The World Cup is where giants sometimes fall. Part of the tournament's magic is that on any given day a smaller nation can topple a favourite, and a few of those shocks have become legends.
The classics
In 1950, the United States stunned England 1-0 in one of the earliest great upsets. Forty years later, Cameroon beat defending champions Argentina in the opening match of the 1990 tournament. In 2002, a debuting Senegal side did the same to holders France, winning 1-0 to open the World Cup.
Modern shocks
More recently, holders have kept falling early. In 2018, South Korea beat Germany to send the champions out in the group stage, and in 2022 Saudi Arabia beat an Argentina team that would go on to win the whole thing. It proved that even the eventual champions can lose to a well-organised underdog.
Why they keep happening
Knockout football and one-off group games reward belief, discipline and a little luck. With 48 teams in 2026, there are more underdogs than ever with a chance to write their own upset into World Cup folklore.