Slow starts at the World Cup: Are they a real concern?
Spain arrived at the 2026 World Cup as one of the favourites, so a goalless draw with debutants Cape Verde in their opening game came as a surprise.
It was a result that set off alarm bells, but Spain have now reached the World Cup final for the first time since they lifted the trophy in 2010.
A slow start can quickly change how a team is viewed, but history suggests an early stumble is not always the warning sign it appears to be.
The Spain Argentina odds are shifting ahead of the final, but Spain's chances look significantly better than they did a few weeks ago.
Some of the tournament's eventual winners have opened poorly and recovered. Others have stumbled early and never got going.
In this article, we look at some notable slow starts at the World Cup and whether they really matter.
Spain in 2010
The clearest example of a slow start that meant nothing came in 2010.
Spain lost their opening game 0-1 to Switzerland, a result described at the time as one of the competition's bigger upsets.
Rather than panic, they recovered to win their group and went all the way, beating the Netherlands in the final to lift their first World Cup.
Andres Iniesta's extra-time goal settled a tight final in their favour.
They were the first team to win the tournament after losing their opening match.
Argentina in 2022
Argentina did something similar more recently.
In 2022, the eventual champions lost their opening game 2-1 to Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.
Lionel Messi and his side regrouped, won their remaining group games and went on to win the tournament in a final against France.
Within weeks, the Saudi Arabia defeat had become a footnote rather than a turning point.
Spain in 2026
That brings us back to Spain this summer.
Their goalless draw with Cape Verde was not the start the favourites wanted, but it was far from fatal.
Spain responded with a much-improved performance against Saudi Arabia, with the return of Lamine Yamal adding spark to their attack.
Anyone looking to bet on the tournament will know Spain are still among the contenders, and dropping a couple of points in the group stage rarely defines a campaign.
The cautionary tale: France in 2002
Not every slow start has a happy ending. The clearest warning comes from France in 2002.
The defending champions opened with a 1-0 defeat to Senegal, who were playing at their first World Cup, and never recovered.
France drew with Uruguay, lost to Denmark, and went out in the group stage without scoring a single goal.
The absence of an injured Zinedine Zidane for the first two games hurt them badly, and by the time he returned, unfit, it was already too late.
For a side packed with talent, it remains one of the great World Cup collapses.
So, are slow starts a concern? The honest answer is that it depends.
A strong squad with the talent to recover, like Spain in 2010 or Argentina in 2022, can shrug off an early setback.
A team already carrying doubts, as France were in 2002, can find that a poor opening game is the first sign of a deeper problem.
For Spain in 2026, the early evidence points firmly towards the former.
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