The biggest World Cup upsets of all time

Before the United States men’s national team plays its next game against the Three Lions on Friday, and in the next edition since Robert Green’s all-time mess-up, the first World Cup meeting between the two adversarial sides of the Boston Tea Party was made up of top-flight English men and part-time Americans.

Joe Gaetjens scored the game’s lone goal to give the Americans, none of whom played professional soccer, the win. It would be the biggest moment in the USMNT’s final appearance at the showcase until 1990.

Roger Milla’s squad was incredible. Francois Omam-Biyik’s lone goal helped not only take down a dominant Argentinian side, but started an unexpected run to the quarterfinals for Cameroon.

Argentina came to the tournament as the defending champions and looked the part to do it again. Speaking of African nations defying the odds…..

After winning the World Cup in 1998, mostly the same French squad returned to the tournament four years later and looked ready for another deep run. In its first match in Japan and South Korea, a largely untested Senegal squad was in France’s way. Advantage Africa.

Papa Bouba Diop scored for Senegal, which won the game 1-0, running to the corner flag and taking his shirt off. That goal prompted a run to the quarterfinals for the Senegalese.

Two European powers colliding? Why is this a huge upset? It’s because of how good Spain was during this time and how the result wasn’t an indication of what was to come in South Africa at all. Gelson Fernandes scored the only goal for the Swiss to take down the tournament favorites.

Switzerland didn’t get out of the group. Spain won its next SIX games to win the World Cup, becoming the only team to lose its first game and win the tournament. That Spain team was crazy good, speaking to how valuable the American’s win over the Spaniards was in the 2009 Confederations Cup.

In its debut at the World Cup, North Korea wanted to prove itself against the best. In its way was Italy, one of the few countries at the time to have won multiple World Cups. In continuing with the trend of all-time upsets having a 1-0 final score, that’s how the Italians fell.

Pak Doo-Ik scored the only goal of the match, helping North Korea advance to the Round of 16. Up 3-0 and looking like a quarterfinal appearance was next, the North Koreans blew a lead to a Eusebio-led Portugal side.

In the country’s first appearance at the event since the Berlin Wall fell and as a unified country, and oddly looking to defend their title, and did a great job until being thrown a strange opponent in the quarterfinals of Bulgaria.

Not many expected the Germans to lose in that spot with so much experience, including former USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, but Bulgaria scored two late goals to advance to the semifinals.

Another upset on American soil. After hosting the tournament in 1990, Italy went back to foreign soil with a great squad, one that eventually reached the final. The Italians lost to Brazil on penalty kicks.

Before that, Ireland improved its reputation in world soccer by beating the Azzurri. The Irish made the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup and proved with this victory that the run wasn’t a fluke.

Japan stunned Germany, 2-1, in the opening round of the 2022 World Cup. After conceding an İlkay Gündoğan penalty kick in the 33rd minute, the Samurai Blue scored twice in the second half to complete the comeback. Ritsu Doan (75th minute) and Takuma Asano (83rd minute) found the back of the net for Japan.