The drama is unfolding in Group L, and England fans are on edge. A goalless draw with Ghana has sparked concern that Gareth Southgate's squad may not be as invincible as we thought. But do they need to run the table to bring home that coveted World Cup trophy? History suggests otherwise.
Only five of 22 previous World Cup tournaments have seen the winners emerge with a perfect group stage record, and it's been 24 years since any team managed this feat. Brazil (1970 and 2002) and France (1998) are the only nations to have achieved perfection in modern times. The stats are clear: a less-than-perfect start does not doom a team to failure.
Further analysis of 17 World Cups shows that nine group stage points can be a poisoned chalice – only three occasions have seen teams lift the trophy after achieving this total. However, seven World Cup winners have racked up exactly seven points in the group stage, including France's 2018 triumph and Germany's 2014 win.
A finish of six points has produced four champions, but this outcome is a mathematical impossibility for England unless they suffer an unlikely defeat against Panama. Conversely, a loss would leave them on just four points – a total that has never led to World Cup victory in the analysed tournaments and would put their progress at serious risk.
It's worth noting that Italy's remarkable 1982 campaign is the only instance of a team winning the World Cup after drawing all three group stage fixtures, accumulating just three points. This serves as a reminder that anything can happen on football's grandest stage.