The Greatest World Cup Upsets of All Time

The World Cup is the most unpredictable tournament in sport. Every four years, the biggest nations in football arrive expecting to dominate and every four years at least one of them goes home humiliated. The format guarantees it. The compressed schedule, the compressed preparation time and the knockout structure mean that one bad day — one goalkeeper mistake, one disallowed goal, one missed penalty — can end a tournament for a side that dominated European football for three years. These are the moments that made the World Cup what it is. The upsets that nobody saw coming and that nobody who was watching has ever forgotten.

USA 1 England 0 — Brazil 1950

The United States defeating England 1-0 in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil is still the most improbable result in the tournament's history in terms of the gap between the two sides at the time. England were playing their first World Cup after decades of refusing to enter. They were widely considered the inventors of the modern game and one of the strongest nations in football. The United States were semi-professional players assembled from various immigrant communities who had barely trained together. Joe Gaetjens scored the only goal in the 37th minute with a header. England pressed for an equaliser for 53 minutes and could not find it. The result was so shocking that several newspapers in England assumed the score was a misprint and ran it as a 10-1 England win. It was not a misprint.

West Germany 0 Algeria 2 — Spain 1982

Algeria defeating West Germany 2-0 at the 1982 World Cup in Spain was the moment African football announced itself at the highest level. West Germany were one of the tournament favourites. Algeria were making their World Cup debut. Rabah Madjer and Lakhdar Belloumi scored the goals that produced one of the great upsets in the competition's history. The victory was subsequently undermined by what became known as the Disgrace of Gijon — a West Germany v Austria match played after Algeria's result was known, where a 1-0 West Germany win eliminated Algeria on goal difference. Both sides appeared to play without urgency once that score was reached. FIFA changed the rules so all final group games are played simultaneously in every subsequent World Cup.

Cameroon 1 Argentina 0 — Italy 1990

Argentina were the defending world champions. Cameroon were the underdogs of the group. Francois Omam-Biyik's header deflected past Nery Pumpido in the second half and Cameroon held on despite having two players sent off. It was the opening match of Italia 90 and it set the tone for one of the most dramatic World Cups in history. Cameroon went on to reach the quarter-finals, knocking out Colombia — with the extraordinary Rene Higuita dispossession moment that sent Roger Milla through to score — before losing to England in the last eight. The 1990 Cameroon side, with Milla dancing at the corner flag, remains the most celebrated African team in World Cup history.

USA 1 Colombia 2 — USA 1994 (Escobar's Own Goal)

Andres Escobar's own goal gave the United States a 1-0 lead in their 1994 group game. Colombia lost 2-1. They were eliminated from a tournament they were expected to influence significantly, having been tipped by Pele to win it. Ten days after returning to Colombia, Escobar was shot dead outside a nightclub in Medellin. It is the darkest story in World Cup history and a reminder of the pressures that exist in some football cultures that go far beyond the sport itself.

France 1 Senegal 0 — South Korea/Japan 2002

France were the defending world champions. They had won in 1998 on home soil, with Zinedine Zidane's two headers, and arrived in South Korea and Japan as one of the most celebrated international squads assembled in the modern era. Senegal were playing their first World Cup. Papa Bouba Diop scored early in the first half. France could not equalise. The defending champions were eliminated in the group stage without scoring a single goal in the tournament. Zidane was injured and unable to play their first two group games and France paid an enormous price. Senegal reached the quarter-finals.

South Korea 1 Spain 0 (AET) — South Korea/Japan 2002

South Korea's run at the 2002 World Cup remains the most extraordinary host nation performance in the tournament's history. They beat Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals after a 0-0 draw, having already eliminated Portugal in the group stage, then Italy in the round of 16 with a controversial golden goal. South Korea reached the semi-finals of the World Cup — the first Asian nation to do so. The entire run was accompanied by controversy over refereeing decisions but also by the extraordinary noise and energy of the home support and the quality of the South Korean organisation and counter-attacking. They lost to Germany in the semi-finals and lost the third-place playoff to Turkey.

Germany 1 Brazil 7 — Brazil 2014

This was not a traditional upset in the sense of a weaker side beating a stronger one — Germany were among the favourites in 2014. But Brazil at home, Brazil as hosts, Brazil in a semi-final with 60,000 screaming supporters at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte — and they conceded seven. Without Neymar and Thiago Silva through suspension and injury, Brazil's structure collapsed completely. Four goals came in a six-minute spell before half-time. Germany were 5-0 by the thirty-second minute. The game ended 7-1. It is the most humiliating result in the history of Brazilian football and one of the most extraordinary matches ever played at a World Cup. Mario Gotze then scored the winning goal in the final against Argentina to give Germany their fourth world title.

Germany 0 South Korea 2 — Russia 2018

Germany were the defending champions. They had won every major trophy they contested between 2013 and 2017. Their squad was packed with Champions League winners and Bundesliga stalwarts. And they were eliminated in the group stage without winning a single match — losing to Mexico in their opener, drawing with Sweden and then losing to South Korea 2-0 in their final game, going out on goal difference. Two goals from Jeong and Son Heung-min in injury time completed the humiliation. It remains the most dramatic group-stage exit by a defending champion since France in 2002 and the result that triggered the most significant rethink in German football history — one that led to the current squad that arrives at the 2026 World Cup under Nagelsmann with genuine ambitions of redemption.

Morocco 0 Spain 0 (Morocco win on penalties) — Qatar 2022

Morocco's run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was the greatest story of the tournament and arguably the greatest African World Cup campaign in history. They beat Belgium, defeated Spain on penalties in the round of 16 and then eliminated Portugal — including Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal — in the quarter-finals to reach the semi-finals. They lost to France but their achievement in becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals changed how the world sees African football. Morocco arrive at the 2026 World Cup in Group C alongside Brazil, Haiti and Scotland with far greater respect than any African side has previously received.

Japan 2 Germany 1 — Qatar 2022

Germany went into their 2022 group opener against Japan as clear favourites. They were 1-0 up through a first-half penalty from Ilkay Gundogan. Japan equalised after half-time and then took the lead through Takuma Asano's remarkable finishing touch against the post and in. Germany were beaten. They went on to draw with Spain and beat Costa Rica but were still eliminated on goal difference. It was the second consecutive World Cup in which Germany went out in the group stage and the result that, alongside the 2018 exit, drove the reform that produced Nagelsmann's current squad. Japan qualified from the group, beating both Spain and Germany.

What 2026 Could Bring

Every World Cup produces its own upsets and the 2026 tournament — with 48 teams and a format that gives more nations a chance to cause damage — will almost certainly produce more than any previous edition. The candidates are obvious: Norway with Erling Haaland in Group I against France. Japan in Group F against the Netherlands. Scotland facing Brazil in Miami. Morocco in Group C, already capable of causing problems for any opponent. The history of the World Cup tells us that the result we will remember most from 2026 is the one nobody is predicting today.

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