We all love records in football. Whether it’s the highest number of goals in a single game, the largest point gap in a league, or the most red cards over a career. But today, we’re looking at a different kind of football record: the streaks. If you’ve ever wondered which team has gone the most consecutive games unbeaten in the Bundesliga, you’re in the right place. We’ve picked out some of the most interesting series, as well as streaks of luck and misfortune in the history of the sport for you.Copy HTMLCopy text
Series and streaks related to football statistics, bad luck, and good fortune
Of course, this article is not just for entertainment. This knowledge could also give you an edge in online football manager games. After all, more information is always a good thing, whether it’s used for sports betting, video games, or online manager games.
An overview of the longest series/streaks in football
Without further ado, let’s get to our list. Here are some of the craziest streaks in professional football.
The longest series of World Cup appearances – Brazil
How could it be otherwise? Brazil holds the record for the longest series of World Cup appearances. Since 1930, the Seleção has been present at every single tournament – the only one of all participating countries to have achieved this feat. So far, the Brazilians have competed in a total of 21 World Cup tournaments. They’ve won the title a total of 5 times, which represents an impressively successful rate. The team has managed to win almost a quarter of all the tournaments played so far!
The longest series of reaching World Cup finals – Germany
While Brazil has the most consecutive participations, the German national team has qualified for the World Cup finals most often in a row. From 1954 in Switzerland to 2018 in Russia, Germany reached at least the round of 16 every time.
This confirms what English football icon Gary Lineker has always known: “Football is a simple game: 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end, the Germans always win.”
The most consecutive national team games unbeaten – Spain and Brazil
The two countries, Spain and Brazil, might have a minor issue with Gary Lineker’s quote. At least when it comes to the longest streak of unbeaten games, they are together at the top. Both nations have achieved the remarkable feat of remaining unbeaten in 35 consecutive games. The Brazilians managed this feat between December 1993 and January 1996, while the Spaniards did not lose a game from February 2007 to June 2009.
The most consecutive games unbeaten (Bundesliga) – FC Bayern Munich
In the Bundesliga, this record is held (how could it be otherwise) by FC Bayern Munich. During the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons, the Bavarians had an unbeaten streak of 53 games in a row. This series consisted of 46 wins and 7 draws.
This included the longest winning streak in Bundesliga history, with 19 consecutive wins for the Munich team. This record is likely to be difficult to break in the future. If any team is going to match this benchmark, it’s probably the Munich team themselves.
The most wins in a row (Premier League): Manchester City, FC Liverpool
Our last record from the Premier League concerns the most consecutive wins. This streak is shared by Manchester City (August 2017 to December 2017) and FC Liverpool (October 2019 to February 2020), each with 18 successful games in a row.
Liverpool’s defeat against Watford F.C. on February 29, 2020, was particularly painful. It cost Liverpool not only the sole record for the most consecutive wins but also the record for the most consecutive games without defeat. Before that, Jürgen Klopp’s team had not lost for 44 games in a row – they were just 5 games away from the record held by Arsenal FC.
The most consecutive home games unbeaten (Premier League) – FC Chelsea
FC Chelsea managed to remain unbeaten for even longer than FC Bayern – albeit only in terms of home games. Even if it wasn’t a “real” series of unbeaten games, the London team showed such strength at home that we simply had to include them in our list. Under the management of Jose Mourinho, FC Chelsea remained unbeaten at Stamford Bridge for a total of 83 games in a row. This series lasted almost four years, from March 2004 to October 2008!
The Longest Series of Premier League Participations: FC Arsenal London
Another record from the Premier League is even more impressive. It concerns the longest stay in England’s top flight. The title goes to FC Arsenal London, which has been participating in the top league of the country for an incredible 91 consecutive seasons. Since 1919, the traditional club from the capital has been in the Premier League, with the exception of the 1939/40 and 1945/46 seasons when the league did not take place.
The Most Consecutive Losses (Premier League): FC Sunderland
From the Premier League, we have another less pleasant record for you. It’s about the most consecutive losses. This dubious honor was bestowed upon FC Sunderland. In the 2002/03 season, the team lost a total of 17 games in a row. This mark has not been surpassed in English football to date.
FC Sunderland also holds another negative record: between December 17, 2016, and December 16, 2017, the team did not manage to win a single home game. That’s a series of 364 days without a home victory. With this record, FC Sunderland stands alone in English top-flight football – much to the delight of city rivals Newcastle United, whose supporters take every opportunity to mock the records.
Most Consecutive Games with at Least One Goal: Lionel Messi
Next, we come to an individual record: the most consecutive games with at least one goal. And who else could it be? Of course, this series belongs to none other than Lionel Messi. In the 2012/13 season, he scored in 21 consecutive matches, netting an incredible 33 goals. That’s more than most top strikers can expect in an entire season.
Messi was also busy for the rest of the season. In the end, he had a total of 60 goals to his name. Therefore, it is no wonder that Messi is widely regarded as the best football player of all time.