Do World Cup winners need to win every group stage match?

Do World Cup winners need to win every group stage match?Published34 minutes agoFor many England supporters, Tuesday's goalless draw with Ghana represented a harsh reality check after the highs of the 4-2 victory over Croatia, damaging any hopes of lifting the World Cup trophy for the first time in 60 years.England remain top of Group L heading into their group's final matches on Saturday, but their draw with Ghana has put more pressure on their final match against Panama. A draw could be enough to top the group if Ghana and Croatia also draw - but a win would guarantee first spot.It may seem a given that a World Cup-winning nation must finish with a maximum nine points in the group stage. The truth is, it is actually quite rare.This year's showpiece across the United States, Canada and Mexico is the 23rd edition of the World Cup.From the previous 22 tournaments, the winning nation has only held a perfect group stage record that year in five World Cups - although the 1934 and 1938 tournaments did not consist of a group stage.Brazil (1970 and 2002) and France (1998) all achieved this in tournaments where all teams played three group stage matches, but a winner has not had a perfect group stage record for 24 years.Uruguay also achieved this in 1930 and 1950. However, their first World Cup triumph consisted of only two group stage matches, and their second only involved one group stage fixture.Get in touchSend us your questionsContact formContact formIs it good news for England and co?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, England extended their World Cup record of 13 goalless draws in the competition against Ghana on TuesdayWhat history does suggest is that a perfect group stage record rarely equates to winning the World Cup.Taking out the group stages that did not consist of three fixtures for everyone and converting all results so that they follow the three points-per-win model, that leaves 17 World Cups to analyse.In those 17, only the aforemention...