Saudi Arabia's Salem Al-Dawsari scoring his side's second goal during the Fifa World Cup Group C soccer match against Argentina in Qatar 2022.
Image: IANS
The Round of 32 has only just begun at the 2026 Fifa World Cup, but already we have witnessed some incredible results.
Undoubtedly, the biggest shock has been Paraguay eliminating four-times champions Germany on penalties on Monday evening.
We take a look at XI other surprises that sent tremors through the football world.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten streak and were heavily tipped to win the tournament. When Messi scored an early penalty, everything seemed to go according to script. However, a blistering five-minute spell in the second half saw Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari score two spectacular goals for Saudi Arabia (ranked 51st in the world). Statistically verified by bookmakers as the biggest betting upset in World Cup history, it didn't stop Argentina from eventually lifting the trophy, but it shocked the globe.
The "Mineirazo" – A shock not because of who won, but because of the sheer, apocalyptic nature of the scoreline.
Hosting the tournament, five-time champions Brazil expected a joyous march to the final. Instead, they suffered a collective psychological collapse on home soil. Germany ruthlessly dismantled them, scoring five goals in the first 29 minutes. It remains the most staggering and humiliating defeat a football powerhouse has ever endured.
The "Miracle on Grass." England were the self-proclaimed masters of the game, making their tournament debut with a star-studded squad. The United States team, by contrast, was a ragtag group of semi-professionals and amateurs — including a mailman, a mill worker, and a dishwasher. Haitian-born Joe Gaetjens scored a diving header in the 38th minute, and the Americans defended for their lives. The result was so unbelievable that some British newspapers assumed the "1-0" telex was a typo and mistakenly printed that England won 10-1.
The infamous Maracanazo. Brazil only needed a draw in the final round-robin match to secure their first-ever World Cup. A jaw-dropping crowd of nearly 200,000 fans packed Rio’s Maracanã stadium for what was supposed to be a national coronation. Brazil scored first, but Uruguay fought back, with Alcides Ghiggia netting the winner in the 79th minute. The stadium fell into a silence so profound that Ghiggia later noted, "Only three people have silenced the Maracanã: Frank Sinatra, the Pope, and me."
Reigning World Cup and European champions France, boasting global superstars like Thierry Henry, opened the 2002 tournament in Seoul against debutants Senegal. Without an injured Zinedine Zidane, the French looked sluggish. Papa Bouba Diop scored a scrappy 30th-minute goal and celebrated by dancing around his jersey at the corner flag. Senegal held on, triggering a tournament collapse that saw France exit in the group stage without scoring a single goal.
Diego Maradona's defending champions walked out for the opening match at the San Siro in Milan expecting an easy victory over Cameroon. Instead, they met the "Indomitable Lions," who deployed a wildly physical, uncompromising style of play. Despite having two players sent off and finishing the match with 9 men, Cameroon scored via a François Omam-Biyik header that squirmed past the goalkeeper. Cameroon went on to become the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals.
Italy arrived in England as tournament heavyweights, while North Korea was a complete mystery. In their final group game, Pak Doo-ik struck a legendary low drive just before halftime to put the underdogs ahead. The North Koreans defended heroically to eliminate the two-time champions. The shock was so profound that when the humiliated Italian squad arrived back home, they were pelted with rotten tomatoes at the airport.
Before the match, the arrogant West German team openly mocked Algeria, with one player joking he would play the match with a cigar in his mouth. On the pitch, the Algerians put on a masterclass in swift passing. Rabah Madjer put Algeria ahead, and though Karl-Heinz Rummenigge equalized, Hocine Yahi immediately set up Lakhdar Belloumi for the winner just a minute later. It remains one of Africa’s proudest football moments.
Defending champions Germany came into the 2018 tournament in Russia expecting to mount a serious title defense. Instead, they sputtered through the group stage and met a resilient South Korea in the final group match. Needing a win to advance, Germany threw everything forward, only to be hit by two dramatic stoppage-time goals (including one after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer lost the ball deep in the Korean half). It marked Germany's first opening-round exit since 1938.
Known as the "Miracle of Bern." Hungary’s "Magical Magyars" were widely considered the greatest international team ever assembled, carrying a 31-match unbeaten streak. They had already demolished West Germany 8-3 in the group stage and went 2-0 up within the first eight minutes of the final. In heavy rain, the Germans staged an impossible comeback, with Helmut Rahn scoring the winner six minutes from time to break Hungarian hearts.
In a match punctuated with controversy, co-hosts South Korea stunned the heavily-favoured Italians in Daejeon, despite Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon saving an early penalty from Ahn Jung-Hwan.
Christian Vieri headed in a corner to give Italy the lead in the 18th minute before South Korea mounted a late comeback when Seol Ki-Hyeon scored in the 88th minute to tie the game at 1-1, sending the match into extra time.
During extra time, Italy's Damiano Tomassi had a shot in the net that would have been a golden goal, but it was waved off for offside, while Francesco Totti was issued a second yellow card—resulting in a red—for simulation in the penalty box when it appeared he was fouled.
This all built up to the 116th minute when Ahn Jung-Hwan scored a header—the sudden-death "golden goal"—which ended the game immediately and secured the win for South Korea. Ironically, Jung-Hwan was playing his club football in Italy, where he was on loan at Parma.