Each nation has tasted a bitter early departure in tournaments gone by...

Three previous World Cup winners are potentially just 90 minutes away from an ignominious group stage exit from the 2010 tournament.

The embarrassment and humiliation of turning their nation’s expectations – four years in the making – to dust over the course of three dismally deficient displays is a fate awaiting the management and players of England, France and Italy this week, unless collective fingers can be swiftly and decisively extracted.

The greater the expectations (and the sporting heritage and media in all three countries mean they are typically overblown), the harder and less forgiving the fall from grace. And the fact that all three have been here before just conspires to make matters worse in the event of another spectacular anti-climax.

But they are not alone; other nations with a proud footballing pedigree have caught the plane home at the earliest opportunity after flattering to deceive at a World Cup. Goal.com UK takes a brief stroll down the hall of shame…

England 1950

The traditional home of football, England, whose haughty FA had considered the three pre-war World Cups to be somewhat beneath them, deigned to participate in 1950 and, along with hosts Brazil, were joint favourites to win it. Long feared by the rest of the football-playing world, they failed to make the final pool after being knocked horizontal in Belo Horizonte by the part-timers of virtual makeweights the United States. The 1-0 scoreline was assumed to be a misprint back in England, such was the implausibility of the shock. A subsequent 1-0 defeat by Spain sent the Three Lions home with barely a whimper.

Makeweights? | USA humbled England

Italy 1966

Middlesbrough and romance are rarely heard in the same sentence but it was Teesside that provided the venue for a case of cataclysmic comeuppance when the mysterious North Koreans downed the mighty Azzurri in 1966. Boasting stars of the calibre of Sandro Mazzola, Giacinto Facchetti, Gianni Rivera and Giacomo Bulgarelli, the sophisticated Italians needed only to draw against the men from north of the 38th parallel to be virtually certain of progressing. Instead they contrived to lose to a Pak Doo Ik goal and were eliminated. A torrent of abuse and rotten tomatoes greeted the pre-tournament favourites on their return to Italy.

Heroes | Italy's 1966 North Korean conquerors

Brazil 1966

Brazil’s elimination at the same stage from the same tournament was shocking because the selecao had won the two previous World Cups – but was also shameful because the samba stars, especially Pele, were cynically and brutally hacked out of the competition by Bulgaria either side of a 3-1 defeat by the dazzling Hungarians.

Scotland 1978

What made Scotland’s calamitous 1978 adventure even more desperate than their statistically inferior 1986 and 1998 mishaps was the ludicrous hype that preceded it. ‘Ally’s Army’ genuinely believed they could win the whole thing until a comprehensive defeat by Peru and humbling draw with Iran suggested that even winning a raffle would be beyond them. They partially redeemed themselves with a win over the Dutch, but it was too little, too late. Willie Johnston’s failed drugs test – he was sent home in disgrace – merely added to the shame.

Tartan barmy | Peru sent Scots packing

France 2002

Having won the World Cup in 1998 with such panache, and added the European Championship two years later, France’s defence of their title in 2002 was abject. They kicked off the tournament with a shocking 1–0 defeat against World Cup debutants Senegal in Seoul, then drew 0-0 with Uruguay after Thierry Henry was sent off. Their third and final group game was a 2–0 defeat by Denmark. So the holders crashed out without mustering a solitary goal. In the process they earned the unwanted record of worst World Cup performance by a defending champion.

Oh dear | Red cards, red faces for les Bleus

Argentina 2002

Almost as disappointing was the performance of pre-tournament favourites Argentina in 2002. World Cup winners in 1978 and 1986, the Albiceleste failed to progress out of their group after losing to England courtesy of a David Beckham penalty. They were then held to a draw by Sweden, who won the group and prevented Argentina from advancing.  

Argy bargy | Swedes end the dream