9 Biggest Upsets in World Cup History (Ranked)

The World Cup is the dream competition to compete in for nearly every single player who turns professional. It’s where mere athletes walk onto the pitch, but legends walk off it. Pressure, anticipation and chaos engulf the sport every four years, with only the best players in the world often being the ones capable of matching it.

However, there are also occasions when the unknown stars perform at a level they have never reached. They shock the world, acting like legends in their own right with a performance full of belief and hope. It’s what the World Cup is all about, because there is technically nothing stopping a small country from winning the tournament, even if it’s one of the hardest competitions in the world.

With the 2026 World Cup in America, Mexico and Canada getting closer by the day, there will be more room for shocks with 48 teams competing. Due to this, we have ranked the nine biggest upsets in World Cup history so far — and, as is nearly always the case in these types of international lists, England feature with a disappointing defeat. It’s unlikely anyone is actually surprised.

Ranking Factors

• Difference in quality – The greater the ‘gap’ between teams, the bigger the shock.
• Stage of competition – If a shock took place later in the tournament, it’s more surprising.
• Nations’ expectations – If a country was expected to perform well but shockingly lost to a smaller nation, it has been ranked higher.

South Africa 2-1 France

2010 Group Stage

The 2010 World Cup was a record-breaking month for Africa. It was the first time the country had ever hosted the biggest tournament in the world — and there was hope that hosts South Africa would be able to shock the world. Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the first goal of the tournament, it was on the cards, but they eventually picked up just one point from their first two matches to be all but out of the competition. However, in their final group stage match, they restored pride by stunning France 2-1. Yoann Gourcuff was sent off for the 1998 world champions to help the hosts claim a famous win.

Netherlands 5-1 Spain

2014 Group Stage

Over three tournaments from 2008 to 2012, Spain were the best team in the world, acting as an unstoppable force which had far too much power. However, it all came crashing down at the 2014 World Cup as they were knocked out in the group stages. Their opening match was a repeat of the 2010 final, yet the outcome was very different, with the Netherlands winning 5-1.

The defending champions took the lead through a Xabi Alonso penalty, but went on to concede five in a crushing defeat to the Dutch, with Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie, two of the greatest Dutch players of all time, each on target twice. It was the first time Spain had conceded five goals in a match since 1963.

Romania 3-2 Argentina

1994 Round of 16

Meanwhile, Argentina had started the 1994 World Cup in impressive fashion with a 4-0 win over Greece, and they followed it up with a 2-1 victory against Nigeria as Diego Maradona scored in the first game and set up both goals in the second. However, he was sent home for a positive drug test, which seemed to throw the South American side off track.

They lost their final group game to Bulgaria before Romania stunned them 3-2 in the Round of 16. Two goals from Ilie Dumitrescu and a strike from Gheorghe Hagi secured a famous victory for them which no one could truly believe.

North Korea 1-0 Italy

1966 Group Stage

Unsurprisingly, the 1966 World Cup is famous for England’s triumph as some of the country’s greatest players of all time plied their trade in front of a home crowd. However, in the same tournament, North Korea claimed a shock win against Italy. The European nation were one point ahead of North Korea going into the final match, knowing a draw would be enough to qualify. They were clearly the main favourites, but they lost captain Giacomo Bulgarelli to injury and, with no substitutes back then, had to play on with ten men. Due to this, North Korea claimed a famous victory thanks to a Pak Doo-Ik winner after 42 minutes.

West Germany 3-2 Hungary

1954 Group Stage

In the modern day, Germany would obviously be the clear favourites for a match against Hungary. However, in 1954, that was not the case. The nation which had Ferenc Puskas at their disposal were the clear favourites, particularly after they had thrashed England 6-3 at Wembley the previous November and in the group stages, they destroyed West Germany 8-3. Due to this, they were expected to cruise to victory at the Wankdorf Stadium, but a spirited comeback from West Germany saw them win 3-2 after going 2-0 down. It became known as ‘The Miracle of Bern’, as a late strike from Helmut Rahm sealed victory.

Spain 0-1 Northern Ireland

1982 First Group Stage

Northern Ireland have only ever qualified for three World Cups, with their last appearance in 1986, yet their performances in 1982 will always be remembered by those living in the nation. The tournament saw FIFA opt to have two group stages — and at the end of the first stage, Northern Ireland claimed a famous victory to finish top of the group.

They beat hosts Spain in front of almost 50,000 fans at the Mestalla Stadium as Gerry Armstrong’s goal gave them a 1-0 win. Spain even played the last half an hour against 10 men after Mal Donaghy was sent off, but it could not prevent a major upset in Valencia.

Brazil 1-7 Germany

2014 Semi-finals

The 2014 World Cup saw Brazil go into it as firm favourites; they were hosting for just the second time in their history and they had Neymar, one of the greatest players the nation has ever produced, in his prime. However, when he was ruled out for the semi-final due to a back injury in the quarter-final, there was a natural concern in and around the country.

What came though was truly traumatic, as they lost 7-1 to eventual champions Germany in Belo Horizonte. Goals from Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos, two of the greatest German players ever, kickstarted the demolition — and Oscar’s late consolation goal only made the defeat more embarrassing.

USA 1-0 England

1950 Group Stage

After winning their first group stage match 2-0 against Chile, England were expected to cruise past their opponents from the other side of the Atlantic, but it’s never easy with the Three Lions. The USA had conceded 45 goals across seven successive defeats leading into their World Cup match against the nation, however, the team of amateur and semi-professional players pulled off a shock 1-0 victory. The goal was scored by Joe Gaetjens, an accounting student who also washed dishes in a restaurant. It’s forever remained a painful day for England, even if it happened more than 70 years ago.

Saudi Arabia 2-1 Argentina

2022 Group Stage

Finally, Saudi Arabia’s shock win against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup has been ranked as the biggest World Cup shock. As the group stages kicked off, Argentina were the firm favourites for the entire tournament, let alone the opening game, but they were quickly given the fright of their lives.

Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players of all time, opened the scoring with a penalty in the 10th minute before Saleh Al Shehri and Salem Al Dawsari gave Saudi Arabia the lead in the second half. Argentina were unable to hit back, leading to stunning celebrations in the crowd. No one could truly believe it, yet the South American nation recovered to eventually win the tournament. Maybe defeat was the motivation they needed to succeed.