Biggest World Cup Upsets In History

World Cups thrive on drama, and just like the March college basketball tournament, underdogs occasionally slay giants. These upsets defy conventional wisdom, baffle even those who claim to know ball, and create storied legacies for smaller nations. Bettors with the stones to wager on these longshots can make their whole summer in one hit.

Here are some of the most shocking upsets in World Cup history that sent shockwaves around the soccer world.

Betting odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook's World Cup odds and are subject to change after this article is published.

How to bet on the 2026 World Cup.

World Cup Upsets: Biggest Upsets in the History of the World Cup

USA Knocks off Big Brother England in Brazil

One of the earliest such upsets came in 1950 (in just the 4th-ever World Cup) when the United States beat England 1-0 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. England, considered the inventors of soccer and not afraid to let you know it, came in as massive favorites. The British fielded a side packed with professionals, while the young US team was composed mostly of semi-pro players.

Haitian-born forward Joe Gaetjens scored the only goal for the Americans that day, and goalkeeper Frank Borghi made several heroic saves in a Herculean clean sheet effort. The upset was so unexpected that some newspapers reportedly printed the score as 10-1 England, assuming the wire service had erroneously left off a 1. The loss contributed to England's early elimination from the 1950 World Cup and long stood as a lesson in complacency for top international teams.

The North Koreans Withstand the Second-Half Italian Assault

At the 1966 World Cup, North Korea stunned 2-time champions Italy with a 1-0 win at Ayresome Park in England. Pak Doo-ik scored just before halftime for the North Koreans, and the heavy dogs then parked the bus and held out despite intense Italian pressure in the second half. At the time, the Italians fielded one of the premier international soccer programs on the planet and boasted a world-class attack. The Koreans bent but never broke and took the group-stage match 1-0.

The result sent Italy home prematurely, ending their bid for a championship right there in the group stage. North Korea wasn't a one-and-done. They advanced all the way to the quarterfinals that year, where they jumped out to an equally shocking 3-0 lead on Portugal.

This is when the Portuguese flipped the script and ended North Korea's Cinderella run on the back of one of the greatest individual performances in World Cup history. A striker by the name of Eusebio, Portugal's finest, went on to score 4 goals in that quarterfinal match. Portugal took the match 5-3 after trailing 3-0, a run just as unexpected as the 3 consecutive, early goals by North Korea.

Algeria Does it for Africa in 1982

Europe and South America dominated the international soccer stage for the first 50 years of the World Cup's history (they still do to this day), but Algeria gave the other continents someone to rally behind in the early 80s.

The North African country's 2-1 victory over West Germany in their 1982 group opener in Gijon, Spain, ranks among the most significant African triumphs in international soccer. West Germany was no slouch, anything but. The Germans were in the midst of a streak of reaching the Finals in 5 of 7 World Cups. They came into Spain that year as the reigning European champions, who were expected to roll over the Algerians, who were playing in their first-ever World Cup.

Rabah Madjer and Lakhdar Belloumi scored for Algeria to take a 2-0 lead and immediately put the Germans on upset alert. West Germany had a large talent advantage and an overwhelming edge in world-stage experience, but could only manage to pull back within 1 goal after a Karl-Heinz Rummenigge score. Algeria had done the unthinkable and knocked off the Germans 2-1 in their debut World Cup match. The chart above does not list moneyline odds for any year prior to 2018 (because we don't have them), but this upset was right up there with Saudi Arabia's impossible win in 2022 as one of the most unexpected triumphs in the history of this tournament.

Despite the win, Algeria needed some help in the final day of group play to advance to knockouts. In what was suspected at the time and has since been confirmed, West Germany and Austria colluded to play out a notorious 1-0 result that ensured both sides advanced on tiebreakers and left the Algerians with nothing to show for their history-altering win.

That Germany-Austria match, dubbed the "Disgrace of Gijon," led to FIFA scheduling simultaneous final group games in all future World Cups. West Germany made the most of their new life and got all the way to the Finals of that '82 World Cup, losing to Italy 3-1.

Maradona Goes Down in the Opener

In the opening match of the 1990 World Cup, the defending champion Argentina faced a relative nobody in Cameroon. Diego Maradona's Argentina had won in 1986 and were expected to cruise through the group. Maradona was the undisputed best player in the world at that time, and Cameroon's roster had 0 household names.

That Cameroon squad was physical and a bit taller than the Argentines, but the skill gap between the two sides was immense. Getting themselves in a couple of jams, Cameroonian defenders were forced to foul and saw 2 of their players sent off with reds. Down 2 men, the match was over. Right?

Perhaps the Argentines didn't prepare for this match or take it seriously enough because they couldn't score on Cameroon despite playing with a 1 or 2-man advantage for most of the second half.

It was difficult for the underdogs to mount much of an attack themselves, but Cameroonian striker Francois Omam-Biyik outjumped the Argentine defense to head home the winner in a 1-0 upset that set the tone for a tournament filled with surprises. Cameroon didn't stop there. This win propelled them to the quarterfinals, where they eventually bowed out to England in extra time. This was an England squad that took eventual champion West Germany to penalties in the semi-final. Cameroon was legitimately a great soccer team that year, and nobody knew it. Those poor Argentines were the guinea pigs. Maradona and the boys rebounded from that opening loss, however, advancing to knockouts as a 3rd-place team in their group and winning their way to the Finals, where they succumbed to West Germany in a 1-0 heartbreaker.

Senegal Delivers Another Shocking African Upset

Senegal produced another iconic upset in the 2002 World Cup opener against France in Seoul, South Korea. As both the reigning world and European champions, France boasted Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Zinedine Zidane (though Zidane was injured). Senegal fielded a squad of players mostly from France's Ligue 1, which made this matchup more personal than France would have liked. Senegal came to Seoul ready to play. They were live.

Senegalese midfielder Papa Bouba Diop scored the only goal in the match after the French defense relaxed their normally disciplined form, while Senegal's defending and counter-attacking caught France off guard and prevented the reigning champs from getting anything going. The 1-0 win propelled Senegal to the quarterfinals and marked the rise of African teams in the modern World Cup era. For bettors, it was another reminder that early matches can be landmines for favorites.

The Biggest Blowouts in Soccer History

In the group stage of the 2014 World Cup, the Netherlands drew a matchup with the defending champion Spain and were understandably pretty big underdogs. The Dutch didn't blink and proceeded to pound the Spanish into the pitch for a full 90 minutes, winning 5-1 in what many called the most convincing blowout of their generation. That superlative lasted for a couple of weeks.

25 days later in the semi-final, Germany demolished host Brazil 7-1, utterly destroying a Brazilian squad that was favored to go all the way when the tournament began. Sure, the hosts were without the injured Neymar and suspended Thiago Silva, but few expected such an epic defeat, especially with the Brazilians playing in front of the home crowd. Germany scored 4 goals in 6 minutes in the first half. If you got stuck in the line for the bathroom, you missed it. The defeat remains the heaviest ever in World Cup history for a Brazilian team. This embarrassment is called "Mineiraco" in Brazilian football lore, a reference to Mineirao Stadium, where the ugly and shocking defeat took place.

A non-soccer analog to a loss of this magnitude at home in the semifinals of a major tournament could be the 2002 Western Conference Finals in the NHL, when the Detroit Red Wings shutout Colorado 7-0 on their home ice. I've always said Brazil is the Colorado Avalanche of international soccer.

Biggest World Cup Upsets in the Past 10 Years

After dismantling Brazil and winning it all at the 2014 World Cup, the German squad failed to make it out of the group stage in 2018 in Russia. How? It began with a 1-0 loss to Mexico in their opening match. This was not the end of the world for Germany, who was #1 in the world in the FIFA rankings at the time. The Mexicans were extremely competitive that year and played very well to beat the favorites, but the Germans would surely be able to handle both Sweden and South Korea to advance. Germany beat Sweden 2-1 in stoppage time, which set up the must-win match against South Korea – the 3rd-worst squad at the World Cup that year, per FIFA rankings.

Sportsbooks had this match at (+1800) for South Korea to win, about as long of 1x2 odds as you'll see in the modern World Cup. Not only did the Koreans pull off the stunner, but they scored twice in stoppage time and shut out the tournament favorites 2-0, sending the Germans home packing after just 3 matches. South Korea had already been eliminated prior to that match and were purely playing for pride.

This made 2018 the first time Germany was sent home at the group stage since the 3rd-ever World Cup in 1938. The upset highlighted the growing parity among national teams as South Korea was ranked 62nd in the world and threw up a clean sheet against the world #1 when Germany needed to win.

Other notable surprises include host Russia's 2018 run to the quarterfinals despite being ranked as the worst team in the tournament. Sure, they navigated the group stage well, but the entire world predicted the Russian luck to run out against Spain in the Round of 16. The hosts prevailed, however, playing to a 1-1 draw and besting the Spaniards in penalties as more than 5-to-1 underdogs.

Japan dealt the German squad yet another body blow in the 2022 World Cup, taking down the heavily favored European juggernaut 2-1 in comeback fashion in group play and preventing Germany from qualifying for knockouts for the 2nd-consecutive World Cup. The Japanese would later defeat Spain by an identical 2-1 score to win a group most considered to be the toughest in the field.

Japan's 2022 run to win Group E sticks out as one of the most surprising group results in World Cup history. They could not carry any momentum into the knockouts, however, falling to Croatia in penalties in the Round of 16.

The largest upset in recent World Cup history also occurred in 2022 when Saudi Arabia, the 49th-ranked team in the world, beat Argentina (4th in the world) 2-1 to open group play. The Saudis came into that contest at (+2200) to win and overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to shock Lionel Messi and Co.

Unlike Senegal in 2002 or North Korea in 1966, the Saudis did not parlay this epic win into something special. Saudi Arabia scored just 1 goal combined over their final 2 matches in group play and still finished at the bottom of the standings. Meanwhile, Argentina won 2-0 and 2-0 to rise from the ashes and win the group. They would then go on to win the whole thing against France in penalties, embarking on one of the most tumultuous yet beautiful arcs in sports history.

Looking ahead to this year's World Cup, the expansion to 48 teams in 2026 will create more group games and increase the likelihood of surprises. More spots for Asia and Africa will provide opportunities for emerging nations to test themselves against traditional powers. Favorites must manage squad rotation carefully to avoid fatigue and injury. This increased variance could produce upsets and open value for bettors willing to back disciplined, non-traditionally good teams.

Will there be any huge upsets in 2026? Here are FanDuel's World Cup odds for 2026 as well as five World Cup longshot picks for this year.

Check out all of our 2026 World Cup content.

Frequently Asked Questions About World Cup Betting

What is the most popular World Cup bet?

Outright winner (who lifts the trophy) is the most popular single futures market. Match-by-match, the moneyline is the most popular individual game bet, followed by total goals over/under.

Does a draw count in World Cup match betting?

Yes, in group stage betting, all three outcomes — home win, draw, away win — are valid results. In knockout stage betting, most markets apply to 90 minutes only, meaning a draw after 90 minutes is a valid result even if extra time and penalties determine the actual winner. Always check FanDuel's market description.

What happens to my bet if a match goes to extra time?

If you bet on a team to "win" the match on FanDuel and the game ends in a draw after 90 minutes, your bet typically loses (for moneyline bets) or voids (for draw no bet markets). The "to advance" market covers extra time and penalties and is a separate bet type.

When is the 2026 World Cup Final?

The final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Who is the favorite to win the 2026 World Cup?

Spain leads the betting board at +450 on FanDuel Sportsbook, followed by France at +550 and England at +650.

Who is defending champion at the 2026 World Cup?

Argentina are the defending champions, having won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in a penalty shootout against France.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.