There have been many stories relating to superstition around sports. More specifically, we want to dwell on the topic of sport-related curses. Nobody is quite clear why they occur, but they do. Fans, players, and owners have gone through bizarre curses throughout history. However, we need to sit back and think really hard about whether these curses are actually real or not.
If you try to list out all the so-called “curses”, there are lots of them. Furthermore, we know that numerous similar "curses" have existed throughout the history of sports. It does make you think that perhaps players and teams use the term “curse” to give their fans a reason for their team's misfortunes rather than poor play or coaching.
However, there really are teams that have suffered decades after decades of tragic defeats, so it does make you think about the possibility. Even if you don't believe in bad luck, you'll find patterns of unlucky events fascinating. Additionally, these coincidences frequently had an effect on the entire city, region, or country in addition to the team. So let's look at 7 curses in football history, some of which are still active today.
Derby County accomplished an astounding six final four appearances, including three finals, between 1896 and 1903. They did, however, never succeed. The squad competed for the championship once again in 1946, but not before meeting with Gypsies in the hopes that they would break the curse. Indeed, throughout the game, the ball exploded, signaling the end of the hex. Derby eventually prevailed 4-1 to win the title.
Jagger broke security regulations to fly from France to London and see England defeat Denmark in the 2020 UEFA EURO in an effort to break the curse. However, one could argue that the devastating loss in the final that followed only made English supporters' suffering worse. As for Mick, he's hardly the only celebrity who's thought to be unlucky. Just ask Taylor Swift, who had her Staples Center sign taken down!
Sadly, the performance of the women's squad wasn't any better. They qualified for the competition in 2015 and 2019, however, they were unable to advance to the knockout round. The biggest issue for the country appears to be extremely low scoring, particularly during the UEFA EURO. Scotland only scored five goals in nine games!
The European teams that finished third at the FIFA World Cup are also subject to this infamous curse. They failed to achieve qualification for the subsequent European Championship from 1974 to 2008.
Paddy Prendergast, the only living player from the 1951 squad, passed away shortly after Mayo lost another championship game in 2021. He rejected the curse in the 2016 documentary, asserting that the entire tale was made up. In his defense, the team kept losing championship games in the 1990s, which is when the curse legend first gained traction. Even though it draws attention to the team, Mayo representatives also referred to this as nonsense.
Since then, sixty years have gone by, and it still seems incredible that the squad was defeated in three other European finals as well as five European Cup/Champions League finals. Even their young squad lost all three of the pivotal games, for a total of 11 straight losses. Even Eusébio, the greatest player to ever play for Benfica, attempted to break the curse. He went to Guttman's grave before the 1990 European Cup Final and asked for forgiveness. However, it was unsuccessful.
While many teams got a lot of attention as a result of their curses, we doubt their owners are pleased. However, as can be seen from our top 10 list, many of these curses were either broken or made up years after they were purported to have occurred. Nevertheless, superstition will continue to exist in our society, and as one curse ends, another emerges.
If you try to list out all the so-called “curses”, there are lots of them. Furthermore, we know that numerous similar "curses" have existed throughout the history of sports. It does make you think that perhaps players and teams use the term “curse” to give their fans a reason for their team's misfortunes rather than poor play or coaching.
However, there really are teams that have suffered decades after decades of tragic defeats, so it does make you think about the possibility. Even if you don't believe in bad luck, you'll find patterns of unlucky events fascinating. Additionally, these coincidences frequently had an effect on the entire city, region, or country in addition to the team. So let's look at 7 curses in football history, some of which are still active today.
#7 Derby County and the Gypsy Curse
Source: dcfc.co.uk
Derby County accomplished an astounding six final four appearances, including three finals, between 1896 and 1903. They did, however, never succeed. The squad competed for the championship once again in 1946, but not before meeting with Gypsies in the hopes that they would break the curse. Indeed, throughout the game, the ball exploded, signaling the end of the hex. Derby eventually prevailed 4-1 to win the title.
#6 Mick Jagger Curse
Source: Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty
Jagger broke security regulations to fly from France to London and see England defeat Denmark in the 2020 UEFA EURO in an effort to break the curse. However, one could argue that the devastating loss in the final that followed only made English supporters' suffering worse. As for Mick, he's hardly the only celebrity who's thought to be unlucky. Just ask Taylor Swift, who had her Staples Center sign taken down!
#5 Cruz Azul and the Bloody Finale
Source: Erwin R.
#4 Scotland's Never-Ending Agony
Source: manutd.com
Sadly, the performance of the women's squad wasn't any better. They qualified for the competition in 2015 and 2019, however, they were unable to advance to the knockout round. The biggest issue for the country appears to be extremely low scoring, particularly during the UEFA EURO. Scotland only scored five goals in nine games!
#3 The Tragedy of European World Cup Champions
Source: skysports
The European teams that finished third at the FIFA World Cup are also subject to this infamous curse. They failed to achieve qualification for the subsequent European Championship from 1974 to 2008.
#2 The Funeral Curse
Source: @paddypower
Paddy Prendergast, the only living player from the 1951 squad, passed away shortly after Mayo lost another championship game in 2021. He rejected the curse in the 2016 documentary, asserting that the entire tale was made up. In his defense, the team kept losing championship games in the 1990s, which is when the curse legend first gained traction. Even though it draws attention to the team, Mayo representatives also referred to this as nonsense.
#1 FC Benfica European Curse
Source: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Since then, sixty years have gone by, and it still seems incredible that the squad was defeated in three other European finals as well as five European Cup/Champions League finals. Even their young squad lost all three of the pivotal games, for a total of 11 straight losses. Even Eusébio, the greatest player to ever play for Benfica, attempted to break the curse. He went to Guttman's grave before the 1990 European Cup Final and asked for forgiveness. However, it was unsuccessful.
While many teams got a lot of attention as a result of their curses, we doubt their owners are pleased. However, as can be seen from our top 10 list, many of these curses were either broken or made up years after they were purported to have occurred. Nevertheless, superstition will continue to exist in our society, and as one curse ends, another emerges.