The curse of host nations: Can a French prodigy end his country’s 41-year Tour de France drought?

PARIS, June 30 — Teenage prodigy Paul Seixas’s participation at the Tour de France has raised home hopes of a first French victory in 41 years.

Not since cycling great Bernard Hinault’s record-equalling fifth triumph in 1985 has a Frenchman crossed the finishing line on the Champs Elysees knowing he had won the fabled yellow jersey.

France’s Grande Boucle drought is one of a number of painful losing runs the country is seeking to end.

When the next edition of French cycling’s greatest one-day classic, Paris-Roubaix, takes place in April 2027, it will have been 30 years since Frederic Guesdon tasted glory in the outdoor Roubaix velodrome.

Longer still than their Tour frustration is France’s wait for a men’s winner of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros.

Yannick Noah was the last home winner on the Parisian clay in 1983 – and even then he ended a 37-year wait for French fans to celebrate one of their own men lifting the trophy.

It has been a similar story for French women at Roland Garros, with Mary Pierce’s victory in 2000 the only home success in the Open era, dating back to Francoise Durr’s 1967 success.

Where cycling and tennis suffer now, once football was France’s perennial source of pain.

The country which was instrumental in creating world football’s governing body FIFA, its European equivalent UEFA, and then the sport’s most important tournaments – the World Cup, European Championship and Champions League – suffered decades of misery before finally winning those.

It was 68 years and 16 tournaments – which are held every four years – before France won the World Cup.

They only had to wait 24 years and six tournaments to win the European Championship, although it is now 26 years since they last won that.

And although club Reims reached two of the first four European Cup (later renamed the Champions League) finals, it was 37 years before one of the country’s clubs would win it.

That was Marseille’s match-fixing tainted 1993 success and it was another 32 years before Paris Saint-Germain would win it in May 2025 without the suspicion of cheating.

60 years of hurt

France is not the only country that has been starved of home success for such long periods.

Britain has had its fair share of tennis misery.

When Scot Andy Murray won the Wimbledon singles title in 2013, it ended a 76-year wait for a men’s victor since Fred Perry had triumphed in 1936.

There has not been a British women’s champion since Virginia Wade in 1977.

England’s gloom in football is equally renown.

Their last World Cup victory was six decades years ago, while the country that gave football to the world has never won the European Championships in its 66-year, 17-tournament history, losing the last two finals.

Rugby is a sport with a history of long losing stretches.

France have yet to win the World Cup in its 39-year and 10-tournament history.

Scotland have not won the Six Nations since Italy’s inclusion in 2000 expanded what had been a five-team tournament.

Ireland’s 40-29 victory over New Zealand in Chicago in 2016 in their 29th Test match ended a 111-year wait for a first success against the All Blacks.

Scotland are still waiting to beat New Zealand after 121 years and 33 Tests.

In March, Italy finally beat England for the first time at the 33rd attempt in 35 years.

In one of rugby union’s most enduring rivalries, Australia have not lifted the Bledisloe Cup in 25 years amid New Zealand’s unprecedented dominance.

Australia have had more success in rugby league, winning nine of the last 10 World Cup tournaments, while England (or Great Britain) have not won since 1972. — AFP