Often hailed as the most prestigious and competitive football tournament in the world, the FIFA World Cup is religiously followed by billions of football aficionados from all over the world. The glorious history of the FIFA World Cup, which spans over decades, has, on the one hand, witnessed numerous legendary football stalwarts, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and many others, and has also been a witness to numerous underdogs who have left the fans shocked with their spine-chilling exploits on the field and defeated the greatest players of the game. Have you ever wondered about the most shocking upsets that have shaken the history of the FIFA World Cup? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four biggest upsets in the history of the FIFA World Cup.
Top 4 Biggest FIFA World Cup Upsets of All-Time
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Romania 3-2 Argentina, 1994
Widely regarded as one of the thrilling encounters in the history of the World Cup, the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States witnessed Romania leaving Argentina absolutely stunned in the Round of 16 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Although Argentina entered the tournament with a star-studded lineup of prominent football stalwarts including Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, and Fernando Redondo, Romania toppled the South American giants in the round of 16.
Romania’s Ilie Dumitrescu struck twice in the first 20 minutes, giving his team a shocking 2-0 lead in the game. Despite Abel Balbo’s goal bringing Argentina back to 3-2, Romania ended up defeating Argentina and moved ahead into the quarterfinals, leaving the fans in a state of utter shock and disbelief.
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South Africa 2-1 France, 2010
At the second spot in our list of the top four biggest upsets in the history of the FIFA World Cup that left the fans shocked, we have the spine-chilling showdown between South Africa and France in the group stage match during the 2010 FIFA World Cup edition. While France arrived in South Africa with numerous prominent football players, including Henry, Franck Ribéry, and Nicolas Anelka, the team faced a major backlash after being involved in Thierry Henry’s infamous handball against Ireland.
France’s hopes of clinching the match were majorly annihilated after Yoann Gourcuff received a red card. South Africa’s 2-1 triumph against France left the fans entirely shocked and is still hailed as one of the biggest upsets in the history of the World Cup.
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Netherlands 5-1 Spain, 2014
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four biggest upsets in the history of the FIFA World Cup, we have the iconic clash between the Netherlands and Spain during the group stage match in the 2014 FIFA World Cup edition held in Brazil. While Spain ended the match as the reigning European champions and with a start-studded lineup of football stalwarts including Iker Casillas, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Sergio Ramos, the Netherlands unleashed their finest potential on the field and left the fans absolutely stunned.
Although Spain’s Xabi Alonso converted a penalty to give La Rioja a 1-0 lead, what happened in the second half undoubtedly dismantled Spain’s hopes of clinching the match. The Netherlands’ Arjen Robben and van Persie ran riot, displaying Spain’s high defensive line in full swing and annihilated Spain with their blistering and unmatched pace. The Netherlands left Spain helpless in the final minutes of the match and defeated the defending champions with an unbelievable score of 5-1.
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Saudi Arabia 2-1 Argentina, 2022
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four biggest upsets in the history of the FIFA World Cup, we have the memorable battles between Saudi Arabia and Argentina during the group stage match at the 2022 World Cup edition. While Argentina were anticipated to flawlessly defeat Saudi Arabia with the football legend Lionel Messi leading their squad, what happened in the match left the fans stunned and is widely regarded as one of the most shocking upsets in the history of the World Cup.
Although Lionel Messi uplifted the hopes of Argentina’s fans after scoring an early penalty, taking the score to 1-0, the second half turned out to be a major shocker for the supporters of Argentina as Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari went against all the odds, unleashed their finest potential and scored match-winning goals for their team. With a final score of 2-1, Saudi Arabia, often referred to as one of the lowest-ranked football teams in the world, defeated the all-time greats of Argentina and left the fans shocked.
