Dembele, the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, was considered to have the greatest chance of achieving this feat since Ronaldo Nazario. The Brazilian legend won the Ballon d'Or in 1997 but finished as runner-up at the 1998 World Cup, when Brazil lost 0-3 to host France in the final.

Ousmane Dembele (left) crosses the ball during France's 0-2 loss to Spain in the World Cup 2026 semi-finals at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, USA on 14/7. Photo: AP

Since the Ballon d'Or was first awarded in 1956, no recipient has won the World Cup while holding this prestigious individual title. In 1958, Alfredo Di Stefano and Spain failed to qualify. Omar Sivori and Italy were eliminated in the group stage of the 1962 World Cup.

Eusebio was the first reigning Ballon d'Or winner to reach a World Cup semi-final, but Portugal lost 1-2 to England in 1966. Four years later, Gianni Rivera and Italy suffered a 1-4 defeat against Brazil in the final. At the 1974 World Cup, Johan Cruyff and the Netherlands also missed out on the championship, losing 1-2 to host West Germany. In 1978, Alan Simonsen could not participate in the finals because Denmark failed to qualify.

At the 1982 World Cup, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and West Germany reached the final but lost 1-3 to Italy. Four years later, Michel Platini became the second reigning Ballon d'Or winner to be eliminated in the semi-finals, losing 0-2 to West Germany. In 1990, Marco van Basten and the Netherlands were eliminated by West Germany in the round of 16.

Roberto Baggio came very close to winning the championship with Italy at the 1994 World Cup but lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout. Four years later, Ronaldo Nazario also finished as runner-up when Brazil lost 0-3 to France in the final.

From 2002 to 2018, reigning Ballon d'Or winners consistently failed to reach the final match. Michael Owen and Ronaldinho were both eliminated in the quarter-finals, losing to Brazil and France respectively. Lionel Messi and Argentina lost 0-4 to Germany in the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals. Cristiano Ronaldo was eliminated in the group stage in 2014 and in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup.

In 2022, Karim Benzema could not participate in the World Cup due to injury. At the 2026 World Cup, Ousmane Dembele became the third reigning Ballon d'Or winner to exit in the semi-finals after France's 0-2 defeat to Spain, thereby extending the long-standing streak of the world's most prestigious individual football title holders failing to win the World Cup.

Spain scored the opening goal.

Spain secured the 2-0 victory.

At AT&T Stadium, Dembele made little impact despite playing the full 90 minutes. L'Equipe criticized the 29-year-old forward for mishandling nearly every play and gave him a rating of 2, the lowest in the match. He lost possession 17 times from 46 touches and did not complete any dribbles.

Besides Dembele, Michael Olise and Lucas Digne – the player who conceded a penalty in the first half – also received a rating of 2. Captain Kylian Mbappe was rated 3. L'Equipe assessed that the Real Madrid forward started positively but soon had to drop deep to receive the ball as his teammates struggled. Mbappe's attempts to resolve situations individually also failed to make a difference. He completed only one of six dribbles and had seven touches in the penalty area, three of which led to shots.

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Hong Duy (according to L'Equipe)