In association football, the England 6s and 2s curse refers to a pattern in the sequence by which the England national football team have been eliminated from either the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA European Football Championship via a penalty shoot-out, after their first elimination by this method at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. This sequential pattern was first noted on social networking services shortly after England's elimination from the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. The English national football team have been eliminated via a penalty shoot-out at the following tournaments: