The 2026 World Cup already has its new viral superstition, and this time the protagonist is Norway, the team led by Erling Haaland.
After the Norwegian side knocked Japan out, a theory began circulating on social media claiming there is a curious coincidence: the team that eliminates whoever eliminated Japan in a World Cup ends up becoming the tournament champion.
The history of this theory goes back to different recent editions of the World Cup. In 2002, Turkey eliminated Japan in the round of 16, and then it was Brazil that knocked Turkey out, and Brazil ended up being the champion.
In 2010, Paraguay knocked Japan out on penalties, then it was Spain that ended Paraguay’s run, and they were the ones who ultimately won that World Cup.
This same logic was repeated in 2018: the Japanese were eliminated by Belgium and the French knocked out the Belgians, so France lifted the trophy.
The same thing happened in 2022: Croatia beat the Japanese and Argentina eliminated the Croatians. The result? Argentina was crowned the best in the world.
Now, after Japan’s elimination in 2026, fans have transferred that superstition to Norway, which also comes from pulling off one of the tournament’s biggest surprises by eliminating Brazil with a stellar performance from Haaland.
Of course, there is no sporting relationship between one elimination and the final result of a World Cup. It is simply a coincidence that fans turned into a new soccer “prophecy”, like so many others that appear every four years.
But in a World Cup, where stories, rituals, and superstitions are part of the spectacle, any sign can become a reason for hope.