The World Cup is by far, the most popular and most-watched sports competition in the world. The first one was held in 1930 in Uruguay, and since then, so many exciting and epic matches have been played.
It’s also the time when bettors go frenzy about predicting who will win. Most have been closely collecting and analyzing information about different teams and their progress, all to at least assume who may be the winner. And when it starts, platforms like online betting NZ are overflooded with bets.
While we are waiting for the next World Cup to start, it is the right time to recall the biggest surprises in the history of world football championships. It is difficult to make a list of only 4 matches in the history of the competition that is almost a century old, but we tried to narrow down the selection as much as possible. Therefore, let’s get going.
1. Uruguay – Brazil 2:1- 16.07.1950, Estádio do Maracanã (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), 199,854 spectators
After two cups being canceled due to World war II, Thousands of Brazilians have gathered to witness their homeland win the biggest competition the world has ever seen. After the shocking defeat, some were so desperate that they committed suicide, and the national team changed the color of their jerseys to yellow-blue after that match, because they thought that the white of that time was cursed. That defeat will be remembered as the Maracanaço, a defeat from which Brazil, even after winning five titles, has not yet recovered.
2. North Korea – Italy 1:0 – 19.07.1966, Ayresome Park (Middlesbrough, England), 17,829 spectators
A couple of days ago the media was speculating whether or not it would be possible for an Asian country to win the Cup. Let us remind all of them that the biggest upset in the history of the championship was when North Korea managed to beat the mighty soviets, followed by Chile, and Italy. They made it to the quarter-finals and lost to Portugal. The show they put on got them to be one of the eight best teams in the event.
3. USA – Colombia 2:1– 22.6.1994, Rose Bowl (Pasadena, USA), 93,869 spectators
Many may wonder why this game is on our list, because there have been a couple of other upsets in this Cup, but there’s a good reason. Colombia came and brought great expectations, but the defeat was such a shock that left severe consequences for the country. The team was already devastated by the cartel war in their country. It was the time when Andres Escobar lost his life upon his return to the country, allegedly because of his scored auto goal against the US.
4. Cameroon – Argentina 1:0- 08.06.1990, San Siro (Milan, Italy), 73,780 spectators
It was the time when Cameroon’s victory over Colombia in the round of 16, made them the first African country in history to be placed among the eight best national teams in the world. All thanks to the Soviet strategist. Wondering what kind of upsets will this year’s event bring? We can’t wait to see it.
