As the World Cup enters the ever-daunting knockout round, we should pause and reflect on the biggest failures and unexpected winners of soccer’s greatest tournament.

So, without further adieu, here are the World Cup’s biggest upsets:

1. Japan vs. Germany

Germany’s 1-2 loss to Japan might have been the most historic World Cup loss in the twenty-first century. Germany has been dominating the World Cup since 1954 with four titles. Japan, however, has never even won a World Cup. The German squad has significantly better players, but Japan’s two late goals proved soccer is a game where anyone can win.

1. Saudi Arabia vs. Argentina

Saudi Arabia has been a very unexpected winner throughout the World Cup, with wins against Poland, Mexico, and most shocking of all, Argentina. Despite facing a team favored to win the entire tournament, they won deservedly after an early penalty from Messi. The high-paced game was very entertaining, and I think Saudi Arabia proved to the whole world that anything can happen in the game of soccer.

1. Morocco vs. Spain

On Tuesday, Spain was eliminated by Morocco, of all countries, in a penalty shoot-out. Though Morocco was undefeated, and certainly a tough challenger, no one expected Spain to lose. Spain’s possession was unmatched, but their failure to score both in the game and in penalties did them in. Andreya Rodriguez ‘26 says, “I would have NEVER expected Spain to get eliminated, especially in a penalty shoot-out,” and fellow-freshman Michaela Watson adds, “I feel like all the teams are trying to give their best but in games like Morocco vs. Spain, Morocco put in the work where it counted to get the win.”

1. USA vs. England

Let’s be honest, everyone in the US—and I mean everyone—was expecting a bloodbath. But a tie! Wow! England just wasn’t up to form despite having a significantly better team and dominating possession of the game by almost 10% more than the US. The Brits need to get their act together before they face France.

World Cup expert, Ms. Barclay ’94, has a ‘hot take’ on the upcoming game: “Whoever wins the France and England game will win the World Cup; forget everyone else.”

These upsets prove that soccer is as unpredictable as it is entertaining.