England’s goalless draw against Ghana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has added another story to a remarkable trend, with the Three Lions now failing to win their second group-stage match at four major tournaments in a row. More precisely, they have managed to score just once across those four fixtures.
The latest chapter was at the 2026 World Cup, England VS Ghana 0-0, even though they entered the match full of confidence following their 4-2 victory over Croatia in their debut match in the tournament.
This pattern began at Euro 2020 in London. After opening their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Croatia, England were held to a 0-0 draw by Scotland at Wembley in their second group-stage match. England dominated possession but struggled to create clear chances. For the fans, that result was one of the team’s most disappointing performances throughout the continental tournament.
The same tragic scenario repeated itself at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. England had impressed the public with their opening match performance, defeating Iran 6-2, but failed to go on with that momentum in their second fixture, settling for a 0-0 draw against the USA.
A mere statistical coincidence or a genuine psychological curse?
The trend continued at Euro 2024. Following a 1-0 victory over Serbia in their opening match, England were once again unable to secure a second-game win. Harry Kane gave the Three Lions an early goal against Denmark, but Morten Hjulmand’s equalizer sealed a 1-1 draw that extended England’s winless second-match streak.
Now at the 2026 World Cup, England have once again gone through the same scenario. The draw against Ghana means they have four consecutive major tournaments without winning their second group-stage fixture and have failed to score in three of those four matches.
What makes this pattern particularly surprising is that England have still managed to enjoy relatively successful tournaments despite these setbacks. They reached the Euro 2020 final. So will that be the case again at this World Cup, and can they go on to reach the final?
Whether it is merely a statistical coincidence or a genuine psychological curse, what cannot be denied is how genuinely good and impressive the England team are. So, will this performance translate into a second World Cup title for the Three Lions?
