The FIFA World Cup is football’s biggest festival, and every four years, fans experience the drama and excitement that comes with it.
The beauty of the World Cup and football in general is how unpredictable it is.
One minute, the heavyweights grind out the expected results, and the next minute, your mouth is ajar with unbelief after witnessing a game that didn’t go according to the script.
In this article, we will look at some of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Germany 7-1 Brazil (2014)
This is the most humiliating defeat in World Cup history, and for a host nation, it is an unbelievable upset.
The 2014 World Cup was seen as Brazil’s time to win the World Cup, not only because they had a host of stars in the team, but also because they were the host nation.
Throughout the tournament, they were impressive and ground out wins that kept assuring the belief that they would win it.
But in the semifinal vs Brazil, they ran into the German machine.
In 30 minutes, Brazil were already 5-0 down and by full-time, Germany handed Brazil their biggest World Cup loss. They were beaten 7-1, and their hopes of lifting the World Cup on home soil were ripped to shreds.
That scoreline still remains a huge blemish in Brazilian football and a day they would wish to erase from history.
Netherlands 5-1 Spain (2014)
In the opening game of group B in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Spain and the Netherlands locked horns and for the first time since the 2010 World Cup final, which Spain won 1-0.
This game was billed as a thriller, and in the opening exchanges, fans saw a semblance of things to come. Spain opened the scoring through a calmly dispatched penalty by Xabi Alonso. However, what followed was thrilling but not for fans of Spanish football.
Robin Van Persie pulled the Netherlands level through an incredible 15-yard diving header.
While fans were still taking in the spectacle they had just witnessed, Robben scored to make it 2-1 to the Netherlands, and from that moment, the Dutchmen took the game beyond Spain.
They added three more goals in the space of 16 minutes and demolished the most iconic side in Spanish football. This loss began an era that saw Spain lose the dominance it had once enjoyed on the international stage.
France 0-1 Senegal (2002)
In 2002, the football world was treated to a dramatic World Cup opener as the reigning World Cup Champions, France, took on debutants Senegal, who were there with their very first golden generation.
Facing a team that was in their peak years, the odds were against Senegal, but with a squad full of dreams, Senegal stepped out believing nothing was impossible.
And they indeed pulled off the impossible.
With Zidane missing from France’s starting eleven, reigning African Player of the Year, El Hadji Diouf stole the show. He constantly tormented the French defence, and forced them into a lot of errors, which led to Bouba Diop’s goal.
That goal in the 30th minute was the only goal of the game as Senegal shocked the world.
What were the odds that a debutant would beat the reigning world champions? Well, those were odds that Senegal didn’t care about.
That win and the entirety of the 2002 World Cup announced them to the world as they reached the quarterfinals. France, on the other hand, had an abysmal campaign and crashed out in the group stage.
Brazil 1-2 Uruguay (1950)
In 1950, the winner of the World Cup, was not determined by the one-off final, which is used now. Instead, it was concluded by a final group stage involving just four teams. On the final matchday of the group stage, Brazil faced Uruguay on home soil for a shot at glory.
Heading into the final needing just a draw to be crowned champions, locals felt really optimistic about lifting the trophy.
The game was played at the newly constructed Maracana Stadium, which is the largest stadium in the world, and it was filled with fans from Rio de Janeiro. There was a samba band by the sidelines ready to sing a winning anthem for Brazil.
Brazil were confident, and early into the second half, they finally took the lead after dominating the first half.
The fans entered celebration mode, but they were soon silenced as Uruguay equalised in the 66th minute. The stadium grew even quieter when Ghiggia scored with just 11 minutes left to make it 2-1.
The stadium, which once felt like a carnival, sounded like a funeral.
Brazil saw their dreams of lifting the World Cup snatched by a resilient Uruguay, who lifted the trophy in front of thousands of Brazilians at the Maracana.
Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia (2022)
Apart from Portugal losing to Morocco in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup, nothing was more shocking than the opening game of group C when Argentina faced Saudi Arabia.
Ranked 51st in the world at the time, Saudi Arabia faced a star-studded Argentina, who were heavy favourites to lift the World Cup.
Argentina showed some of that star power in the first half when Messi put them ahead from the penalty spot.
With the early advantage, Argentina went on an ultra-attacking mode and could’ve sealed the game off in the first half. Assuming Messi and Lautaro Martinez had timed their runs perfectly, Argentina would’ve been 4-0 by half-time.
However, the game turned on its head when Al-Sherhi pulled Saudi Arabia level just three minutes into the second half. A mistake by Romero had given the Saudi Arabians a lifeline, which they used fully to their advantage.
Five minutes after equalizing, Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina. Al-Dawsari calmly controlled the ball in the box, beat two of his markers and placed his shot in the far corner to send the stadium into a frenzy.
Argentina came roaring back in search of a goal, but the Saudis put on a defending masterclass. Every player put himself on the line to defend the result.
At full time, nobody could believe their eyes. Saudi Arabia had pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Algeria 2-1 West Germany (1982)
In the opening group B game of the 1982 World Cup, debutants Algeria faced two-time World champions West Germany.
While Algeria came into the World Cup having earned their spot by relying on quick counters and technically gifted players, they were no match for Germany, who were the reigning European Champions at the time.
However, football, as they say, is never won on paper. What unfolded was one of the biggest shocks in world football.
Despite showing brilliance in attack, West Germany fell behind early in the second half to a quick counterattack.
Although West Germany pulled one back through Rummenigge, they were shocked once again as Algeria took the lead just a minute after conceding.
Algeria put in a disciplined performance to seal the victory and become the first African team to beat a European team at the World Cup.
South Korea 2-0 Germany (2018)
Having won the 2014 World Cup, Germany came into the 2018 edition as the number one-ranked team in the world and favourites to win it.
But after losing their opening game to Mexico, they had to win their final two group games to make it to the next round.
In their next game against Sweden, they managed to pull off a 2-1 win, which served as a confidence boost ahead of the South Korea game, but little did they know that the Koreans had some magic up their sleeve.
Knowing that a win against South Korea would grant them entry to the next round, Germany were disappointing as the game remained scoreless deep into stoppage time.
There was even more disappointment as Young-Gwon Kim gave South Korea the lead in the second minute of stoppage time.
Germany went all out in search of an equalizer and in that desperation, Neuer drifted up the field, trying to inspire his team. Unluckily, he was caught in possession.
Swiftly, Ju Se-jong launched the ball towards Son Heung-min, who tapped into an empty net to score the second and dump Germany out of the World Cup. That loss marked the first time since 1938 that Germany failed to make it past the group stage of the World Cup.
Argentina 0-1 Cameroon (1990)
Argentina and Maradona were pitted against the 1988 African champions Cameroon in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup.
In every sense, it was a mismatch. Argentina had just won the 1986 World Cup and they were facing a team with their second-ever World Cup appearance.
Cameroon had lost all their warm-up games, while Argentina had seven players, including the legendary Maradona. That gap in quality was obvious from kick-off as Argentina outplayed Cameroon with the defenders nervously clearing their lines.
Although Argentina dominated the first half, it ended 0-0 and surprisingly, Maradona was rendered quiet by the Cameroonian defence.
In the second half, Cameroon were hit with a big blow as they were reduced to 10 men.
Instead of falling apart, Cameroon became more compact and resilient, making it harder for Argentina to break them down.
Refusing to back down, Cameroon turned the game on its head when Omam-Kiyik’s header from a free kick slipped through the goalkeeper’s hands to give them the lead. It was an unexpected goal, and the crowd erupted in celebration.
Cameroon were later reduced to 10 men, but it didn’t matter as they fought to secure a famous win.
Italy 0-1 Costa Rica (2014)
Costa Rica were placed in group D of the 2014 World Cup, a group that was seen as the group of death. They were paired with three former World Cup champions in Italy, England and Uruguay.
No one gave them a chance in the group, even after defeating Uruguay 3-1 in the opening game. Many believed it was a fluke, predicting that they would get battered against an Italy team that had the likes of Buffon, Pirlo, and Balotelli.
In reality, Costa Rica was not in any way close to a team like Italy. However, what played out in the space of 90 minutes was one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.
Italy looked rusty and unconvincing as Buffon had to be called into action multiple times. Costa Rica set up in their trademark 5-4-1 formation and limited Italy to a few chances.
Balotelli missed Italy’s biggest chance of the game after shooting wide from a sublime pass from Pirlo. That miss gave way to Costa Rica’s game-changing incidents.
At first, Costa Rica thought they should’ve gotten a penalty after Campbell was stopped abruptly in the box by Chiellini. With the referee waving play on, Costa Rica regrouped again, and this time, they weren’t denied.
A short sequence of play saw Bolanos switch play to Junior Diaz, who played an inviting cross into Italy’s box. Acting on instincts, Fulham striker Bryan Ruiz connected with the header, which hit the crossbar and bounced over the line.
That goal gave Costa Rica an upsetting victory over Italy and proved that their win over Uruguay was no fluke.
The win also had greater consequences in the group as it meant England would finish in last place and get dumped out of the World Cup in the group stage.
Spain 2-3 Nigeria (1998)
In 1998, Nigeria and Spain, two teams filled with stars, faced off in a thrilling group stage game.
Spain arrived with stars like Raul, Fernando Hierro and Luis Enrique, and were seen as favourites to win the tournaments, but they first had to get past a Nigerian team known to take the game to their opponents.
Nigeria had stars like Taribo West, Celestine Babayaro, Jay Jay Okocha, Victor Ikpeba and Finidi George, among a host of names who had gained a wealth of experience playing in Europe following their exploits in the 1994 World Cup.
While Nigeria were seen as a team with promise, they hadn’t really excelled against top countries, especially when it mattered.
The game against Spain was a chance to change that orientation. Nigeria almost went behind five minutes into the game, but Peter Rufai’s save kept them in the game. Spain continued to pile on chances and eventually took the lead in the 21st minute through a Hierro free kick.
Nigeria equalized almost immediately after going behind, but Spain took the lead again thanks to a sublime goal from Raul. Once again, the Super Eagles pulled level through an error from Spanish goalkeeper Zubizaretta.
Smelling a chance to take all three points in a tightly contested game, Nigeria poured forward and hammered at the Spanish defence.
Fighting for their lives, the defence managed to clear the ball, but unfortunately, it fell to Oliseh, who volleyed it back at goal. Helplessly, Zubizaretta watched the ball go past him, hit the post and nestle into the goal, giving Nigeria the victory.
Who wrote this?
Wisdom Aghe is a creative whose passions include sports, video editing, writing and a little bit of design. With these skills and a curious mind, Wisdom takes interest in creating sports content and holding interesting sports conversations. He loves sports and it's his happy place. He spends his leisure time playing football, playing games and reading.
