The Biggest World Cup Surprises Since 1994

As the 2026 World Cup approaches with 48 teams participating for the first time in history, a report by The Guardian reviewed the most notable surprises of recent editions of the tournament, relying on FIFA rankings before each match to measure the shock caused by less favored teams when they toppled the giants.

In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Bulgaria stole the spotlight when they knocked out world-ranked number one Germany in the quarter-finals thanks to Yordan Letchkov's famous goal, having also defeated Argentina and Mexico.

The 1998 France edition witnessed one of the biggest surprises in the group stage when Nigeria, ranked 74th globally, defeated Spain, ranked 15th, with a score of 3-2, before the tournament ended with France winning over Brazil despite the significant difference in world rankings at the time.

In the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, the Koreans created one of the greatest stories in tournament history by reaching the semi-finals after eliminating Portugal, Italy, and Spain, while the biggest shock came in the opening match when Senegal, participating for the first time, defeated defending champions France 1-0.

The 2006 World Cup in Germany was the richest in surprises according to the study, witnessing 21 victories by lower-ranked teams, with one of the most significant surprises being Ukraine reaching the quarter-finals in their first participation.

The subsequent editions featured no less thrilling surprises, as South Africa defeated France in 2010 despite being eliminated in the first round, while Costa Rica became the hero of the 'Group of Death' in 2014 after surpassing Italy and qualifying at their expense and that of England.

In Russia 2018, the Russian team benefited from home advantage and crowd support to eliminate Spain in the round of 16, while Croatia continued their adventure by eliminating England and reaching the final.

The Qatar 2022 edition also witnessed a number of surprises that cemented its place among the most exciting editions in World Cup history, as the Saudi team caused one of the biggest shocks by defeating Argentina 2-1 in the group stage, while Japan overcame Germany and Spain and topped their group, and South Korea succeeded in eliminating Uruguay and qualifying at their expense after defeating Portugal.

Cameroon also defeated Brazil in the group stage, and Qatar exited the tournament without any points despite hosting the event, before the Moroccan team made history by reaching the semi-finals as the first Arab and African team to achieve this feat, and Tunisia defeated defending champions France, while Croatia continued their series of surprises by eliminating Brazil, the strong title contender, in the quarter-finals.

The Guardian believes that increasing the number of participating teams in the 2026 edition may open the door to greater surprises than ever before and give lesser-known teams a new opportunity to write historical chapters in the global tournament.