, in a group that had Spain and Germany. Australia ranking.

But it is worth remembering that there are five other world champions left in the competition.

Brazil, the greatest champion, Argentina, of Lionel Messi, France, current champion and that counts with Mbappé, Spain and England.

In addition to the five giants, there is no super generation in this Qatar World Cup that makes one imagine the emergence of a new world champion.

Portugal, with a Cristiano Ronaldo already in his final moments of his career, tries to accredit himself to be this team. The Netherlands is the eternal candidate. Other little-known selections try to run under the radar in the direction of the cup.

The World Cup has been complicating the lives of sweepstakes participants. Even so, the football shown makes it difficult to imagine a team being champion for the first time.

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