The defending champion gets knocked out in the group stage.
France (2002), Italy (2010), Spain (2014), Germany (2018) and France (2022, until the final) were all hobbled by the burden of defending. The exceptions: Brazil (1962, retained) and Argentina (1990, lost final). The 'curse' framing oversells a real-but-not-universal pattern.
// sources1Defending-champion outcomes
Mostly true5 / 7
Champions out in group
// verdictMOSTLY TRUE