Not a bad way to make your World Cup debut.Cape Verde came into their first finals game with the daunting prospect of taking on a Spain side that are many people’s favourites to win the whole competition. Having watched Germany demolish Curacao the day before, Cape Verde fans might have been forgiven for experiencing some pre-game nerves.Yet what followed was a performance of heroic obduracy, and one of the most surprising results in men’s World Cup history. Who knew a 0-0 draw could be so entertaining?But where does this result rank in the pantheon of men’s World Cup upsets? We asked The Athletic’s experts to weigh in on their most surprising results in the history of the competition.United States 1-0 England, 1950Few results in World Cup history have been as shocking as the United States’ 1-0 victory over England on June 29, 1950, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.The Americans entered the match as overwhelming underdogs. England, playing in its first World Cup after years of refusing to participate in FIFA competitions, was widely regarded as one of the strongest teams in the world. Many observers predicted England would score several goals with ease.Sounds familiar? The U.S. team, by contrast, was made up largely of amateur and semi-professional players. Its roster included a high school teacher, letter carriers and dishwashers, many of whom held full-time jobs outside soccer.Drawn alongside Spain and Chile in Group 2, both England and the U.S. understood there was little margin for error. The 1950 World Cup allowed only the group winner to advance, making every match effectively a knockout game. England had beaten Chile 2-0 in their previous game, while the Americans had already lost 3-1 to Spain in their opening match and were given little chance against the English.Instead, they produced one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The decisive moment came in the 38th minute when Haiti-born forward Joe Gaetjens redirected a shot from Walter Bahr past England goalkeeper Bert Williams.The goal proved enough as the Americans closed up and played a defensive game for the remainder of the match. The result was so unexpected that some newspapers initially believed it had been reported incorrectly. Yet the score stood. Although neither team advanced from the group stage, the victory remains one of the defining moments in U.S. soccer history.Asli PelitNorth Korea 1-0 Italy, 1966The venue was Ayrsome Park, Middlesbrough FC’s former stadium, for a meeting between European giants Italy and global pariah North Korea, taking place just 13 years after the Korean War.North Korea’s side was not even supposed to be at the World Cup initially, taking their place after South Africa were disqualified due to the country’s apartheid regime, and South Korea had to withdraw for logistical reasons.Boasting an utterly unknown team — with their flag and anthem unable to be broadcast in the United Kingdom due to the lingering effects of the war — North Korea were the tournament’s surprise stars.North Korea players celebrate their victory (AFP via Getty Images)Moranbong Phenian midfielder Pak Doo-ik, a corporal in the North Korean army, scored the winner late in the first-half, with his side going on to weather an increasingly desperate Italian storm.On returning to Middlesbrough in 2002, 36 years later, Pak remarked: “It was the day I learnt football is not all about winning. I learnt that playing football can improve diplomatic relations and promote peace.”Supporters in Italy cared little for that; when the Azzurri returned to Rome’s airport after the defeat, they were pelted by rotten tomatoes, with manager Edmondo Fabbri immediately sacked.North Korea almost sprung another shock against Portugal in the quarter-finals, taking a 3-0 lead before the legendary Eusebio inspired a 5-3 win with four goals.Jacob WhiteheadAlgeria 2-1 West Germany, 1982When debutants Algeria lined up to take on two-time champions West Germany in the opening match of the 1982 tournament, it looked like FIFA had planned a Gijon goal-fest to get the party started.After all, most of the Algerian team were based at home, while West Germany had just won the Euros and had superstars such as Paul Breitner and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in their ranks. As the commentator on the extended highlights on FIFA’s website puts it, “what a test for their first time out”.But what a game this one turned out to be. The first half is all West Germany but Algeria keep them out. And then, nine minutes into the second half, the North African side take a shock lead when Rabah Madjer reacts fastest to Toni Schumacher’s first save of the match.The Germans via a trademark close-range finish from Rummenigge. But the Algerians then produce the move of the match to score almost from the restart, with Lakhdar Belloumi applying an emphatic finish.That prompts a German siege of the Algerian goal. There are amazing saves, last-ditch blocks, a disallowed goal, a huge penalty shout and then, finally, the whistle. Algeria win to become the first African and first Arab team to beat European opposition at a World Cup.And they should have advanced to the next round, too, as they lost to Austria but beat Chile in their final game, only for West Germany and Austria to contrive a 1-0 win for the former that sent both through at Algeria’s expense. A game now known as the “Disgrace of Gjion”.Matt SlaterCameroon 1-0 Argentina, 1990It was the opening game of the 1990 World Cup and the stage in Milan was set for Diego Maradona to dominate, just as he did when leading Argentina to victory in Mexico four years earlier.But Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions hadn’t read the script. They produced a spirited, defiant, combative first-half display to frustrate the world champions, denying Maradona the time and space to work his magic. Then, almost unbelievably, they took the lead midway through the second half with a towering header from Francois Omam-Biyick, which Argentina goalkeeper Nery Pumpido somehow allowed to escape his grasp.Cameroon were reduced to 10 when Omam-Biyick’s brother Andre was sent off and then to nine when defender Benjamin Massing halted Claudio Cannigia’s progress in the crudest manner imaginable. It was no-frills football at times, but, as that World Cup went on, Cameroon’s performances — beating not just Argentina but Romania and Colombia and then coming so close to eliminating England in the quarter-final — were both inspirational and transformative for African football.Oliver KayBulgaria 2-1 Germany, 1994Germany were defending the World Cup they won in 1990, and going along fairly well. They’d topped their group – without comprehensively beating anybody, it should be said – and seen off Belgium in the round of 16. So far so good.And better still when Lothar Matheus opened the scoring with a penalty against a limited Bulgaria team in the quarter-finals. Jurgen Klinsmann banged in another finish – but then it all went wrong. Klinsmann’s tap-in was ruled out for offside, Hristo Stoichkov levelled things up and then three minutes later, a balding Yordan Letchkov dispatched a deadly hanging header. Like that, the holders were out.Bulgaria’s Yordan Letchkov heads the wiunner against Germany (Simon Bruty/ALLSPORT)I remember this because I watched it in a German pub. The odd thing was that everybody there seemed to see it coming. ‘Raus!’ they shouted (“Out!”), with shoulders shrugging, when the final whistle sounded. And then they sank pilsner incessantly. Phil HaySenegal 1-0 France, 2002It’s the opening match of the 2002 World Cup with France playing Senegal at Seoul World Cup Stadium.Les Bleus are coming off their first World Cup title in 1998 on home soil. They boasted a squad that had several returning players from their championship roster, including Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry. Senegal, a former French colony that gained independence in 1960, was playing in its first World Cup.What was expected to be a coronation for the defending champions instead became one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history. David Trezeguet nearly opened the scoring for France, sending a blazing shot off the post in the 22nd minute.Then, in one of the most historic moments of the World Cup, Senegal got its first ever goal at the tournament, courtesy of Papa Bouba Diop in the 29th minute. El Hadji Diouf scampered down the left flank before sending in a low cross to Diop, who tapped the ball into the net after an initial save from French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. Diop took off his shirt and began to dance around it in a circle with his fellow teammates, producing an iconic celebration.Senegal would hold on to win 1-0 over France, sending shockwaves through the tournament. The Lions of Teranga became the second African nation to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals before losing to Turkey on a golden goal in the 94th minute. France’s title defense unravelled; they failed to get out of the group stage, going 0-1-2 and not scoring a single goal.Lukas WeeseSaudi Arabia 2-1 Argentina, 2022So this is not the best start for Spain, but they can take comfort from how eventual champions Argentina started their campaign four years ago.Their opening game against Saudi Arabia was seen as a free hit for Lionel Messi and company, a chance to tune up before the real business of trying to lift their third world title.It seemed to be following that script when Messi put them ahead from the spot in the 10th minute. Lautaro Martinez even thought he had put his side 2-0 up around the half-hour mark, but his goal was ruled out for a questionable offside. Saleh Al-Shehri then drew the sides level with his low shot in the 48th minute, before Salem Al-Dawsari stunned the world with his blistering effort from the edge of the area five minutes later.It was only Saudi Arabia’s fourth World Cup win in 17 attempts, against a side who had gone on a 36-game unbeaten run. Sports data group Gracenote branded it the biggest shock in the tournament’s history, with the chances of a Saudi win estimated at just 8.7 per cent.But we all know what happened next — and coach Lionel Scaloni’s post-match words, as shown in the documentary I Choose To Believe: The Road Of The Champion, were particularly prescient: “Unfortunately — or positively — it happened, and if we get through and we regroup, we’ll go and compete. And be warned… if we regroup, there’s nobody who can stop us.”Tomas Hill Lopez-MencheroCape Verde 0-0 Spain, 2026It’s rare that a 0-0 draw in the group stages elicits cheers and congratulations, but this was a tremendous team performance from Cape Verde. They spent the majority of the game on the backfoot, but never looked overawed by a Spain team that finished the game with 74 percent possession.Cape Verde defended deep, blocked shots excellently and were anchored by the 40 year old Vozinha having one of the goalkeeping performances of a lifetime, making seven saves throughout the match.It was the sort of team performance that should win over any of the remaining naysayers regarding the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams World Cup. Cape Verde are among a collection “smaller” nations who can compete at the World Cup. Curaçao may have lost 7-1 to Germany a day before, but they looked promising before an unfortunately timed hydration break.Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw with Spain is important not only because it increases the chances of Spain meeting Argentina in the Round of 32, but it serves as a new, modern reminder that the gap in collective endeavour between the best in the world (Spain’s FIFA ranking is 3rd) and World Cup debutants (Cape Verde’s FIFA ranking is 64th) is growing smaller.There are no more participants. The planet is more connected than ever, with players of mixed heritage being recruited via LinkedIn to play for National Teams on the biggest stage. There’s a brilliant World Cup story to be had on every match day. This is a draw that reminds us of the brilliance of football and its ability to constantly surprise.Carl Anka