The great upsets: when David topples Goliath at the World Cup
From USA 1-0 England in 1950 to Saudi Arabia 2-1 Argentina in 2022, the World Cup holds surprises that humbled the game's giants.
The World Cup is also the realm of the surprise. Its founding upset came on 29 June 1950 in Belo Horizonte: the United States, with a semi-professional team of teachers and postmen, beat mighty England 1-0 through a Joe Gaetjens goal. The English were huge favourites; the result was met with disbelief in Europe.
1966 brought another historic feat: North Korea beat Italy 1-0 at Ayresome Park (Middlesbrough), through Pak Doo-ik, and reached the quarter-finals, where they even led Portugal 3-0 before losing.
The modern era has kept pace. In 2018, South Korea beat Germany 2-0 with two stoppage-time goals and sent the reigning champions home in the group stage. And in 2022, Saudi Arabia produced one of the biggest recent shocks by beating Argentina 2-1, ending a 36-match unbeaten run by the team that would ultimately be crowned champions.
These upsets share the same spell: they remind us that, over ninety minutes, the logic of paper can shatter. No power is safe.
With the new 48-team format introduced in 2026, there are more debutants and more matches, and therefore more fertile ground for the old David-versus-Goliath story to repeat itself.
Source: Wikipedia (United States v England 1950; 1966 FIFA World Cup Group 4; 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F; Argentina v Saudi Arabia 2022).