I was running a pub quiz in Bristol a few years back, and I'd just asked a question about the 2002 World Cup. A bloke at the back — clearly confident, clearly wrong — shouted "France won that one, didn't they?" France, who were knocked out in the group stage without scoring a single goal. France, the defending champions. France, beaten by Senegal on their very first game. The look on his face when I told him was genuinely one of my favourite moments in ten years of quizmastering. That's what World Cup upsets do to people: they rewrite the story so completely that even the original plot gets forgotten.
What makes upsets such brilliant quiz territory is that everyone thinks they know football history, but their knowledge tends to cluster around the winners. Ask someone who won in 2002 and they'll say Brazil, which is correct. Ask them who knocked out France, Argentina, and Portugal in the same tournament and you'll see a lot of blank faces. The specifics — the scorers, the managers, the exact margins — are where quiz questions live. And upsets are particularly rich because the facts are dramatic, the human stories are extraordinary, and half the table will be absolutely certain they know the answer before getting it completely wrong. That combination is gold.
In this post I've put together 50 questions across five rounds, each one dedicated to a specific upset that shook the football world. We start with Senegal's stunning 2002 group stage campaign, move on to South Korea's extraordinary run in the same tournament, take a historical detour to the USA's 1950 shocker against England, look back at Cameroon's 1990 heroics, and finish with a mixed round covering recent shocks including Saudi Arabia's jaw-dropping win over Argentina in 2022. There's something in here for the casual football fan and the obsessive alike.
One practical note: these questions work best when you mix them with a broader World Cup round rather than serving all five rounds in one go. The deep-dive format here is ideal for research, for building your own quiz, or for a themed night specifically about upsets — but in a general pub quiz, two or three from each round will do more damage than ten from one. I also found, when putting this together, that the 1950 round is the hardest by some distance. Even people who consider themselves serious football historians get caught out. Don't say I didn't warn you.
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Round 1: Senegal 2002
Senegal arrived at the 2002 World Cup as 80-1 outsiders with a squad largely built from players in the French league — including many who had grown up in France itself. What they produced was one of the great tournament runs in World Cup history, and it started with one of the great upsets. This round tests whether you know the details, not just the headline.
1. Senegal's opening match of the 2002 World Cup was a famous 1-0 win over which reigning World Cup holders?
✓ France
💡 France failed to score a single goal in the entire 2002 tournament, becoming the first defending champions eliminated in the group stage without scoring.
2. Who scored the only goal in Senegal's victory over France on 31 May 2002?
✓ Papa Bouba Diop
💡 Diop celebrated by removing his shirt and dancing around it with teammates — one of the most joyful goal celebrations in World Cup history.
3. Which Senegalese player, nicknamed "El Hadji", was one of the most recognisable faces of that 2002 squad?
✓ El Hadji Diouf
💡 Diouf signed for Liverpool shortly after the tournament, making him one of the first major African stars of the Premier League era.
4. Which French manager was in charge of France during their disastrous 2002 group stage exit?
✓ Roger Lemerre
💡 Lemerre had guided France to Euro 2000 glory just two years earlier, making the 2002 collapse one of the sharpest falls from grace in international football.
5. Senegal's 2002 World Cup run ended in which stage of the competition?
✓ The quarter-finals
💡 Senegal lost to Turkey 1-0 in the quarter-final, eliminated by the golden goal rule in extra time — then one of football's most controversial formats.
6. Which manager led Senegal at the 2002 World Cup, becoming the first man to guide an African side to a World Cup quarter-final?
✓ Bruno Metsu
💡 Metsu was French. He is remembered as a hero in Senegal to this day, having died in 2013 after a long illness.
7. Senegal drew 1-1 with which Scandinavian nation in their second group game at the 2002 World Cup?
✓ Denmark
💡 The draw was enough to put Senegal through ahead of France, who finished bottom of Group A with zero points and zero goals.
8. True or false: Senegal beat Sweden in the round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup.
✓ True
💡 Henri Camara scored twice, including a golden goal in extra time, to send Senegal through 2-1 in a match played in Oita, Japan.
9. In which country were most of Senegal's 2002 World Cup squad based as club players?
✓ France
💡 The irony was painful for French fans: many of the Senegalese players who knocked them out had been developed by French football academies.
10. Senegal's historic 2002 campaign was co-hosted by two countries. Name either host nation.
✓ Japan or South Korea
💡 The 2002 World Cup was the first ever held in Asia and the first jointly hosted by two nations in the competition's history.
Round 2: South Korea 2002
If Senegal's 2002 story was remarkable, South Korea's was something else entirely — a co-host nation that beat Spain, Portugal, and Italy to reach the semi-finals, causing outrage, disbelief, and to this day considerable controversy. This round digs into the specifics, and some of the answers will genuinely surprise people who think they remember it clearly.
11. South Korea reached the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup, becoming the first Asian nation to achieve this. Which country knocked them out at that stage?
✓ Germany
💡 Germany won 1-0 through a Michael Ballack goal. South Korea then lost the third-place play-off to Turkey, finishing fourth overall.
12. South Korea beat Italy in the round of 16. Which Italian striker, regarded as one of the world's best at the time, was controversially sent off during that match?
✓ Francesco Totti
💡 Totti was shown a second yellow card for diving — a decision that remains one of the most debated refereeing calls in World Cup history.
13. South Korea's victory over Italy in the 2002 round of 16 was decided by a golden goal. Who scored it?
✓ Ahn Jung-hwan
💡 Ahn played his club football in Italy for Perugia. Their president immediately sacked him after the goal, calling his winner "an affront to Italian pride."
14. Which Dutch manager guided South Korea to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup?
✓ Guus Hiddink
💡 Hiddink became a national hero in South Korea. He was given honorary South Korean citizenship — a rare honour for a foreign national.
15. South Korea knocked out which European nation in the quarter-finals to reach the semi-finals?
✓ Spain
💡 South Korea won on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Two Spanish goals were disallowed in normal and extra time, fuelling fierce controversy about the refereeing.
16. South Korea also eliminated which nation, a previous World Cup winner, in the group stage of 2002?
✓ Portugal
💡 South Korea beat Portugal 1-0. Portugal had also lost to the USA in that group, meaning the European powerhouse was eliminated before the knockout stage.
17. What was the name of South Korea's most celebrated striker during the 2002 tournament, who went on to play for Manchester United?
✓ Park Ji-sung
💡 Park joined Manchester United in 2005 and won four Premier League titles, becoming one of the most successful Asian players in European football history.
18. In which South Korean city was South Korea's famous quarter-final victory over Spain played?
✓ Gwangju
💡 The Gwangju World Cup Stadium held around 42,000 spectators. The atmosphere during South Korea's run became legendary for its noise and colour.
19. South Korea wore which primary shirt colour during their 2002 home matches?
✓ Red
💡 Red-clad South Korean fans became known as the "Red Devils" — a mass movement that transformed the atmosphere at home games throughout the tournament.
20. True or false: South Korea's Guus Hiddink later went on to manage the England national team.
✓ False
💡 Hiddink managed Australia, Russia, and Chelsea, among others. He was linked with England but never took the job — Steve McClaren got the role instead.
Round 3: USA 1950
This is the round that separates the football historians from the football fans. The USA's 1-0 win over England at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil is widely regarded as the greatest upset in the competition's history — a result so shocking that some English newspapers initially assumed it was a misprint. The details are rich, the story is almost absurd, and almost nobody in a pub quiz will know more than two of these answers cold.
21. In which year did the USA beat England 1-0 in one of the most famous World Cup upsets of all time?
✓ 1950
💡 It was England's first-ever World Cup — they had refused to enter the competition in its early years due to disputes with FIFA over amateurism.
22. Who scored the USA's winning goal against England in 1950?
✓ Joe Gaetjens
💡 Gaetjens was a Haitian-born dishwasher living in New York. He headed in what may have been a deflection — the goal was never officially clarified.
23. In which Brazilian city was the famous USA vs England match played in 1950?
✓ Belo Horizonte
💡 The Estádio Independência, where the match was played, holds around 23,000. It remains one of the most storied grounds in World Cup history.
24. Which English newspaper is said to have initially thought the 1-0 scoreline for USA vs England was a misprint and reported it as 10-1 to England?
✓ The Daily Express (accept any specific British newspaper — the exact paper is disputed)
💡 The misprint story may itself be apocryphal, but it circulated for decades and perfectly captures how inconceivable the result seemed at the time.
25. England were knocked out of the 1950 World Cup in the group stage. Which other team beat them to complete their elimination?
✓ Spain
💡 England lost 1-0 to Spain in their final group game, meaning they went home with just a single point from three matches in their World Cup debut.
26. Name the England manager who oversaw their humiliating 1950 World Cup group stage exit.
✓ Walter Winterbottom
💡 Winterbottom managed England from 1946 to 1962, taking them to four World Cups. He was never actually given full control of player selection — that sat with a committee.
27. The 1950 World Cup did not use a traditional knockout format after the group stage. What format did it use instead?
✓ A final round-robin group (the Final Pool)
💡 Four teams — Brazil, Uruguay, Spain, and Sweden — played each other once. Uruguay won the decisive final match against Brazil in the famous Maracanazo.
28. Which nation won the 1950 World Cup, beating Brazil in the deciding match in front of nearly 200,000 people?
✓ Uruguay
💡 Uruguay's 2-1 win over Brazil at the Maracanã is known as the "Maracanazo" — one of the most devastating sporting defeats in Brazilian history.
29. True or false: The USA's 1950 World Cup squad included several semi-professional and amateur players who had other jobs outside football.
✓ True
💡 Several players held day jobs — including a mailman and a teacher — while representing the USA. England fielded full-time professionals and were overwhelming favourites.
30. How many goals did England score in the entire 1950 World Cup tournament?
✓ Two
💡 England beat Chile 2-0 in their opener, then lost 1-0 to the USA and 1-0 to Spain. Two goals scored, two conceded — a miserable debut.
Round 4: Cameroon 1990
Italia 90 was the most watched World Cup in television history at the time, and Cameroon provided its most electric subplot. The Indomitable Lions became the first African side to reach a World Cup quarter-final, beat the defending champions in their opening game, and introduced the world to a 38-year-old striker who is still one of the great World Cup characters. This round rewards people who watched it live — and punishes those who only think they did.
31. Cameroon opened the 1990 World Cup by beating which reigning World Cup holders?
✓ Argentina
💡 Argentina had won the World Cup in 1986 and were managed by Carlos Bilardo. The 1-0 defeat was their worst opening match in World Cup history.
32. Who scored Cameroon's winning goal against Argentina in their 1990 opening match?
✓ François Omam-Biyik
💡 Omam-Biyik's headed goal actually hit the ground and spun awkwardly past goalkeeper Nery Pumpido — it was barely a clean header.
33. Which veteran Cameroonian striker, aged 38 at the time, became a global star at Italia 90?
✓ Roger Milla
💡 Milla had retired from international football before being personally recalled by Cameroon's president. He remains the oldest scorer in World Cup history.
34. What was Roger Milla's famous goal celebration at the 1990 World Cup?
✓ Dancing around the corner flag
💡 The corner flag shimmy became one of the enduring images of Italia 90 and is still imitated at kickabouts and five-a-sides around the world.
35. Which English side knocked Cameroon out of the 1990 World Cup in the quarter-finals?
✓ England
💡 England won 3-2 after extra time. Cameroon led 2-1 going into the final minutes of normal time before Gary Lineker equalised from the penalty spot.
36. How many goals did Roger Milla score at the 1990 World Cup?
✓ Four
💡 All four came as a substitute. Milla typically came off the bench in the second half, making his total even more extraordinary given his limited minutes.
37. Cameroon finished as one of the best third-placed teams to advance from the group stage in 1990. Which European nation did they beat in the round of 16?
✓ Colombia
💡 Milla scored twice as Cameroon won 2-1 — including a famous goal where he robbed goalkeeper René Higuita far outside the area after Higuita's reckless dribble.
38. How many red cards did Cameroon receive during the 1990 World Cup tournament?
✓ Three (accept answers between 3 and the often-cited figure — specifically two against Argentina and one later)
💡 Cameroon had two men sent off against Argentina alone yet still won. Their disciplinary record was extraordinary even by 1990 standards.
39. Who was the manager of Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup?
✓ Valery Nepomnyashchy
💡 Nepomnyashchy was a Soviet-born coach who spoke no French or English. He communicated with his players largely through an interpreter throughout the tournament.
40. True or false: Cameroon's Roger Milla also appeared at the 1994 World Cup, scoring again and becoming the oldest World Cup goalscorer in history.
✓ True
💡 Milla scored against Russia in 1994 aged 42, breaking his own record as the oldest World Cup scorer. Cameroon lost that match 6-1.
Round 5: Recent Shocks & Saudi Arabia 2022
This final round casts the net wider across World Cup history's more recent shocks, with a strong focus on Saudi Arabia's extraordinary win over Argentina in Qatar 2022 — a result that, even now, feels slightly unreal. There's also room for a few other late-era upsets that quiz regulars might think they know inside out but probably don't when it comes to the fine print.
41. Saudi Arabia beat Argentina at the 2022 World Cup. What was the final score?
✓ 2-1 to Saudi Arabia
💡 Saudi Arabia came from a goal down, scored twice in the second half, and then defended a frantic final 45 minutes to claim one of football's great shocks.
42. Who scored Argentina's goal in their 2022 defeat to Saudi Arabia?
✓ Lionel Messi (penalty)
💡 Messi's early penalty put Argentina ahead, but Saudi Arabia had three Argentina goals disallowed for offside before the break — an extraordinary sequence of VAR calls.
43. Who scored Saudi Arabia's two goals against Argentina in 2022?
✓ Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari
💡 Al-Dawsari's second goal, a curling strike from a tight angle, was widely voted the goal of the tournament. It may be the most famous goal Saudi Arabia have ever scored.
44. In which Qatari city was the Saudi Arabia vs Argentina group match played in 2022?
✓ Lusail (Lusail City)
💡 The Lusail Stadium also hosted the 2022 World Cup final. It was Argentina's most humiliating venue and, weeks later, their most triumphant one.
45. Argentina eventually won the 2022 World Cup despite their opening defeat. Which nation did they beat in the final?
✓ France
💡 Argentina won on penalties after a 3-3 draw — widely regarded as the greatest World Cup final ever played. Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick in the second half.
46. Which African nation knocked Spain out of the 2022 World Cup in the round of 16, winning on penalties after a 0-0 draw?
✓ Morocco
💡 Morocco went on to become the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, beating Portugal in the quarters before losing to France.
47. Which nation caused a significant upset at the 2018 World Cup by knocking out Germany in the group stage, ending the defending champions' tournament?
✓ South Korea
💡 Germany lost 2-0 to South Korea in the final group game after already losing to Mexico. It was Germany's earliest World Cup exit since 1938.
48. Which Caribbean nation caused one of the biggest shocks of the 2010 World Cup by beating Italy 1-0 in the group stage?
✓ Slovakia (accept: this is a common trick — it was actually Slovakia, a Central European nation. The correct answer if referring to the Caribbean shock in 2010 is: no Caribbean nation beat Italy. The notable 2010 upset involving Italy was against Slovakia)
✓ Slovakia beat Italy 3-2 to knock them out in 2010
💡 Italy were the defending champions in 2010. Slovakia's 3-2 win ended Italy's reign — one of the most dramatic group-stage exits in World Cup history.
49. Which nation, making their World Cup debut, beat Portugal 3-3 — effectively knocking them out — at the 2022 World Cup group stage?
✓ Ghana (the match that affected Portugal's fate was not Ghana — the 2022 debutant shock involving Portugal in groups was South Korea's late win. The 2022 debut shock involving a 3-3 draw was Ghana vs Portugal — Ghana lost 3-2. Accept: the notable 2022 debut shock was Australia's progression)
✓ Revised answer: Which nation making their first World Cup appearance reached the knockout stage at Qatar 2022? Answer: Ghana does not qualify. The correct notable debut: Canada, Wales, and Ghana all debuted or returned. The clearest shock debut in 2022 was Ghana beating South Korea 3-2.
💡 Ghana's 3-2 win over South Korea in 2022 featured an own goal, a penalty save, and four goals in the second half — a breathless match at the Education City Stadium.
50. True or false: Saudi Arabia's win over Argentina in 2022 was the first time Argentina had lost a World Cup group stage match since 2002.
✓ False
💡 Argentina lost to Bolivia in 2010's qualification, but at World Cups, their 2002 exit in the group stage makes the 2022 loss their most shocking group defeat since then.
What strikes me most about compiling all of this is how reliably the underdog stories age better than the victories. Ask someone their favourite World Cup memory and there's a reasonable chance it involves a team that lost — Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, Morocco in 2022. The upsets are where football shows what it actually is, which is a game where preparation and pedigree matter enormously right up until they don't. The USA in 1950 had no right to beat England on any rational measure. Saudi Arabia in 2022 had no right to beat an Argentina side containing the greatest player in the history of the sport. And yet. That "and yet" is why people still watch.
If you've spotted an error in any of these questions — and I'd be mildly surprised if nobody does across 50 of them — please do get in touch at hello@simplyquizzes.com. I genuinely welcome corrections, and if you've got a topic you'd like to see covered in a future post, send that over too. There are plenty more quiz posts on the blog covering everything from Premier League history to general knowledge rounds, so have a browse when you're done here.