Greatest FIFA World Cup Upsets: From Dream Runs to Titanic Blowouts

Introduction
Fitting finales: Famous upsets to lift the trophy
- 1. Uruguay 2–1 Brazil (1950): “El Maracanazo”
- 2. West Germany 3–2 Hungary (1954): The “Miracle of Bern”
- 3. West Germany 2–1 Netherlands (1974): “Der Bomber” spoiled the Dutch party
- 4. France 3–0 Brazil, 1998: Zidane steals the show
Champions with feet of clay
- 5. Cameroon 1–0 Argentina (1990): San Siro stunner
- 6. Norway 2–1 Brazil (1998): Flonaldo’s triumph
- 7. Senegal 1–0 France (2002): Opening day upset
- 8. Slovakia 3–2 Italy (2010): Italy’s painful exit
- 9. Netherlands 5–1 Spain (2014): The “Flying Dutchman”
- 10. South Korea 2–0 Germany (2018): Double knockout in Kazan
- 11. Tunisia 1–0 France (2022): Exit on a high note
Beyond their wildest dreams: Underdogs on fairy-tale runs
- 12. Wales (1958): Delightful debut for the Dragons
- 13. North Korea (1966): The Chollima joins the big leagues
- 14. Algeria (1982): All roads lead to Gijón
- 15. Bulgaria (1994): Breaking the long jinx
- 16. Croatia (1998): The Vatreni’s blazing debut
- 17. South Korea (2002): The ultimate hometown heroes
- 18. Costa Rica (2014): A Cinderella story
- 19. Japan (2022): David vs. a group of Goliaths
- 20. Morocco (2022): An African record
Group-stage giant slayers
- 21. United States 1–0 England (1950): The “Miracle on Grass”
- 22. East Germany 1–0 West Germany (1974): Hosts shocked in Hamburg
- 23. Northern Ireland 1–0 Spain (1982): The “Miracle in Valencia”
- 24. Nigeria 3–2 Spain (1998): Sunday’s Saturday surprise
- 25. Switzerland 1–0 Spain (2010): Pinball in Durban
- 26. Saudi Arabia 2–1 Argentina (2022): The “Lusailazo”
- 27. Chile 2–0 Spain (2014): The death of tiki-taka
Clash of titans in the knockout stage
- 28. Germany 7–1 Brazil (2014): The “Mineirazo”
- 29. Russia 1–1 (4–3) Spain (2018): Akinfeev’s shoot-out heroics

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Robin van Persie of the Netherlands celebrates joyfully with teammates after scoring a goal against Spain during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Salvador, Brazil.

Miroslav Klose of Germany, wearing a black and red jersey celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the 2014 FIFA World Cup semifinal against Brazil at Estadio Mineirao on July 8, 2014, in Belo Horizonte.

Aerial view of Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, filled with spectators, showing the circular structure and surrounding cityscape.

West German soccer players and staff jubilantly embrace on the field after winning the 1954 FIFA World Cup final in Bern, with cheering crowds in the background.

West Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer raises the FIFA World Cup trophy as teammates Sepp Maier and Paul Breitner and a cheering crowd look on at the 1974 final in Munich.

Zinedine Zidane of France and Hussein Al Sulaimani of Saudi Arabia compete for the ball during the 1998 World Cup match at Stade de France, with spectators in the background.

Francois Omam-Biyik of Cameroon heads the ball to score against Argentina during the 1990 FIFA World Cup, with Argentine defenders and goalkeeper nearby.

Senegalese defender Aliou Cisse kneels on the field with arms raised in celebration after Senegal's 1-0 win over France at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Seoul.

Animated gif of Robin Van Persie diving forward to head a football (soccer ball) and score for the Netherlands at the FIFA World Cup.

North Korea national football team players celebrate on the field after defeating Italy 1-0 at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, with jubilant teammates embracing.

Robin van Persie of the Netherlands celebrates joyfully with teammates after scoring a goal against Spain during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Salvador, Brazil. — Netherlands vs. Spain at the 2014 World Cup Dutch player Robin van Persie (center) and his teammates celebrating after scoring the Netherlands' fourth goal during the 2014 FIFA World Cup group-stage match against Spain at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil, June 13.

Greatest FIFA World Cup Upsets: From Dream Runs to Titanic Blowouts

Written by

Tushaar Kuthiala

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Every sports fan loves the unexpected, such as an underdog victory or a champion’s early and ignominious exit. Football (soccer) fans will accordingly be watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup for close encounters and high-scoring thrillers. Past FIFA World Cups have delivered plenty of unpredictability, be it Senegal inflicting a shock opening day defeat on reigning champion France at the 2002 World Cup or Brazil folding 7–1 against Germany in front of a home crowd...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content

Explore Subscriptions

DNA

Right

Mobile