On a pitch adorned with confetti in Bilbao, Spain, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison reflected on what he termed a `special` season. Yet, he wasn`t speaking solely of his own team in the moments after they lifted the UEFA Europa League trophy. Alongside Spurs, Maddison specifically mentioned Crystal Palace, Bologna, and even Bayern Munich`s Harry Kane – all of whom had won titles after lengthy waits.
This past season truly marked a period of broken curses across Europe. Spurs ended a 17-year wait for silverware, Bologna celebrated their first Coppa Italia win in 51 years, and Newcastle United snapped a 56-year trophy drought with the EFL Cup. Harry Kane finally secured the first title of his career with the Bundesliga, and Palace lifted their first-ever trophy by winning the FA Cup. Paris Saint-Germain also joined this group with their dominant victory in Saturday`s UEFA Champions League final, securing Europe`s most prestigious club prize for the first time after years of near misses. The outcomes of this `special` season were undeniably entertaining, as they disrupted established patterns across the continent where major titles had long been concentrated among a select few teams.
However, the weight of expectations remains constant. While this season`s champions may feel the pressure lift from their shoulders, other teams are now reluctantly inheriting that burden. Heading into next season, the responsibility to end trophy droughts will fall upon a new host of clubs across Europe – a group who have suddenly found themselves seemingly `cursed`.
The teams listed below have landed on `curse watch` for various reasons, although the root of their misfortune often lies in their inherent quality. `Cursed` teams are those who are perhaps unlucky to be in a trophy drought, but who may also, to some extent, contribute to their own lack of success, amplifying their difficult circumstances. Not every team without a recent trophy is inherently cursed – Palace and Bologna, for instance, were not; they rose to the occasion instead of repeatedly falling short in previous years. The truly `cursed` are those consistently in contention but who repeatedly fail to cross the finish line, treading a fine line between hope and despair as one trophy opportunity after another eludes them.
While their trophy droughts might not be as dramatically long as those recently ended, the narrative of a curse is becoming increasingly difficult for these teams to shake – as is the pressure to finally win titles. Here`s a look at some teams who have landed on `curse watch` for the upcoming season.
AC Milan
Trophy drought: 3 years
AC Milan may have won Serie A three years ago, but since then, one of Europe`s historic giants has fallen short – and across multiple competitions. They came close to winning titles during this period, finishing second in Serie A at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, though they were clearly second best, trailing rivals Inter by 19 points. This past season, however, saw them drop to eighth place. They also cycled through two managers and squandered a chance for silverware by losing to Bologna in the Coppa Italia final. The fact that the 2025 Supercoppa Italiana is their only notable trophy during this stretch is telling – while their comeback win over Inter was entertaining, this was a truncated two-game knockout competition, not a demonstration of season-long excellence.
They have also made little impact in the Champions League over the last two seasons, exiting in the group stage in 2023-24 and being knocked out by Feyenoord in the knockout phase playoffs this campaign. They will not participate in European competition next season for the first time since the 2019-20 season, signaling a clear need for a major turnaround – lest they risk becoming the punching bag in Italy if they cannot quickly reverse their fortunes.
Ajax
Trophy drought: 3 years
A recurring theme begins to emerge here: a curse isn`t solely defined by the length of the drought but also by the magnitude of squandered opportunities. Ajax has significantly underperformed in recent years. The Netherlands` most successful team has struggled to compete with PSV and Feyenoord recently, and just when it seemed they might turn things around this season, they let it slip away. They held a nine-point lead over PSV with seven games remaining in the Eredivisie, but Ajax won only three of their last seven, giving their rivals the perfect chance to overtake them by winning their final matches. The Amsterdam-based side also had one of their worst Eredivisie seasons the previous year, finishing fifth, crashing out of the KNVB Cup in the second round, and exiting the Europa League group stage.
Atletico Madrid
Trophy drought: 4 years
If any team is perpetually `cursed`, it`s Atletico Madrid. They`ve had the fortune of winning a couple of La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey in the last 12 years, but these are exceptions for a team long resigned to being the third-best behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. The curse, sadly, feels like their heritage, even during the current Diego Simeone era which has seen the team consistently punch above its weight on multiple occasions.
Their record in Europe is particularly painful; they rank third for the most games played in the Champions League without lifting the title. Some of the most defining moments of their recent history include two trips to the Champions League final, first suffering a lopsided defeat in 2014 and then losing a nail-biting penalty shootout in 2016. They lost to Real Madrid both times and, unfortunately true to form, suffered a similar fate on a different occasion this season. They were knocked out of the Champions League round of 16 in a penalty shootout against a somewhat unimpressive version of their rivals, with the deciding moment being Julian Alvarez`s spot-kick disqualified for the rare double touch.
Arsenal
Trophy drought: 5 years
Much of Mikel Arteta`s time in charge of Arsenal has been about charting an upward trajectory, successfully transforming them from a mid-level heavyweight to a title contender since taking over in December 2019. He has one FA Cup title, three second-place Premier League finishes, and reached the semifinal of the Champions League this season… but not much else. Their final four run in Europe, where they competed fiercely against a PSG team despite losing 3-1 on aggregate, almost masks the fact that Arsenal didn`t ultimately change their narrative this season. In truth, it only amplifies the pressure on Arteta and his squad for the next campaign.
They might point to injuries that hindered their progress this season, but after three rival clubs in London won major titles this season, their shortcomings are more glaring. Not only did they fail to capitalize on Manchester City`s slightly less dominant form in the Premier League this season, but they also hold an undesirable record: ranking first for most games played in the Champions League without winning the title. They may have been unlucky, but the onus is firmly on the Gunners to finally get things right in the season ahead.
Anderlecht
Trophy drought: 7 years
Few currently expect Anderlecht to challenge for major European silverware, but Belgium`s most successful team has now gone seven years without winning any titles, domestic or otherwise. They have remained among the higher-ranked teams in Belgium throughout this period but have made little impact in recent competitions, even missing out on a spot in European competition for the first time in 56 years during this drought. They will have to settle for a spot in the UEFA Conference League next campaign but face three qualifying rounds to reach the league phase, which may prove easier said than done.
