France the first holders to reach semis since ’98
One eye-catching stat that you might have missed amid all the excitement is that France are the first holders to reach the World Cup semi-finals since Brazil back in 1998.
In the five tournaments between 2002 and 2018, the best performance by a defending champion was Brazil’s run to the quarter-finals in 2006. In the other four, the holders all suffered a group-stage exit – including the French in ’02.
European World Cup winners have, in particular, endured unsuccessful title defences down the years. Before 2022, indeed, West Germany in 1958 were the last team from the continent to lift the trophy and make the last four at the following finals.
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