Discover ten of the biggest World Cup shocks and upsets from over the decades. Learn the best underdog stories and results, and how to predict when one might happen!
The World Cup hosts many teams of different qualities, with some being world-class and almost considered unbeatable, while others can be overlooked and not considered as competitive. However, this can be a mistake.
Since the first World Cup in 1930, we’ve been treated to some real shock results and upsets that have surprised football fans around the globe. Which is why people love the World Cup! It doesn’t matter if there’s an overwhelming favourite, shocks and upsets are always a possibility, with the World Cup being the ideal platform for underdogs to perform!
So, this blog will cover the biggest and most shocking upsets in World Cup history, running through the results that took everyone by surprise since the tournament began!
Or, if you think you can pick out an underdog yourself, why not explore the upcoming World Cup betting odds for all the matches as they unfold.
10 of the greatest World Cup surprise results
An underdog overcoming an overwhelming favourite always creates the best story and makes for a fantastic betting prospect. So, below are the ten greatest surprise results we’ve seen so far at the World Cup:
Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia (Qatar, 2022)
Though Argentina ended up being the eventual winners of the 2022 World Cup, their campaign didn’t start well at all.
They entered the tournament as one of the favourites, coming off the back of a 36-game unbeaten run. They were expected to cruise to victory in their opening group game, with Saudi Arabia being ranked 51st in the world, and it looked like that would be the case when Lionel Messi converted from the spot ten minutes in. But this didn’t deter Saudi Arabia.
The Albiceleste piled on the pressure and tried to increase their lead, but had three goals disallowed for offside. With their opponents failing to extend their advantage, Saudi Arabia capitalised on the situation and took their chances in the second half.
In the 46th minute, Saleh Al-Shehri’s left-footed strike went across the goal and found the bottom corner to level the game. Then, it was only five more minutes before Salem Al-Dawsari produced a moment of magic that stunned Argentina after their previous dominance in the game. After shifting the ball away from the defenders, he found enough space to whip his shot into the top right corner. Despite Emiliano Martinez getting a hand to it, the strike still found the back of the net!
Though they rode their luck somewhat, Saudi Arabia really seized their chance, creating one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history!
France 0-1 Senegal (Korea/Japan, 2002)
As defending champions of the World Cup and coming off the back of a Euros win in 2000, France looked like an unbeatable side heading into the 2002 tournament.
However, they were disadvantaged the night before when star player and captain Zinedine Zidane suffered an injury that ruled him out for two games. Despite this, their team was still, on paper, a stronger side than the title winners in 1998, meaning this match should’ve still been somewhat routine.
Considering Senegal hadn’t appeared at the World Cup previously, this went in France’s favour even more. The Senegalese were really up for it though, and having just been beaten in the AFCON final, they were ready to bounce back.
With a mixture of luck and being underestimated, Senegal’s Papa Bouba Diop got the winner in the 30th minute and won his side their first ever match at the tournament.
England 0-1 USA (Brazil, 1950)
Though it was their first appearance at the World Cup, they were heavy favourites here as they were the national side in the best form following World War II.
This left everyone, including England themselves, expecting the Three Lions to come out on top, but the USA had other plans. Despite most players having other full-time jobs and the USA having little footballing tradition, they managed to battle it out and take the lead through a goal by Joe Gaetjens 38 minutes into the game.
The USA held on for the rest of the game, and through a combination of good goalkeeping, goal-line clearances, and riding their luck a little, they managed to get the win!
North Korea 1-0 Italy (England, 1966)
As newcomers to the tournament, North Korea were complete underdogs as they faced two-time champions Italy in the group stage.
Heading into this game, North Korea were considered to be decades behind Italy in terms of their football quality and structure. But North Korea capitalised on Giacomo Bulgarelli’s injury in the first half. This left Italy with ten men as substitutions were a concept yet to be introduced.
Taking full advantage of their man advantage, Pak Doo-Ik scored four minutes before the end of the first half to give them the lead. He latched onto the ball as it bounced its way into the box and his right footed shot beat Italian goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi!
Goalkeeper Ri Chan-myong then described himself as having guarded the goal with his life, and helped preserve the lead and help them reach a quarter-final against Portugal.
Brazil 1-2 Uruguay (Brazil, 1950)
This pivotal meeting between the hosts Brazil and Uruguay was witnessed by over 173,000 spectators at the Maracana, with everyone expecting Brazil to come out on top. Though it wasn’t a final, it was a final group stage that contained four teams, where whoever finished at the top would become World Champions.
The Selecao just needed a draw to become World Cup winners, but despite taking the lead, they couldn’t see the game out. After pushing to extend their lead, Uruguay managed to get an equaliser half-way through the second half. Schiffiano’s first-time finish into the top corner brought them level, but they still needed another goal to become champions. With only 13 minutes left in the game, Ghiggia stole the win after smashing the ball into the back of the net at the near post!
Brazil’s team had been considered a forward-thinking football team with a great playing style, whereas Uruguay were looked upon as a side with less talent and tactical structure. With this perception being commonplace, the result was a real surprise to any who saw the scoreline.
Brazil 1-7 Germany (Brazil, 2014)
Hosting the tournament for a second time, the pressure was on for Brazil to perform here, especially considering the disappointment following the final game in 1950 when they were last hosts.
Reaching the semi-finals, Brazil had hoped they could avenge their loss 64 years prior, but Germany were a tough opponent. After seeing off Colombia in the quarter-final, the Selecao had faith that they could win a record sixth World Cup, however the German players were clearly more up for the match.
Germany went 5-0 up inside 29 minutes, with goals from Thomas Muller, Miroslav Klose, Sam Khedira, and two from Toni Kroos. Andre Schurrle was then substituted on and got two goals within ten minutes during the second half, making it 7-0 to Germany.
Oscar’s late goal in the 90th minute was the only consolation the Brazilian team could take, as they suffered their first home defeat in 12 years. Considering the result was so poor, it had many Brazil fans in tears and even had some cheering German passes and clapping for their goals.
Though the outcome of the game wasn’t necessarily a huge surprise in itself, the sheer shock of the scoreline and the magnitude of the defeat makes this result truly one of the biggest upsets the World Cup has ever seen.
West Germany 3-2 Hungary (Switzerland, 1954)
One of the biggest shocks at the World Cup came in the 1954 final, with Hungary entering the match as serious favourites. As they were the first overseas team to beat England at Wembley seven months earlier, averaged 6.25 goals per game at the tournament before this game, and had Ferenc Puskas, they were almost nailed on to win.
This also still looked to be the case after eight minutes, as they took a 2-0 lead. But a resilient West German team fought back and didn’t give up on their hopes of still claiming World Cup glory for themselves. Only two minutes after Hungary went 2-0 up, West Germany pulled one back after a goal from Max Morlock and went level when Helmut Rahn headed home in the 18th minute.
Hungary then went all-out to try and regain the lead, but after hitting the post, the bar, and having balls cleared off the line, they were stunned in the 84th minute. Rahn picked up the ball just outside the box, before shifting it onto his left foot and smashing it low and hard into the bottom corner to win them the game!
This result was a huge shock in the world of football and helped to shape the landscape of football in Germany forever.
Bulgaria 2-1 Germany (USA, 1994)
Prior to the 1994 tournament, Germany had reached four of the previous five World Cup finals and had won two of them. Pairing this with the fact that they had also reached four of the last six European Championship finals, also winning two, they were one of the best sides in the World at the time. This was especially the case considering that they’d won the World Cup in Italy 1990.
Opposingly, Bulgaria had shocked everyone by just making it to the tournament in the first place, after beating France in the final minutes of their last qualifier game. This left the two sides in completely polarising positions.
This quarter-final matchup saw Bulgaria fall behind after Lothar Matthaus converted from the spot, leaving many to believe that would be enough to send Germany through to the semi-finals. However, two swift goals from Hristo Stoichkov and Yordan Letchkov meant this wasn’t the case, reversing the tie completely in the space of three minutes!
This result sent the reigning champions home, and assisted Stoichkov on his way to the Golden Boot which, in part, helped him be known as one of the best Eastern-European footballers of all time.
Slovakia 3-2 Italy (South Africa, 2010)
As World Cup holders, Italy had high expectations going into the 2010 tournament in South Africa and were touted to do well again. Placed in a group with New Zealand, Paraguay, and Slovakia, they appeared to have a straightforward pathway into the knockout stages too, but things didn’t go to plan. After two underwhelming draws, they came up against Slovakia in their final group game.
Forward player Robert Vittek put Slovakia 2-0 up after scoring a goal in both halves, seemingly crushing all hope for the Azzurri. But, with only nine minutes left, Antonio Di Natale scored to make it 2-1 and gave Italy a chance of getting a result.
Fabio Quagliarella thought he’d equalised, but the offside flag denied him. Slovakian substitute Kamil Kopunek then scored emphatically, lifting the ball over the onrushing keeper Federico Marchetti and put the result beyond doubt. Quagliarella did get his goal eventually, though, with his fantastic effort finding the top corner and leaving the keeper helpless.
The game ended with a stunning victory for Slovakia and left the defending champions Italy bowing out of the tournament in disappointing fashion.
Argentina 0-1 Cameroon (Italy, 1990)
Another result involving champions of the previous World Cup, Argentina coming up against Cameroon in the first game of the 1990 group stage proved to be a surprising challenge.
The encounter ended up being one filled with drama, as Cameroon went down to ten men with Andre Kana-Biyik receiving a red card in the 61st minute. Undeterred, Cameroon pushed on and scored 67 minutes into the game, with Francois Omam-Biyik’s header finding its way past the Argentine goalkeeper Nery Pumpido. The African nation also saw another player sent off in the 89th minute, with Benjamin Massing being shown a second yellow card.
The Cameroon national team showed a real resilience and determination for the rest of the game, so despite Diego Maradona’s attempts to rally his team, the deficit couldn’t be overturned. This result was made even more special for Cameroon as it was only their second appearance at the World Cup!
Think you can spot a World Cup upset?
Now that you’ve heard about ten of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, do you think you can spot any upcoming upsets for the 2026 tournament?
Whether you look for bigger teams in poor form, underdogs with a clear tactical identity, or stylistic mismatches, there are many ways to predict potential surprise results.
It’s clear that backing the underdogs can pay off, with there being many examples of this being the case over the years. So, if you’re wanting to place a bet on the outsiders and guess when upsets might occur, make sure to come back to the Betway site to see the latest match betting odds for the 2026 World Cup! And if you want to read more interesting insights, check out our World Cup blog.
