Year Of Breakthroughs! Every Sports Team That Ended Its Trophy Drought In 2025
2025 turned out to be a breakthrough year in sport with many teams finally ending prolonged trophy droughts, and some even lifting their first-ever major title.
- India Women's team won ICC World Cup after many attempts.
- Crystal Palace lifted FA Cup after 119 years.
- PSG achieved maiden UEFA Champions League victory.
The year 2025 will be remembered for a very long time in the world of sports for one reason, which is underdog teams finally clincing victory on the big stage.
Years of hard work and persistence finally paid off, be it cricket or football, as silverware from various competitions found new homes, the latest marked by India's ICC Women's World Cup triumph.
For those interested, this article will list all sports teams that either won a trophy for the first time or after several years across different tournaments.
RCB, PSG, And Other Teams That Ended Trophy Droughts
1) India Women's National Team
The latest to join this list is the Indian women's national team. They had never won an ICC World Cup despite reaching the final on two previous occasions.
They were playing at home this year, but had a tough route to the trophy. However, India's fighting spirit was no match for Australia and South Africa in the semi-final and final, respectively.
2) Hobart Hurricanes
The Hobart Hurricanes claimed their first ever Big Bash League (BBL) triumph in 2025.
They were facing Sydney Thunder in the final, and chased down the big score of 183 (scoring 185 overall) in the 15th over with only three wickets down.
3) Newcastle United
Over in football, Newcastle United ended a 70-year long trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup. They beat Liverpool FC 2-1 in the final held at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
4) Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace is another underdog club from England that ended an even longer trophy drought in 2025. They beat Manchester City at the Wembley Stadium with a narrow 1-0 scoreline to lift their first FA Cup in 119 years!
5) Paris Saint-Germain
PSG has boasted star-studded lineups in the last decades, having featured the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and even Lionel Messi across the years.
However, they always fell short of winning the coveted UEFA Champions League trophy. That was until 2025, when they finally broke the curse, and their maiden UCL title, thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in the final.
6) South Africa
The South African national team (men's) has had some of the worst like in ICC tournaments. They have made it to semi-finals, and even finals on some occassions, only to fall short.
Fortunately, 2025 turned out to be a year of change for the Proteas, who lifted the ICC Worst Test Championship, beating Australia at Lord's.
7) Royal Challengers Bengaluru
RCB, one of the most beloved IPL franchises, had multiple attempts at winning the IPL, reaching the final in 2009, 2011 and 2016.
It almost seemed impossible, but Virat Kohli and co., led by Rajat Patidar, finally had their time in the spotlight after 18 years, as they beat the Punjab Kings in the final for their maiden title victory.
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