Relive the most shocking results from the last two FIFA World Cups and look ahead to which underdogs could spring the biggest surprises in 2026.
Every FIFA World Cup delivers its fair share of shockers. The question is: who will deliver those shocks in 2026? There are plenty of potential candidates.
No fewer than four teams head to the tournament for the first time. Asian outfits Uzbekistan and Jordan will be making their World Cup bow, while the tiny nations of Curacao and Cape Verde will become the two smallest nations to ever compete on the global stage. But will any of them be the teams to spring the shock? Online betting sites suggest that it would be incredibly unlikely.
The latest Lucky Rebel World Cup odds make each of our debutants odds-against to qualify for the knockout round, with Curacao priced the longest at odds of 7/1. Those are the second-longest odds of all 48 nations heading to North America this summer, with only Haiti - appearing for just the second time ever and first time since 1974 - considered a less likely progressor to the knockout round at odds of 9/1. But as these shocking results will prove to you, stranger things have happened.
Four years ago, Argentina were considered the second-favorites to leave Qatar as world champions, with only their archrivals Brazil ahead of them in the betting charts. Indeed, even EA Sports' gaming franchise formerly known as FIFA had predicted that the Albiceleste would claim the title, a prediction that had been accurate at each of the last four World Cups. With the tournament representing Lionel Messi's perhaps last real shot of finally climbing to the mountaintop at the age of 36, football fans the world over held their breath.
But with expectations incredibly high, the tournament couldn't have gotten off to a worse possible start. Argentina met Saudi Arabia in their first game, and it looked as though it would be business as usual when Messi gave his side the lead from the penalty spot after just ten minutes. Odds on a Saudi Arabian comeback win sat at around 50/1 at the halftime interval, but in a wild second half, the unthinkable would happen.
Just three minutes after the break, the Saudis were shockingly on the scoreboard when Saleh Al-Shehri's left-footed strike beat Emiliano Martinez. Five minutes later, The Green Ones found themselves in front after Al Hilal striker Salem Al-Dawsari's stunning effort from the edge of the area found Martinez's top corner. But despite 40 minutes remaining on the clock, Argentina still somehow couldn't find their way back into the contest.
Despite a slew of Argentine possession, Messi and Co. were unable to pick their way through a staunch Saudi backline, and the underdogs would cling on for a famous 2-1 win, plunging the hopes of Lionel Scaloni's men into crisis almost immediately. We all remember, however, how they rebounded, and the curtain would come down on the Qatari showpiece four weeks later with Messi hoisting the famous gold trophy for the first time.
Germany headed into the 2018 World Cup in Russia as the defending champions and the favorites to retain their crown. Joachim Low's side was still at the peak of its powers, with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller, Marco Reus, Ilkay Gundogan, and Manuel Neuer all still at their absolute best. However, much like Argentina, their hopes of a successful tournament were immediately damaged when they lost their tournament opener to Mexico.
But that wasn't the shocker. Don't get us wrong; that result still made headlines, but when the Germans rebounded with a last-gasp 2-1 win against Sweden in their second game, it looked as though Die Mannschaft, as ever, had weathered the storm. But just when you thought the Germans were safe, the dagger was delivered in brutal fashion.
All Germany needed to do to progress as Group F winners was to beat already eliminated South Korea in Kazan. The duly set about the task at hand, carving the Taeguk Warriors open time and again, only to see opportunity after opportunity thwarted by poor finishing, primarily by the usually reliable striker Mario Gomez. And in the end, those missed opportunities would come back to haunt the defending champions.
Deep into injury time, the deadlock was broken, but it wasn't the Germans who netted the opener. It was South Korea, with Kim Young-Gwon poking home from close range to leave Germany on the brink of elimination. Low's men needed two goals in four minutes in order to progress to the last 16, but again, it was the Koreans who found the back of the net as Spurs hitman Son Heung-min broke away and slotted into an empty net as goalkeeper Neuer was caught out of position way up the pitch.
That goal sealed Germany's fate. They were beaten 2-0 and bowed out of the tournament at the group stage for the first time. The champion's curse had struck again.
History shows that World Cup shocks do not always come from the strongest outsiders on paper, but often from the teams that stay organized, take their chances, and believe when nobody else does. That is exactly why, even with the odds stacked against them, the 2026 debutants and lesser-fancied nations cannot be ruled out completely.
