Photo by Wikimedia Commons, CC by 2.0
Who could forget Spain’s all-conquering side of the late 2000s? Between 2008 and 2009, they won 15 games on the bounce — still a record in international football. But where does that incredible run sit among the greatest winning streaks in sport?
As legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi once said, ‘Winning is habit.’ Over the years, a few teams have certainly lived by that mantra. Here’s a look at some of the longest winning streaks in sports history.
Eusebio-Led Benfica Excelled in the Early 1970s
Jimmy Hagan was a club legend for Sheffield United during his playing days but it is because of his work as a manager that he is in the record books.
The Englishman oversaw the longest winning streak by a top-flight European side during his tenure with Benfica in the 1970s, leading them to 29 consecutive wins between the end of their 1971-72 and 1972-73 title-winning campaigns. Of course, having the legendary Eusebio in their ranks helped.
Welsh side The New Saints also deserve a mention for having strung together 27 victories back in 2016, while Dutch side Ajax won 26 games on the spin in 1972.
Brazilian side Coritiba’s run of 24 consecutive wins came to an end in 2011 while Bayern Munich are also on the list for their run of 23 successes in the 2019-20 season in which they secured the treble.
Step outside Europe and you’ll discover that the record for the longest top-flight winning streak belongs to Al Hilal. Officially recognised by Guinness World Records, their incredible run began in September 2023.
The Saudi team then went on an extraordinary winning run across multiple competitions under Jorge Jesus. With talents such as Bono, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic leading the charge, they were able to collect 34 straight wins in the Pro League, King’s Cup, AFC Champions League and Super Cup.
England and All Blacks the Recent Dominant Forces in Rugby Union
World champions, six Grand Slams in a row, WXV winners and a record 33 consecutive Test wins — England have firmly established themselves as the team to beat in women’s rugby. Since their World Cup final defeat to New Zealand in 2021, they haven’t looked back, winning every match up to and including the 2025 final.
The record for the longest winning run in men’s rugby union belongs to Cyprus, who claimed 24 consecutive victories from 2008 through 2014.
New Zealand and England have been more dominant in recent years. Both teams have won 18 consecutive Tests. The All Blacks started their run with victory over Australia in August 2015 and finished with victory over the same opponents in the following October before losing to Ireland.
As for England, they started their exceptional streak by beating Uruguay in October 2015 and concluded the run by beating Scotland in March 2017.
Australia Well-Represented in Cricket Record Books
As if setting a record for a winning streak in your sport is not impressive enough, the Australia men’s Test cricket team achieved their run of wins on two separate occasions.
Under Steve Waugh, the Aussies won a record 16 consecutive Test matches between October 1999 and February 2001 and equalled that run under the captaincy of batsman Ricky Ponting between December 2005 and January 2008. Ponting captained his team on the field for all 16 of those matches whereas Waugh was unable to do so due to injury.
And in April 2021, the Australia women’s team set the record for most one-day-international wins in a row in the history of either the men or women’s game with 22 successive victories, having started the streak by beating India in 2018.
Martina Navratilova’s Tennis Winning Streak Is Almost Unbelievable
Martina Navratilova holds the record for the longest winning streak in tennis. During the early ’80s, she was unstoppable, and changes to her fitness regime and racquet only made her more dominant.
Navratilova was in a league of her own from 1983 to 1984, winning every Grand Slam she entered. Her remarkable 74-match winning streak looked like it might never end – until Helena Sukova had other ideas, clawing back from a set down to upset her in the 1984 Australian Open semis.
The legendary Bjorn Borg has the longest winning streak in men’s tennis with 49 wins.
Squash Star Khan’s Incredible Winning Streak
Regarded as the greatest squash player of all time, Pakistan’s Jahangir Khan holds the record for the longest consecutive winning streak of any athlete in any sport. The sport’s legend won an incredible 555 matches in a row between 1981 and 1986.
During his career, he also won the World Open six times and the British Open 10 times in a row between 1982 and 1991.
Two other honourable mentions before we leave: Track and field athlete Ed Moses won an outstanding 122 consecutive races in the 400m hurdles between 1977 and 1987, while in the 1971-72 season, the Los Angeles Lakers set the record for the longest winning streak in NBA history with 33 straight victories.
