AFTER THE WORLD CUP | OneFootball

On 24 March 2026, AC Milan's official channels marked the 40th anniversary of Silvio Berlusconi's election as Club President. Since that landmark day in 1986, ten editions of the FIFA World Cup have been played, with the current tournament now underway. Over the decades, AC Milan's fortunes in the seasons immediately following a World Cup have varied considerably. The Rossoneri have lifted the Scudetto on four occasions in post-World Cup campaigns, doing so after the tournaments of 1954, 1958, 1998 and 2010. The first season of the Berlusconi era followed the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. AC Milan finished fifth in Serie A in 1986/87, before securing qualification for the UEFA Cup a week after the end of the league campaign thanks to a 1-0 play-off victory over Sampdoria in Turin.

Four years later came the home World Cup of Italia '90, staged shortly after AC Milan had conquered Europe by defeating Benfica in the European Cup Final in Vienna. In the following 1990/91 season, Arrigo Sacchi's side finished as Serie A runners-up. The campaign after USA '94 brought silverware despite European disappointment. AC Milan lifted both the Supercoppa Italiana and the UEFA Super Cup before falling to Ajax in the Champions League final in Vienna in May 1995. Four years on, the Rossoneri players went into the 1998 France World Cupon the back of a disappointing domestic season, but just one year later, Alberto Zaccheroni guided the Club to its 16th Scudetto. The season following the 2002 World Cup proved particularly memorable, with the Rossoneri completing a remarkable double by winning both the UEFA Champions League and the Coppa Italia. AC Milan also enjoyed European success after the 2006 World Cup in Germany, reclaiming the Champions League crown in 2006/07, while the campaign following South Africa 2010 culminated in another Serie A title triumph. The post-World Cup years following the tournaments of 2014, 2018 and 2022, however, produced more mixed results.

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