The original World Cup shock — and arguably still the greatest. England were making their World Cup debut in 1950, considered heavy favourites and one of the pioneers of the game. Their opponents? A part-time American side that included a postman, a dishwasher and a former Haitian international. The English press were so confident that one newspaper had already typeset a 10-1 scoreline for England.

Joe Gaetjens scored the only goal with a header in the 37th minute — a result so stunning that news agencies initially refused to believe the scoreline, assuming it was a transmission error. England were eliminated from the tournament without advancing from the group stage.

The result fundamentally changed how the football world viewed the USA and remains one of the most shocking results in the sport’s history. Gaetjens, who scored the goal, was later arrested and killed under the Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti — making the story even more tragic.

Italy were one of the tournament favourites at the 1966 World Cup in England. North Korea were complete unknowns — most Europeans couldn’t even find their country on a map. The Koreans had spent months in preparation, living like monks and training obsessively, while the Italians were complacent and unprepared.

Pak Doo-ik scored the only goal to eliminate the two-time world champions in one of the biggest shocks ever seen at a major tournament. The Italian squad returned home to find themselves being pelted with rotten tomatoes by furious fans at the airport. Several players never played for Italy again.

North Korea then went on to reach the quarter-finals, where they led Portugal 3-0 before an extraordinary Eusébio-inspired comeback saw Portugal win 5-3. The story of the 1966 North Korean team is one of the most remarkable in football history.

Argentina were the defending World Cup champions. Diego Maradona was at the peak of his powers. Cameroon were making only their second World Cup appearance. What followed in the opening match of Italia 90 was one of the most dramatic group stage matches in tournament history.

François Omam-Biyik headed in the winner as Cameroon finished with nine men after Benjamin Massing and André Kana-Biyik were both sent off. Roger Milla — 38 years old and brought out of retirement — would go on to dance around corner flags and become the tournament’s most iconic figure as Cameroon reached the quarter-finals.

The result announced African football to the world and changed perceptions of what teams from the continent could achieve on the biggest stage.

France were the defending world and European champions. Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira formed one of the most talented squads ever assembled. Senegal were making their World Cup debut. The mismatch seemed total — but football had other ideas.

Papa Bouba Diop scored the only goal as Senegal produced a disciplined, passionate and technically excellent performance to beat the holders. France would crash out in the group stage without scoring a single goal — one of the most stunning collapses by a defending champion in World Cup history.

Senegal went on to reach the quarter-finals under coach Bruno Metsu, beating Sweden and drawing with Denmark. Their run remains the greatest in African World Cup history until Morocco’s semi-final in 2022.

The defending champions, already in danger of elimination, needed to beat an already-eliminated South Korea to progress. What followed was one of the most embarrassing exits in German football history. Die Mannschaft dominated possession but could not break through, and two injury-time goals from Kim Young-gwon and Son Heung-min sent Germany crashing out of the group stage for the first time since 1938.

The images of South Korean fans celebrating in the stadium — and Germans watching in stunned silence back home — became some of the most iconic of the entire tournament. Joachim Löw’s reign as manager effectively ended that day in Kazan.

Argentina were unbeaten in 36 matches. Lionel Messi was playing his final World Cup. The Saudis were given almost no chance by anyone. After Messi converted a penalty to put Argentina ahead, it seemed the inevitable was happening — then Saudi Arabia’s audacious high defensive line caught Argentina offside three times in quick succession.

Saleh Al-Shehri equalised and Salem Al-Dawsari scored one of the goals of the tournament to complete a stunning turnaround. The final whistle triggered street celebrations across Saudi Arabia, with the government declaring a national holiday the following day. Argentina regrouped to win the tournament — but this shock will never be forgotten.

Japan became the first team in World Cup history to beat both Germany and Spain in a single tournament — and they did it from behind both times. After going 1-0 down to Germany, substitutes Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano scored two of the tournament’s most dramatic comeback goals. Then against Spain, already qualified, Japan came from 1-0 down again to win 2-1.

The back-to-back victories over two of European football’s giants made Japan’s group stage run one of the most extraordinary in recent World Cup history. The scenes in Japan — with fans celebrating in the streets at 4am local time — were unforgettable.

Not a single upset but an entire tournament run that redefined what African football could achieve. Morocco beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal on their way to becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final. Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was inspired throughout, and the team’s defensive organisation under coach Walid Regragui was world class.

The victory over Portugal — featuring Cristiano Ronaldo — was particularly emotional, with Moroccan players dedicating the win to the mothers watching from the stands. The image of players celebrating with their families became one of the most heartwarming moments of the entire tournament. Morocco lost to France in the semi-finals but their legacy from 2022 is permanent.

Algeria, making their World Cup debut, stunned West Germany with a historic 2-1 victory in one of the tournament’s great early upsets. Rabah Madjer and Lakhdar Belloumi scored the goals in what became known as the “Miracle of Gijón.” The result led to one of football’s most controversial matches — the subsequent Germany vs Austria fixture ended 1-0 to Germany, a scoreline that conveniently eliminated Algeria on goal difference. Both teams were widely accused of fixing the result.

Costa Rica were drawn in the so-called “Group of Death” alongside Uruguay, Italy and England — three former World Cup champions. Nobody gave them a chance. What followed was one of the most remarkable group stage performances in tournament history. Costa Rica beat Uruguay 3-1, Italy 1-0 and drew with England to top their group, before reaching the quarter-finals where they were narrowly beaten by the Netherlands on penalties.

Their goalkeeper Keylor Navas was outstanding throughout the tournament and earned a move to Real Madrid, where he would win three Champions League titles. Costa Rica proved that on any given day at a World Cup, anything is possible.