USA Defeating England In 1950 Still Stands as Biggest Upset

Published on June 21st, 2018 11:48 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


There have been some very big upsets in the World Cup over the years.

Who can forget South Korea's back-to-back wins over Italy and Spain in the 2012 World Cup? Or what about Mexico's win over Germany in the 2018 World Cup?

While these results were very shocking, they don't land in the top five list of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, at least according to the betting odds.

Let's look at the top five biggest upsets in World Cup history, starting at #5:

5. Uruguay vs Brazil, 1950 World Cup Final, 8/1. Heading into the 1950 World Cup final, Uruguay was roughly 8/1 to win against Brazil. Brazil was hosting the event at Maracana Stadium and had absolutely throttled their two opponents heading to the finals, as they had beaten Spain 6-1 and Sweden 7-1. There was absolutely no reason to think that Uruguay stood a chance in the finals, as Brazil seemingly had everything going for them.

In front of a crowd of 199,854 people, Brazil jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 47th minute after a goal from Friaca. The crowd was joyous as their club seemed to be poised for victory. After that, disaster for the Brazilian side struck, as Uruguay took a 2-1 lead after goals from Schiaffino and Ghiggia. Despite some immense pressure, Brazil was unable to tie things up, and the game ended 2-1.

4. Ghana vs Czech Republic, 2006 World Cup, 8/1. Heading into the 2006 World Cup, the Czech Republic seemed poised to easily move through the group stage, as they were in a group with Italy, Ghana and the United States. With Ghana making its first appearance in the World Cup and the United States fielding a weak side, there was little doubt that the Czech Republic would advance.

Ghana, however, would have other plans, as they ended up defeating the Czech Republic by a score of 2-0. The complexion of the game was changed early after a goal from Gyan in the second minute - the Czech Republic, which had beaten the United States 3-0 in their first match and was full of confidence, could never recover and would eventually lose 2-0. The entire tournament ended up in disaster for the Czech Republic, as they would finish third in their group, while Ghana would finish in second.

3. Algeria vs West Germany, 1982 World Cup, 9.5/1. West Germany, which was one of the favourites to win the 1982 World Cup, likely looked past the Algerian side in their first game of the 1982 World Cup.

Algeria was able to hold the West German side to a 0-0 draw in the first half, and then shocked their opponents with a goal in the 54th minute by Madjer. West Germany would respond in the 67th minute, only for Algeria and Belloumi to immediately respond in the 68th. Despite mounting a furious attack, West Germany would be unable to score and would eventually lose 2-1.

West Germany would pull things together after their opening loss to Algeria, eventually beating Chile and Austria in their next two games to finish at the top of the group. West Germany would eventually finish as the runners-up in the 1982 World Cup.

2. Switzerland vs Spain, 2010 World Cup, 10/1. Spain entered the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as the favourites to win, and they eventually would end up winning the tournament.

The Spanish side, however, would be caught sleeping in their first game of the tournament, as Switzerland ended up defeating them by a score of 1-0, thanks to a goal from Fernandes in the 52th minute.

Spain tried everything that they could to win this match, as they managed to send 22 shots towards the Swiss goalkeeper. In the end, Spain couldn't penetrate the Swiss defence and were handed an embarrassing defeat. Much like West Germany in 1982, however, Spain was able to regroup and finish at the top of their group.

1. United States vs England, 1950 World Cup, 11/1. A truly shocking result, as England was regarded as one of the best football teams in the world, while the United States was made up largely by a bunch of players that nobody had heard of.

The United States managed to take an early 1-0 lead following a header from Gaetjens, and they then proceeded to hang on for dear life for the rest of the contest.

England could not recover from the loss, as they would go on to lose their next contest to Spain by a score of 1-0. That would be the end of England in the tournament.