Biggest Upsets in the History of FIFA World Cup

Every year, billions of people watch the FIFA World Cup on television, making it arguably the most prominent sporting event in the world. Soccer’s biggest strength is its simplicity, which makes it more inviting to the casual viewer. No matter what you name it, nothing can compare to the global passion for football.

While the event’s 92 years have produced several great historical moments, they have also been marked by a fair share of surprises, including unexpected losses. Here is our list of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.

USA Vs. England (1950)

Joe Gaetjens, a US striker of Haitian descent, scored the game-winning goal in Belo Horizonte’s Estadio Independência against England, which resulted in a 1-0 loss for the Three Lions. There were eight American-born players and one British player on the USA soccer team that won the World Cup.

Oddsmakers didn’t give the U.S. team a chance to win because they had lost their previous seven international matches by a cumulative score of 45-2. For his squad, Joe Gaetjens was the hero with the game-winning goal.

Two days later, England was knocked out of the World Cup after losing to Spain. The United States squad also lost their final two matches in the group stage, eliminating them from the competition.

Senegal Vs. France (2002)

After winning the 1998 World Cup, France failed in their title defense in 2002. France was defeated by Senegal 1-0 in a nail-biting opening encounter at the Seoul. Papa Bouba Diop scored the game-winning goal for the African team in the 30th minute. Meanwhile, France had a dismal title defense, as they were eliminated in the group stage.

World Cup Stadium. Senegal, making its World Cup debut in 2002, was pressured by facing the defending champions in the tournament’s opening game.

The Senegalese squad advanced to the quarterfinals of their first international competition, where Turkey eventually eliminated them.

Cameroon Vs. Argentina (1990)

When 1990 World Cup rolled around, another reigning champion was quickly knocked off in their first game.  The 1990 World Cup Group B match between nine-man Cameroon and the Argentine national team is widely considered the greatest upset in World Cup history.

The 1990 Argentina team also went into their opening game as high favorites but ultimately lost.  Cameroon ultimately came up on top of the group, while Argentina moved to the next round by placing third.  The team led by Diego Maradona recovered to reach the final, which they ultimately lost to West Germany.

The Cameroonian team was the first African team to reach the quarterfinals, but they lost 3-2 in extra time to England.

North Korea Vs. Italy (1966)

It’s unimaginable that a squad like North Korea could defeat a team like Italy today, but the upset happened in the 1966 World Cup.  Italy has a long and illustrious history of football, having won the World Cup twice (1934 and 1938). Despite their previous successes, Italy has already lost in the World Cup group stage for the fifth time.

The North Koreans were predicted to finish with zero points and to be thoroughly outplayed in the game. This happened when they lost 3-0 to the Soviet Union, but it reversed when they stunned the world by defeating Italy 1-0.

North Korea nearly pulled off an even bigger upset in the group stage, going up 3-0 on Eusebio’s Portugal until the star striker rallied Portugal to a 5-3 victory.

Algeria Vs. West Germany (1982)

Algeria won a friendly against West Germany in 1966, 1-0. Algeria, competing in its first World Cup, opened the 1982 tournament with a victory over West Germany, the reigning champions.

With a goal by Lakhdar Belloumi, Algeria stunned West Germany in Gijón at the 1982 World Cup. This was one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. Rabah Madjer scored for Algeria in the 54th minute to put his team ahead. After the Germans had tied it in the 67th minute, Alergia scored again in the 68th to win the game. Like Argentina in 1990, West Germany suffered an early upset before losing in the final.

Germany Vs. Brazil (2012)

Many online sports betting sites could tell in advance that Brazil would win the World Cup in 1950, but they lost to Uruguay in the championship game on their field. The World Cup in 2014 appeared like the perfect chance for Brazil to make amends for that loss.

Brazil was without Silva, their great defense, and Neymar, their star striker, but as hosts, they were heavily favored to beat Germany. Brazil’s hopes, however, were dashed within the first half hour of the match.

Germany scored first in the 11th minute of the semi-final and went on to win the game easily. Four more German goals stunned the Brazilians on the field, in the stands, and across the country between 23 and 29 minutes.

Two goals were scored after halftime as Brazil’s defense collapsed, with the home team scoring a late consolation goal.

Conclusion

There is no other sporting event on the planet that comes close to the scale or popularity of the World Cup. When the World Cup finally rolls around every four years, it never fails to surprise fans with shocking upsets like the ones we’ve mentioned here.