France Face Worrying Ousmane Dembele Trend Ahead of 2026 World Cup

As the 2026 FIFAWorld Cup kicks off, the spotlight is on Mexico City, as host nation Mexico opens the tournament against South Africa at Estadio Azteca before South Korea and Czechia close out the first day at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.

The expanded 48-team format comes with more games and more opportunities for new teams to shine through, with upsets around every corner.

Yet, one of the teams a lot of people are picking to win it all is France, who finished as runners-up four years ago in Qatar. Les Bleus enter the 2026 World Cup as the betting favorites alongside Spain.

But as the tournament kicks off, one troubling trend has emerged that France may not want to ignore.

On Thursday, ESPN’s Ryan O’Hanlon noted how, since 2002, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner has never gone on to win the World Cup.

Ronaldinho’s Brazil were bounced in the quarterfinals in 2006. Lionel Messi’s Argentina lost in the quarterfinals in 2010. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal crashed out in the group stage in 2014 and the Round of 16 in 2018. Karim Benzema missed the 2022 World Cup due to injury, which France lost anyway.

And the most recent Ballon d’Or winner? France’s own Ousmane Dembele.

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Les Bleus are among the favorites to win the 2026 World Cup in large part due to Dembele’s rise.

After years of battling injuries and inconsistency, the French star has enjoyed a remarkable late-career surge, transforming into one of the game’s most complete attacking players.

Dembele captured the 2025 Ballon d’Or, won Ligue 1 Player of the Year, shared the Ligue 1 Golden Boot, earned UEFA Champions League Player of the Season honors, and helped Paris Saint-Germain secure a Champions League title during a historic campaign.

He was also named to the FIFA FIFPRO World 11 and finished ahead of stars such as Lamine Yamal, Mohamed Salah, and Kylian Mbappé in Ballon d’Or voting.

He remains one of the central figures in France’s attack and a potential Golden Ball candidate in the 2026 World Cup.

As the tournament begins, France still looks like a team built to go deep. But history has now handed Dembele a challenge.

The question now is whether he becomes the latest Ballon d’Or winner to stumble on soccer‘s biggest stage, or the player who finally breaks the curse.

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 4:57 PM.